By Dave Jensen, W7DGJ

I’ve long wanted to explore with my readers a bit more about their hobbies. At QRZ, we’re all interested in ham radio. It’s a fine feeling to sit down in front of a glowing piece of electronic equipment, throw a few switches and be talking to a fellow radio amateur on the other side of the world. I’m still amazed by it – by the power of RF and propagation, and by the interesting people who gravitate to this area of interest.

But there’s something else that fascinates me, and that is how many hams share other pastimes that connect with their brain cells in the way that radio does. It seems like there is a certain type of person who gravitates to activities that garner new knowledge, and these are almost always of the expensive variety. While I realize that Amateur Radio doesn’t necessarily need to be costly, it usually ends up sucking you in and becoming a drain on any loose change you happen to have in the budget. (One of my favorite T-shirts in my closet is the one that says, “Honest honey, it’s just one more radio. The last one, I promise.”) Yes, a small QRP radio, a piece of wire and a cheap CW key are all you need to have fun as a ham. But I challenge readers to stay only with that rig and see how long you can last before the ads for new radios suck you in.

Recently I started to wonder what the elements of my personality or upbringing might be to get me into all of those expensive interests that I’ve had over the years. A good example . . . it was when I started to really enjoy coffee that I noticed that each of my various interests began the same way. In the case of my coffee habit, I started to realize how poor the stuff tastes from a standard Keurig or Nespresso capsule (I’ve had them all). I noticed that the really good stuff came in a process called the “pour over.” Because my local coffee shop charged an arm and a leg for a cup brewed that way, I went out and bought the (inexpensive) gear. In other words, for me this was the equivalent of the QRP radio and a wire. That taste of good coffee led me to the more expensive next steps.

Soon, a fancy espresso maker set me back as much as the ICOM 7610 I had my eyes on. You see where this is going . . . my latest acquisition is a coffee roaster, so that I can buy green coffee beans and have control over the whole process. Geez these hobbies are expensive. 

As noted in this column earlier, we aren’t really hobbyists in amateur radio. According to the wisdom of the FCC, we’re here to experiment with radio and to use this equipment and our airwaves to explore radio technologies, developing the art even further. By calling radio a “hobby” we actually denigrate the pastime. Collecting stamps is a hobby. Collecting baseball cards – that’s a hobby too. But radio technologies . . . hey, that’s a whole ‘nother world.

In my analogy, making a cup of coffee with the Keurig K-Cup is a bit like playing around with a CB radio. The danger is that it may potentially lead you into something more exotic, something truly a drain on the finances. But, like the knowledge I gain from my understanding of RF and propagation, my exploration of cracking coffee beans and developing new flavor profiles has opened channels in my brain and enriched that part of my life which seems to always be seeking new ideas and knowledge.

Four Reasons that We Gravitate to Expensive Pastimes

New Knowledge: As I pointed out above, the desire to explore something new, to pick up some kind of advanced knowledge of a subject . . . to “conquer” an area and learn it inside and out. That’s called mastery and it is a key driver for many of us.

Competition: Men, in particular, have a drive to compete with others -- to stand on a higher hilltop than the next guy. Women seem to be more collaborative. They’ll be engaged in activities with the local club, ensuring a turn out at the next event, while the guys will be huddled around their radios, chalking up radio sport wins or racking up another POTA location.

Competence: The guys who restore classic automobiles are a good example of how important it is for us to feel that we are competent in our area of interest. To be a good radio operator means that you can tear apart that station and put it back together, better than it was previously. Or build an antenna and start working a new band. Classic cars are popular in the ham radio world because, like radio, it is a way to give you the ultimate feeling of confidence as you tinker. I've long wanted to be in this elite group of collectors, but my poor eyesight and inability to properly use a wrench has kept me away.

Status: There are hobbies that really seem to invoke personal feelings of status, but ham radio isn't usually one of them. Bragging about a new high-end transceiver at a local neighborhood gathering isn't going to impress anyone. But on the other hand, in radio groups you'll sometimes find the ham who wants to rub it in about his latest acquisition. That's status-seeking, for sure, and perhaps not much different than collecting expensive watches. 

How do you balance your hobby with his or hers?

There comes a time for any couple when anger can develop if there isn't attention paid to keeping the right balance between the two parties and their interests. This is a great topic for the forum discussion that follows, as I would like to know what your thoughts are on how to manage this issue. Certain hams get to steamroll their way past this, but I've never had that luxury. Anytime I get into an argument about a purchase, my wife will open the ham shack door and point to the mound of radios and paraphernalia inside that room. It often starts out as a "conversation" about the mess that I've got in there, and then moves more to the subject of money and what I've spent on that heap of apparatus.

Of course, she has hobbies as well. But they are mild little things, stuff that doesn't cost a fortune. She's scrapbooking all the family photos into historical order. She's got women groups or book clubs, and exercise classes are important to her. Of course, I'm supportive of those. It's just that there's really no way to balance the ledger. As we both love to travel, I make sure that she gets to hit whatever destination she's interested in when we loosen the wallet for a vacation.

73 for now,   Dave W7DGJ

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