Sunday, November 6, 2011

Occupy Shortwave Movement Starts With Success

Early on in the evening of November 6th, 2011, after watching a fast decline in amateur radio use, shortwave broadcast, and growing fatigue by members of the radio community on both ends of the spectrum, hastag #OccupyShortwave started showing up on twitter. Before a complete hour could elapse, pirate operators started showing up on 6945Khz and then the famed NW7US almost immediately joined the quickly growing movement.

Why occupy shortwave? To bring about a new growth, awareness, and popularity to both the amateur radio and shortwave / HF radio communities. Members of the movement want to get the message through that there is more than just studying a license manual and going to class, and earning a license. There is more than being an SWL who sits at the radio receiver spinning a dial, chasing QSL cards and free swag from shortwave stations and amateur operators.

#OccupyShortwave members are the 1% trying to reach the 99% who are not yet amateur operators or SWL's. There is a whole lot of science and learning involved in radio. There is truly something for everyone, whether it be those of you who are math geniuses who love electronic component level work, those of you who like to enjoy the science of antenna feedlines, antennas, power supplies, and radio propagation which in turn gets you into space weather, or those of you who like to engineer sound, learn about geography and culture, radio / satellite communications, maritime radio operations, etc.

Yes, WE are the 1% who also want those 99% folks, the "contest only" operators, to get back in the shack and make REAL contacts without needing a contest to do it. We want the 99% out here in the community to get involved with radio and discover the magic they have been missing for so long!

Communicate outside the establishment, become a convert from the 99% to the 1% who educate and enable people to become involved in radio. Radio involvement could be an avocation for you, or a career. It could be a volunteer experience on the weekends or during times of distress, it could be whatever experience you are looking to have; but you have to actually take that initiative. Together, if we all get "radio active", we CAN be the 99% instead of the 1% who are hardly noticed or cared about anymore.

Together, we can put radio on the map again! #OccupyShortwave on FACEBOOK and twitter. The internet is only a tool, a promotion medium. The internet relies upon an infrastructure that can always have the plug pulled. Occupying shortwave and amateur radio lawfully, means that we all get behind the mic in the studio or in our shacks and fire up the bands according to license class privilege to make a difference!

WE WILL Occupy!  

3 comments:

DL1SDZ said...

It was about time to do something like that. Well done.


I copied your words in my blog. I could not have done it better.
http://hajos-kontrapunkte.blogspot.com/2011/11/occupyshortwave.html

72 de Hajo (DL1SDZ)

Hans PD0AC said...

That would be nice, contesters also making a real QSO now and then. A 5/9/QRZ answer was not why I started this hobby many many years ago.

pottamus said...

I mentioned short wave in a OWS chat and the conversation just lit up! I've run a internet wireless access service in a rural area in Michigan and got the bug to get back into shortwave. Making my own antennas got me back into frequency propagation . Its been loads of fun. My father introduced me to shortwave from the basement of our house in Detroit back in the 60's