[aprssig] WB4APR SK

[Scott Howard]

First off, such a sad loss!

On Thu, Feb 10, 2022 at 9:44 AM g8pzt--- via aprssig
<aprssig at lists.tapr.org> wrote:
>
> I was shocked and saddened to hear of this. I didn't know that Bob was ill.
>
> Yes we are all getting older, but I don't agree with the idea that we should just "let aprs die".
>
> They tried to get rid of Morse, steam trains, analogue radio, packet, rtty etc, and yet they're still around.
>
> It's a hobby. We enjoy tinkering. Sometimes new ideas come to us when we least expect it. I'm sure that will happen with aprs, as it sounds like there are still authors out there who are willing to write aprs apps.
>
> 73, Paula g8pzt

I agree - over the pandemic, I started offering a licensing course for
students at my university during academic breaks, it was one of the
most popular such courses offered by the university. About 40 new
licensees per year, all between 18-21 years old. The #1 thing they
were most interested/excited about was digital modes, especially APRS.
Ironically, #2 was homemade CW radios with essentially hacked DIY
antennas for QRP. They essentially love ideas surrounding connecting
arduinos and raspberry pis using radio.

I do frequently hear that CW and APRS should just die, yet younger
HAMs are sometimes most interested in those things. So hopefully
that's encouraging for people that want to keep working on APRS.

Cheers,
Scott KD9PDP