HAM radio consuming (or downgrade your hamradio station)

Lately I saw a documentary about a american woman that lives in northern Thailand. She told the interviewer that she wanted to live outside the consuming world were everyone wants things better and bigger. Just living from the land, the jungle provided her with most food she needed. I have to admit that I was impressed by these words and some of it shows the truth. Most of us radio amateurs are living in a consuming world, people always want better things, more money, bigger cars, a nice house and garden and for our hobby the best radio or the most modern one with the latest technology and the biggest antenna possible.

20 years ago this was "it"!

 I know, I'm guilty as well as I dream of a nice and shiny Icom IC-7300 to replace my 18 year old IC-706MK2G. Will I make more or better QSOs with it? I don't think so, but it is fun to play. Another option is to downgrade, I have the Yaesu FT-817 which is a great little radio and it will never leave me as long as it lives. I have this Yaesu for portable and mobile use mainly and as a backup when the Icom should break. Actually I would not care if I only had the FT-817, a laptop and a multiband antenna. I already proved a base station setup is capable of DX worldwide working 100 DXCC in just 79 days. Will I be more happy with a IC-7300 or with just a FT-817 as main radio? I don't know as I only have the IC-706MK2G and the FT-817 and know what a great little radio the Yaesu is. I respect those that have nothing else to transmit. The radioamateur with nice and shiny radios and shacks are most time just playing with their gear and miss some real nice QSOs I think, although that will not count for everyone. We, as radioamateurs in the rich countries, have plenty to choose. It's just how much money you want to spend at the hobby. For example I take a radioamateur in my neighbourhood, he bought a new multiband beam and placed it high on his mast. He tested it and it was a easy job talking to New Zealand and Australia. Well he had done it and seen it, he rarely shows up on the bands and actually has other priorities.

Yaesu FT-817 still the best HF/VHF/UHF
QRP transceiver around 

But there are a lot of hobbyists that don't have that opportunity, they have to build their own gear like in the early days of radio. I think contacts with those stations are more valuable and the other way around every QSO is valuable for them as well. It's a interesting thought I think, something I consider and probabely others do not.

From the comments on my previous post I noticed that many are happy with the radio they have. They don't need te latest new technology but rather have a reliable radio which works for them. So this proves that within the hamradio community not everyone is the same...

Everyone and everything has a purpose in the radio hobby. Whatever your experience or station consists of. We are all experimental radio researchers...