Am I part of the cure, or am I part of the disease?

I got my first brand new radio – an FT101ZD – at the age of 17. It was a present from my parents, and came with a condition: to be shared with my 15 year old brother who was also an amateur radio operator. Mom and dad believed that their investment in a technical hobby would provide numerous benefits to smart restless teenagers.

And what an investment that was: the equivalent of 3 months wages for a professional watchmaker. But it was worth it. The radio was not just a window to the world for kids growing up in a small communist country, but a tool that would help us learn English. During the compulsory army years, both my brother and I were in radio-telegraphy units training young soldiers. Quite a privileged position, with multiple benefits! Again, thanks to ham radio, I spent two years at University studying electronics and telecommunications. Thirty years ago, when my wife and I decided to migrate to Australia, those nights of listening to the radio paid dividends: passing the English language test was a matter of formality. Integration to our new life was less painful than for majority of fellow migrants. All this – and much more – thanks to that brand spanking new Yaesu, made by hard working, clever Japanese engineers!

Today, a brand new Japanese radio like IC-7300 could be had for two days wages for a plumber or car mechanic. A day’s work for an accountant, an hour’s work for a lawyer. Never in the history of electronics has a new state-of-the-art radio been so affordable. What the heck: I type this on a phone which costs more than an HF transceiver! A phone which in two years from now would be either lost, broken or obsolete.

Sadly we take not just radios, but brands and makers, engineers and technicians who support the industry, for granted. We perpetually expect more for less. The purchase of highly sophisticated equipment that will provide decades of enjoyment and potential to change a career path – and life itself – is reduced to a vulgar “so what is your absolutely lowest price?”

Yesterday, I lost the sale of an IC-7300 over $20. I just couldn’t prostitute myself to go lower. Yet at the same time, in order to make a sale, I have no choice but to follow large and established dealers. Something is rotten in the state Denmark.

Has passion been lost? Respect and appreciation too? Only time will tell. I started this DXing project wanting to be a part of the solution, yet now I feel I am a part of the problem.