Dopamine

Yesterday Josh walked into my shack. “What’s up” he asked- “still chasing DX?”

I did my fatherly duty, so Josh passed his foundation exam and got a callsign at the age of 9. But ham radio was not really his thing. Nowadays, with a career to focus on, even less so, but I like to think that one day, he will be back.

“What are the yellow boxes popping up on the screen?”

“New countries, as decoded by FT8”.

“But didn’t you work them all, last year?”

“Yes, I did, but I want to work them again, this year too”

“Looks to me like you have reached the dead end of your ham career” – he laughed.

Then he continued: “you do understand that chasing and hitting those yellow and red boxes is no different than playing a slot machine. A dopamine hit. An addiction. Nothing more, and nothing less.”

In a way he was just trying to be funny, but when he left, I started thinking about his comments, while trying to come with a rational explanation for my enjoyment of ham radio.

My son was wrong. While the actual ‘computer to computer’ contact makes only so much sense to even fellow amateurs, there are numerous other reasons why I am crazily addicted.

1. I love my radios!

Yes, their physical presence. There is something satisfying about walking into my communication room and seeing neatly and orderly lined transceivers, amplifiers, antenna tuners, switching units; numerous monitors glowing like a Christmas tree. I indulge and acquire more- for a simple reason: I don’t drink, smoke or gamble so I do have a few dollars to spare and invest in technology.

2. I love building antennas!

When it comes to antennas, there is no end to homebrewing. Stretching wires, erecting verticals, or simply experimenting – It’s all immensely rewarding. But there is another aspect that literally keeps me alive: the physical activity required to keep the land “antenna friendly”: slashing, chopping, weeding, walking kilometres every day, rain, hail or shine. I don’t have to exercise, I just build antennas.

3. I love to learn

And hitting a certain age means I finally have time for learning. Here is an example: the other day I got the Flex 6600 out of storage. Made myself a cup of coffee and for 15 minutes did nothing. Then slowly, I started reading the instruction manual. The next step was to download and install numerous updates, to update DAX, CAT and Slicemaster. For the first time in my life I didn’t have to rush just to get on air. And because I took my time, I learned a few new tricks. My hobby keeps me mentally engaged, dare I say sharp and focused. There are countless men my age who are bored to death, or who who get their dose of dopamine doing silly things chasing windmills. Yet I’m never bored and never disappointed. Thanks to my hobby I am ageing gracefully. Priceless!