Ham radio "burn-out"

Ham radio "burn-out"?

By Matt Erickson KK5DR

Do you think you might be "burning-out" on ham radio? Many, many hams have gone through the same thing at one point or another in their ham radio lifetime. Some hams suffer with burn-out early, others later.

Some of the symptoms leading up to burn-out can be:

You've worked all the contests, did DXCC several times over, and are now thinking of new unique ways to work DX such as; (QRP AM), or working only DX while on a lake, or river (MM). Working IOTA, from IOTA. , "emergency county hunting", etc.

You have worked every square inch of planet earth, and are now trying to work Pioneer, or Pathfinder, ISS, or anything else that is not on the surface.

You check into every net on 20 meters, every day.

You are listening or transmitting more than 2 hours per day, 7 days a week, 365 day per year.

These may mean that you are in serious danger of burning yourself out on ham radio.

When you are already burned-out, you may not get on the air for weeks, months, or even years at a time. You may not feel like talking to anyone at all, or sell all your gear "getting out of the hobby", only to regret it later.

If you get very little satisfaction from your "airtime", you might be in danger of burning out.

I suffered from "ham radio burn-out" several years ago. I went off the air completely for a period of about two years.

I decided that I had worked too hard to get a license, to let it go unused. So, I came up with a plan to be on the air, but prevent possible burn-out.

I did this by not getting on the air, or even listening to the receiver during the "work week". I would get on the air only during the weekend, and even then, I would shutdown operations by early Sunday afternoon.

I also endeavored to come up with interesting subject matter for on-air discussion, aside of the standard things that would be said during an on-air contact. I strive to make each contact different, trying not to say the same things over and over again. I don't do the standard "ur 59, gud luk" hello-goodbye type contacts. The fine art of the "rag-chew" is my aim.

Interesting, stimulating on-air discussion, has an infectious effect on others who listen in.

Keeping an open mind, while still maintaining your principles will help you have good stimulating on-air talks, but not degrade into a argument or fight. The skills of debate are needed to pull this off.

It is not the quantity of contacts I make, but rather the quality of the few I do make, which makes all the difference to me. I can have as much fun chatting with a local station, as I do with a DX station.

I think that when a ham feels he is getting a diminished return or less than stimulating experience on the air, it leads to rapid burn-out.

Some of the subject matter that should be avoided are:

(1) Religion, very tender area to talk in, tread very lightly here.

(2) Politics, almost as tender as religion, but most can agree at some point.

(3) Environment, some people feel this is also a religion, stay away from them on this topic, unless you are one of them.

(4) Money, don't talk about how much you make (or don't make), avoid talking about how much all your gear costs (not everyone can afford as much as you). Give money advice, only when asked for it.

(5) Don't let the "jerks" get to you, let your skin get thick, and tough. Ignoring the "idiots" is the best way to annoy them, more than they annoy you.

Pretty much any topic that could be considered in "bad taste", by the majority of the general public, should be avoided as "on-air" topics of discussion.

Outside of these, the possibilities are almost endless.

Make each contact memorable to the other guy, and you too. Doing this, you will have a much more fulfilling ham radio experience.

Too many hams have gotten out of the hobby, gone off the air, or just don't care to talk anymore. I hope this little article helps prevent "burn-out" from taking you too.

"All things, in moderation…"