Asking for Something and then not using it!
A disturbing trend is popping up all around the World. People asking for something and then when they get it not wanting to participate or use what they received.
Amateur Radio Operators are notorious procrastinators. Some take as long as Ten Years to QSL (acknowledge via a postcard) a contact which they received within a few weeks of the original contact. While that is not in and of itself a problem as this is a hobby after all, when it comes to Emergency Communications it puts us and the future of Amateur Radio in jeopardy in a way.
Yearly, Amateur Radio shines during the Hurricane season. It shines during the Skywarn season. It shines during the Dry seasons out west with the brush fires and wild fires, and occasionally for the 'Big Event' like the WTC/911 or the Oklahoma City Bombing.
But these are spontaneous events that there is no advance planning for. When your local Office of Emergency Management approaches you after you have begged them to include Amateur Radio it behooves you and your group to be available for the play-acting of an 'Exercise or 'Table-Top' Exercise. And yet all to often it echoes around the nation and the world that groups of Amateurs beg off or find some excuse to not participate when they have been begging for days, months and years for this opportunity.
Be prepared and ready to play anytime that your services are needed. In that way you reinforce the fact that you and your group are interested in the safety of your community. Then when a 'REAL EVENT' happens you will get the call to participate gladly from your Served Agency.
