Are you Radio Active?

Just a Ham operator in a small town.
It seems we are a dying breed up here in the "great white north".
Few people even seem to know what "Amateur Radio" is around here.
I guess we have not had a big enough natural disaster in our part of the world.
A disaster situation would unfortunately give some exposure to what "Hams" do best.

I am often referred to as a "radio geek", or just looked at strangely for all my antennas.
Many people just don't get it, and blissfully think that nothing could ever possibly happen to this region of the planet.
We have had it so good ,for so long, and that has skewed our perspective.
Many people actually think, that in a large disaster cell phones, emergency services, and current infrastructure will all function.
In actuality these are the first to fail as they are overwhelmed or damaged.
Amateur radio communications is a "when all else fails" system.
Often the public do not understand , or have never heard of the concept of what we do as Amateur radio operators.

If we were in California, or the southern United States, most people would know what Hams are all about.
This is the result of disaster, after disaster situation.
In fact ,you just have to cross the border ,and it is evident that ham operators are everywhere.
U.S.A. Ham Clubs are often funded, and supported by local authorities, fire departments, and military to name a few.
Hams are a critical part of emergency services inter-communicating with each other.
Amateur radio people have the know how to fix, repair, or jury rig communication systems on the fly ,and link critical services when they have failed.

Up here in Canada, we are treated as if we had leprosy or something.
This attitude is changing slowly, but much too slowly for the good of Amateur Radio.
Very few young people are becoming "Hams" these days.
Most people today ,are into computers, or other hobbies.
Nothing too exciting about radio ,when you can IRC chat ,email, or yak on a cellphone.
I have even had people ask me, "why don't I just use a cell phone instead?".
They just don't get it.
When I explain it to them it becomes more clear, but they are still confused why anyone would think Ham radio was cool.
Education truly is the key to opening this door to others.
People seem to shun what they don't understand.

The attitude does change for the better ,when you get into more remote regions of our country where communication becomes more difficult.
In these areas, there always seem to be more Amateur radio people.
An example would be the "B.C. public service Net" check-ins on 80meters (3.729Mhz every night at 6:30pm).
You typically hear no check-ins in the big cities like Vancouver, yet a small town like Campbell River or Courntney, you will hear several people check in.
This baffles me, because in a major disaster ,the densely populated areas will be hit the hardest.
Unfortunately these high density areas appear to have the least community support toward Amateur radio.

Another fine Canadian example is trying to put up a Ham antenna or tower in a developed urban area......good luck !
If you try, you will find out how many enemies you have.
That ,and the government red tape will eat you alive if you try to get approval for one.
This is not the case with our southern neighbors, as they see the benefit that Amateur radio has to offer communities.
It has always baffled me how anti-ham radio this part of the world has become.
When the big one hits, you can be sure things will change in this regard, but it will be a real shame when it does happen, with so little support.

The thing that baffles me most is that these services are given to the community for free.
These volunteers don't cost tax payers a dime, and have a lot to offer.
So I ask....
Are you Radio Active?