[Jeffhs]

I believe the closing of Amateur Electronic Supply in Milwaukee and that of HRO are signs, very bad ones at that, that amateur radio as a hobby is on its last legs. I believe this is a darn shame since, after all, commercial AM radio got its start when KDKA in Pittsburgh, which began as amateur station 8XK, went on the air in 1920. More importantly, amateur radio's role in emergency communications must not be forgotten or trivialized. There have been many emergencies in which amateur radio was the only method of communication, when telephone lines and even commercial radio and/or TV stations were rendered useless, the latter due to damaged towers. Hurricane Andrew was a prime example of this; since many of Miami's AM, FM and television stations were put off the air, amateur radio was in fact the main, if not the only, means of communications in the area.

The above is only one of many examples I could cite of how amateur radio has played a vital role in emergency communications, and why the hobby must not be allowed to end because of supply houses the likes of AES, HRO, et al. closing for good. I personally cannot understand for the life of me why an amateur supply store such as AES, which had branches in several U. S. cities (including my former residence of Wickliffe, Ohio, a far eastern suburb of Cleveland), would decide to end its operations for no apparent reason unless they are losing money, which I seriously doubt. I don't understand this because I am sure AES must have been doing excellently in every one of its branch stores and, of course, its main plant in Milwaukee. The only thing I can figure is the declining numbers of amateur radio operators and the fact that there are fewer new hams than there once were, not to mention amateurs who, for whatever reason, decide to let their licenses expire, sell their gear, and leave this great hobby for good, never to return. If I felt this way about ham radio I would be in bad shape, as I have had an interest in radio and electronics my entire life; this is what drove me to get my first amateur license 48 years ago, and why I did not just "pull the plug" on the hobby and let my license expire (!) when I moved here 20 years ago. I now operate strictly on 2 meters and Echolink (an amateur radio Internet linking application) due to lease restrictions (I live in an apartment building); however, my license is still valid, and I intend to renew it when the time comes, as I worked much too hard to get that license in the first place. I am also a member of a local radio club, and do not intend to let that membership expire either if I can help it. This hobby means far too much to me to even think of giving it up.

73,