What's Old is the New Normal

I’ve been working towards getting my HAM license (amateur radio license) over the past few weeks, studying for it at least. My grandfather was a HAM operator for decades, WA4OPY. He was also into a number of electronics and other technologies long before their time. He actually designed and constructed the first every home brew satellite dish back in the early 80’s out of spare parts and otherwise junk.

I share all of this because I was going through all of his QSL cards last night and was literally blown away at the global network he had created. The QSL card is basically a postcard sent to other operators after their interaction as a follow up / confirmation that their call had taken place. The card includes the type of equipment they used, date of the call, and location. His network was literally across the globe, long before LinkedIn or any other “social network” for that matter. All of the notes were written in longhand and sent with a 4c stamp in most cases.

All of this made me think about how many calls I’ve been on in the past 2 weeks and video chats, forcing people to connect in a different way, authentically. As nostalgic as it was to read through all of his old conversations, stories, and memories shared, it made me realize that maybe what was once old is now new again when it comes to networking. He had no agenda, only to make and establish contact with a faceless enthusiast who shared a common hobby/interest. I think we are all being thrust into a new norm by things out of our control, and for good reasons.

If we have not connected in person or had some sort of meaningful conversation recently, let’s schedule that time now to reconnect. I would be more than happy to jump on a Zoom meeting or simply a phone call. No agenda other that to check in to see where you are, where you are finding success and peace, and see how we can best help one another as we establish our new normal.

Todd Bowman

615-337-4060