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Author Topic: eHam DX Forum Then and Now: a Retrospective  (Read 627 times)

KJ4Z

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eHam DX Forum Then and Now: a Retrospective
« on: February 19, 2023, 07:54:28 PM »



I was curious about trends on this site over time, so I decided to look at the posting history and was surprised to discover that the 3Y0J thread was the most-replied-to thread ever, except for the evergreen "QSL received" thread.

So I decided to pull the complete threads for 3Y0J, VP8STI, FT5ZM, and K9W to see if any patterns could be discerned.  I threw out the 1000 most common English words and here's what was left, in word cloud form.

A few take-aways: the number of posters is actually fairly stable and slowly growing over time.  I was a bit surprised, but I think my perception was colored by the fact that most of the posters I knew "back in the day" have now moved on.  The threads get longer over time, suggesting more engagement, for better or worse.  Obviously, the low-moderation approach is "working" for eham.  Another very obvious thing to note is that "CW" was the first or second word for the three earliest DXpeditions, but by 3Y0J "FT8" was by far #1 and "CW" had fallen to 5th place.  What was most striking to me is how small the pool of commenters actually is.  I had always assumed this was a bigger place than it actually is.  An obscurity within an enigma.

Maybe you can find other interesting trends?

3Y0J
https://www.eham.net/community/smf/index.php/topic,138002.0.html
92 unique posters
No surprise, "ft8" edged out "3y0j" as the most common word.


VP8STI
https://www.eham.net/community/smf/index.php/topic,107217.0.html
88 unique posters


FT5ZM
https://www.eham.net/community/smf/index.php/topic,94699.0.html
84 unique posters


K9W
https://www.eham.net/community/smf/index.php/topic,92982.0.html
62 unique posters
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EI2GLB

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Re: eHam DX Forum Then and Now: a Retrospective
« Reply #1 on: February 19, 2023, 08:15:01 PM »

I took a break from here for a lot of years and it is not the same as it was, it used to be better, now it's just people fighting about FT8

I used to enjoy Gene AF3Y and Jonathan W6GX posts and Vince K(A)3NRX and a guy called Tony who used to do mobile over Texas way, And of course Pete W2IRT is still here and Chris NU1O

Internet Forums are not that popular any more so the fact here has survived says a lot,

Trevor
EI2GLB
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WO7R

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Re: eHam DX Forum Then and Now: a Retrospective
« Reply #2 on: February 19, 2023, 08:16:22 PM »

Nice work.

Even given that I have to squint at font sizes, I spotted one interesting and possibly relevant trend.

The modes of the expeditions, as far as "mentions" in the threads go, is roughly in line with their popularity at the time of the expedition.
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KJ4Z

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Re: eHam DX Forum Then and Now: a Retrospective
« Reply #3 on: February 19, 2023, 09:34:04 PM »

Internet Forums are not that popular any more so the fact here has survived says a lot,

I miss 'em but they do feel like an anachronism and they are slowly winking out.  Kinda like blogs.  I had one of the first 100k Facebook accounts but deleted it the better part of a decade ago.  The internet's technical layers have obviously improved dramatically since the 90s but the consolidation of control has not been an improvement for the user, IMO.

I'm still in touch with a few people I knew on eham back when.  Mostly not, but a few people.  It was fun to see some of their calls (and names) surface again when I was looking at the word lists.
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KD8MJR

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Re: eHam DX Forum Then and Now: a Retrospective
« Reply #4 on: February 19, 2023, 10:28:50 PM »

I took a break from here for a lot of years and it is not the same as it was, it used to be better, now it's just people fighting about FT8

Forums full of older guys are pretty much just pissing contests.
Hobbies that have younger people in them are way more friendlier.
Quote
I used to enjoy Gene AF3Y and Jonathan W6GX posts and Vince K(A)3NRX and a guy called Tony who used to do mobile over Texas way, And of course Pete W2IRT is still here and Chris NU1O

W6GX still stops by and reads but he does not seem to post.
Quote
Internet Forums are not that popular any more so the fact here has survived says a lot,
Trevor
EI2GLB

Nope that is not the case.  I am into other Hobbies like Reef Aquariums, Drones. RC Planes and Solar.  Some of those forums have upward of 300,000 to 500,000 members.  You can literally see on some of them that the last 50 posts are only 5 minutes old.

One of the things that kills this forum is the lack of features.
Simple things like passive replies for instance, eg. "The Like button" and the ability to upload Photos and Videos make a huge difference in the Forum experience. 

Take for instance the 3Y0J thread.  It would have attracted a lot more people if users could upload short videos of QSO's.  People like Wayne have to host them on their own server for us to hear them.  You cannot even share DIY example pictures on here without using a hosting server.

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KC0W

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Re: eHam DX Forum Then and Now: a Retrospective
« Reply #5 on: February 20, 2023, 12:52:14 AM »

 I used the works erinaceous and sialoquent no fewer than 283 times in the 3Y0J thread. I wonder why they were not represented in the 3Y0J Most Commonly Used Words?   

                                                                        Tom KH0/KC0W
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KJ4Z

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Re: eHam DX Forum Then and Now: a Retrospective
« Reply #6 on: February 20, 2023, 01:19:31 AM »

I used the works erinaceous and sialoquent no fewer than 283 times in the 3Y0J thread. I wonder why they were not represented in the 3Y0J Most Commonly Used Words?   

                                                                        Tom KH0/KC0W

As stated, I threw out the 1000 most common English words.
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KC0W

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Re: eHam DX Forum Then and Now: a Retrospective
« Reply #7 on: February 20, 2023, 01:38:52 AM »

I used the works erinaceous and sialoquent no fewer than 283 times in the 3Y0J thread. I wonder why they were not represented in the 3Y0J Most Commonly Used Words?   

                                                                        Tom KH0/KC0W

As stated, I threw out the 1000 most common English words.

  :)  :)
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K4HB

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Re: eHam DX Forum Then and Now: a Retrospective
« Reply #8 on: February 20, 2023, 04:36:18 AM »

This is a lot better place to hang out if you put a couple of blabbermouths on ignore.
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KB8GAE

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Re: eHam DX Forum Then and Now: a Retrospective
« Reply #9 on: February 20, 2023, 06:03:19 AM »

I miss Rich KY6R. His observations were always relevant and insightful.

I agree with others that the big problem with the DX forum is the FT8 haters that take up about half the space of every thread. Once your opinion is well known, to continuously repeat it is a waste of bandwidth.

Start your own thread and bash away but don't waste everyone's time in the Dxpedition threads.

73 Rich KB8GAE

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W1VT

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Re: eHam DX Forum Then and Now: a Retrospective
« Reply #10 on: February 20, 2023, 06:11:17 AM »

Yes, its too bad this forum is so contentious considering how good band conditions have been for DXing.
At the beginner of the year I needed three dozen Challenge points to reach 2500.
I just did a tally and it looks like I just need to work another ten slots to get to 2500!

Zak W1VT
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K4HB

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Re: eHam DX Forum Then and Now: a Retrospective
« Reply #11 on: February 20, 2023, 07:12:45 AM »

I used the works erinaceous and sialoquent no fewer than 283 times in the 3Y0J thread. I wonder why they were not represented in the 3Y0J Most Commonly Used Words?   
As stated, I threw out the 1000 most common English words.

Had to look those two up to get the Redneckese interpretation. As it turns out, one is a hawg that roots up your hedges. For the other we typically say, "Say it, don't spray it."
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AI5BC

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Re: eHam DX Forum Then and Now: a Retrospective
« Reply #12 on: February 20, 2023, 07:57:14 AM »

I took a break from here for a lot of years and it is not the same as it was, it used to be better, now it's just people fighting about FT8
This forum is old bald white male baby boomers and older generations arguing over a comb. Younger and better educated generations want nothing to do with it.

Internet Forums are not that popular any more so the fact here has survived says a lot,
Hogwash! As stated, there are many popular forums covering all kinds of hobbies and professional trades. Electronic technology hobbies are still alive and well, it left radio behind decades ago. Today it is robotics, automation, and remote control. I belong to a professional forum which I moderate with over 1 million members with over 500 post per day and growing for the last 20 years. 

This site is dying like the hobby. The site owner knows it is just a liability generating no cash. There are no upgrades in the future. Just a matter of time until the lights go out.
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K1VSK

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Re: eHam DX Forum Then and Now: a Retrospective
« Reply #13 on: February 20, 2023, 08:29:00 AM »


Younger and better educated generations want nothing to do with it.

Extra points for arrogance! Who do you think educates this so-called "better educated" generation?
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W0CKI

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Re: eHam DX Forum Then and Now: a Retrospective
« Reply #14 on: February 20, 2023, 09:55:57 AM »

And why are you still here? What do you add?
An old boomer, Gary W0CKI
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