When is one officially become a “radio dork”?

[GMRSJohn]

It’s a spirited question and has a reason to be answered justly. 
 

Im not sure, but I joined in the celebration of 2 others Saturday when one of them apparently did some work on their repeater and the fruits thereof resulted in a remarkable performance of range and clarity. We rejoiced... and then my lovely wife said we must have nothing better to do. I felt that was my first persecution as an official radio dork. And if so, one I’ll gladly bear.

When did you become a radio dork? And how?

[marcspaz]

If you are asking, its already too late.

[Socalgmrs]

Never.  I got what I need to do the job I need it to do and that’s that.  I have no Intention of getting bigger and better every year or swapping antennas and radios to try and get that extra 1/2 mile. I’ve got other things to spend my time and money on. 

[wayoverthere]

When it becomes "you know, xxxxx would be nice to have".

[GMRSJohn]

19 minutes ago, wayoverthere said:

When it becomes "you know, xxxxx would be nice to have".

I’m definitely in that stage….

[WRXB215]

You have to be knighted by the Queen @OffRoaderX.

[WRKC935]

When the radio's you have in your vehicle cost more than the car did. 

When you put a second mortgage on your house (rental property) to buy a 240 foot tower site.

When you are spending 200 plus dollars a month on running your own tower site.  (taxes and electric)

When people drive by your house and know that you own the tower site down the street because of the antenna and microwave dish array you have on your roof.

When you still enjoy operating radios socially (HAM and GMRS) after 15 years of working on radios professionally.

When you have decided that you would rather do radio work after having a job offer that was 40K more than what you are currently making.

 

[WRKW566]

20 minutes ago, WRKC935 said:

When the radio's you have in your vehicle cost more than the car did. 

When you put a second mortgage on your house (rental property) to buy a 240 foot tower site.

When you are spending 200 plus dollars a month on running your own tower site.  (taxes and electric)

When people drive by your house and know that you own the tower site down the street because of the antenna and microwave dish array you have on your roof.

When you still enjoy operating radios socially (HAM and GMRS) after 15 years of working on radios professionally.

When you have decided that you would rather do radio work after having a job offer that was 40K more than what you are currently making.

 

You sir, are not a dork! You are someone who found what makes you happy and followed it! Most of the "dorks" in any pursuit, the ones I know are using their hobby to offset the life they live. They welcome the title "dork" when applied to them as it gives them a sense of unique recognition. I spent all but a couple years working jobs I hated so I could buy my dork toys. I learned to relish the title myself as there wasn't any other way for people outside of my interests to communicate that they recognize what I'm doing as the thing I want to do regardless of what they think. Almost circular logic there but all of you "dorks" get it

A friend of mine calls me dork when I fix her bike. The smile on her face is one of my most priceless rewards.

[LeoG]

What's wrong with being a radio dork?  Takes intelligence to be one.

[WRKW566]

Nothing at all! "Dork" is not a derogatory term... at least not to me! Perhaps when we were growing up, "dork" was probably intended as an insult, but remember who was giving out those insults... the dumbass who looked at your hobby or activity and could not see themselves doing that. If you didn't want to chase a ball like a dog, likely you got called a dork. It only bothered you if you cared about the person calling you a dork. Now days, "dork" is a badge of honor implying an extended understanding or expertise in a chosen field. Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking were "dorks".

[marcspaz]

Same here.  I always felt like 'dork' is a term of endearment for when someone who cares about you wants to tease you a little be for being unusually good at or into something. 

[RayDiddio]

Dork is a definite insult with it being another word for a portion of the male body below the waist and above the knees as well as a term used to describe people as stupid, foolish or inept.

Geek is a term of endearment.

[WRKW566]

15 minutes ago, RayDiddio said:

Dork is a definite insult with it being another word for a portion of the male body below the waist and above the knees as well as a term used to describe people as stupid, foolish or inept.

Geek is a term of endearment.

Geek is what the guy at the carnival was called who would bite the heads off chickens for the audience. While strictly not an insult, I would rather be called a radio dork than a radio geek. The Internet agrees with you about the accepted meaning for the word dork but unless I give myself the ability to redirect the hate in other people's words, I become directed by those words, and as such directed by the thinking of those people. Name calling is childish, name calling as an adult is stupid as we are charged with the responsibility to think about things or risk affecting other people's lives. As children our name calling was just the expression of our thinking without the education to communicate intelligently what were were feeling.

Call me anything you like as long as you call me for dinner

Edited Tuesday at 08:19 PM by WRKW566
spelling as usual

[GMRSJohn]

1 hour ago, RayDiddio said:

Dork is a definite insult with it being another word for a portion of the male body below the waist and above the knees as well as a term used to describe people as stupid, foolish or inept.

Geek is a term of endearment.

Roger that, geek

[RayDiddio]

20 minutes ago, GMRSJohn said:

Roger that, geek

My entire point ended with the wink, hehe... on purpose.

No matter what we do in this type of hobby, the terms are always insults. Just like ham started as an insult.

Cheers everyone!

[Davichko5650]

2 hours ago, RayDiddio said:

 

No matter what we do in this type of hobby, the terms are always insults.

Modus operandi hereabouts; your close friends you insult like crazy. People you've never met you treat with utmost dignity...

[GMRSJohn]

Who are the real radio dorks around here though?…. Like who has proposed and/or met women and such on radio

[RayDiddio]

28 minutes ago, Davichko5650 said:

Modus operandi hereabouts; your close friends you insult like crazy. People you've never met you treat with utmost dignity...

Life experience says otherwise.

Yes, my friends, the close ones, insult me and I insult them. It's a bonding thing. But people I have never met have not been so kind in recent years for whatever reason they have. Their mistake... I would literally give a person the shirt off my back if they needed it badly enough.

[WRKW566]

46 minutes ago, Davichko5650 said:

Modus operandi hereabouts; your close friends you insult like crazy. People you've never met you treat with utmost dignity...

"Your friends and family will say and do things to you that your enemy would never consider."

You people let me know when I start treating you like family, 'k?

[LeoG]

54 minutes ago, GMRSJohn said:

Who are the real radio dorks around here though?…. Like who has proposed and/or met women and such on radio

Does my wife count?  Not before I married her 38 years ago.  But now since I got back into radio.

[GMRSJohn]

1 hour ago, LeoG said:

Does my wife count?  Not before I married her 38 years ago.  But now since I got back into radio.

I’m sure the return of the hobby has brought you 2 closer.

[LeoG]

I'm actually shocked that she enjoys it.  I figured I'd have to keep her screaming and kicking to touch that PTT button.

[WRQC527]

On 11/11/2024 at 4:43 PM, GMRSJohn said:

It’s a spirited question and has a reason to be answered justly. 
 

Im not sure, but I joined in the celebration of 2 others Saturday when one of them apparently did some work on their repeater and the fruits thereof resulted in a remarkable performance of range and clarity. We rejoiced... and then my lovely wife said we must have nothing better to do. I felt that was my first persecution as an official radio dork. And if so, one I’ll gladly bear.

When did you become a radio dork? And how?

Your post got me thinking... So I actually looked up the definition of dork. I also looked up the definitions of nerd and geek to see where those three words overlap in a sort of Venn Diagram way, and where I might fit in.

From Dictionary.com:

Dork: A silly, out-of-touch person who tends to look odd or behave ridiculously around others; a social misfit. They do appear here on MyGMRS. They tend to accumulate on Ignored User lists.

Nerd: A person who is extremely enthusiastic and knowledgeable about a particular subject, especially one of specialist or niche interest. They often make appearances here.

Geek: A person who is knowledgeable about and obsessively interested in a particular subject, especially one that is technical or of specialist or niche interest. They frequently appear here, and in some cases, live here.

The only Venn Diagram-ish common ground between all three is that if you're a dork, nerd or geek, you are a person. Nerds and geeks have a lot in common, with the big difference being geeks taking it to the extreme.

Personally, I like to think of myself as a radio nerd, my radio interest starting with crystal radio kits in 1972, CB radios in the mid-1980s, an amateur radio license in 2012, and a GMRS license in 2022. I also run a mountaintop amateur radio repeater site, which takes nerdsmanship to a bit higher level, both figuratively and literally.

Interesting question by the way.

[OffRoaderX]

You're all a bunch of radio AND internet dorks.

[LeoG]

Says the guy with title "GMRS Queen"