Yer local ham clubs can be a fun and fulfilling activity. All depends on the individual club. If a club chances to be of any size and there's lots of participation from the members with activities, and there's a good comraderie amongst the active individuals in the group, then the local club can be a hip hootenanny.
I'm in a more rural / small town type county and the "county" club has been around for more than 30 years. However it's most recent heyday was in the 80's thru the mid 90's. Most of the club simply gentrified and membership and activity had decreased steadily since the mid 90's. About 2 years ago the club went into a semi-shut down of sorts. There's little official activity and members aren't even being solicited for yearly renewal. Yet there's money in the bank and a remaining handful of personal are maintaining a 2M & 440 Repeater.
So my local club isn't operating. I use 2M a good bit and frequently use a great machine in a neighboring county. This county has a much larger city and population. So I use this neighboring machine mostly and know a good handful of the members there, occasional attending functions or seeing them at a regional hamfest. So I have membership in this neighboring club. Gladly pay the yearly dues which go towards their mountaintop repeater system maintenance. But most their routine activites, meetings ect...are too far away to be driving to all the time. Most would be 40-50 miles away and you all know how gas is and has been and the travel takes up too much time.
There's also active clubs in two other surrounding counties, but again there's significant travel involved to reach their places too. Fortunately my station is decently situated and I can make it to a couple of dozen repeaters in all directions going two counties out, and so there's no shortage of on-air activity.
So this is one pitiful little hammy's left out alone in the wilderness story. Hope your local story is better. I'm just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
