A dying breed
It seems people are leaving amateur radio and this world faster than they are entering this hobby. I bought the May and June 2008 copy of QST, the main magazine for the American Radio Relay League, has a page called silent keys. It is the list of ARRL member who have died in the last month. The 2 month sample shows about 200 per month are leaving us. This matches what saw at the Ham Radio store and the club pictures I see online and the age of the guys who oversaw the exam. At 46, I feel like I'll be a kid in this group.
One of the justifications for ham radio is to have a group of trained radio operators who can set up a communications net in an emergency. If what I saw at the Maker Faire was how they are recruiting, then there won't be enough Hams in this world to do what is done now in the next 10-15 years.
Here they were at the Maker Faire, HAMS, the ARRL, a group that has historically prided itself on DIY and invention, and all they did was hand out pamphlets. That is not how you recruit. Where were the demos. The electronic workshops. A talk or two about moon bounces. Can anyone imagine how amazing a radio would be if a homebrew Ham teamed up with a Steampunk artisan. What gorgeous radios you would have. Some of the Steam Punks would probably love the idea of using Ham radio.
The number of people reusing parts would have loved to see some restored working tube radios.
They could have had a morse code class. Teach people to send "Hello World" in morse code.
Even go retro and sell and help people build crystal radio kits.
If there was a set of QRP stations and supervising control operators, there could have been a local net set up for people to use with supervision.
There are probably some QRP kits that could be built in an hour or 2. To eliminate some issues, use the QRP kits to use FRM or walkie talkie frequencies.
There is so much that the ARRL could be doing, and they aren't. Especially since Morse code is no longer required for any of the 3 levels as well as ALL the possible questions for the exams are published.
This is a hobby that you can enter for $200, less if you get a used radio. And if you never get more involved, you have all the gear you will ever need. If you drop out, in an emergency, you will be able to get a message to someone when the cell phones and land lines are out after the next big earthquake.
If I am wrong here, let me know. Let me be flamed be the 200 new hams under the age of 30 that are joining every month. Otherwise the ARRL and the local clubs better get their act together.
One of the justifications for ham radio is to have a group of trained radio operators who can set up a communications net in an emergency. If what I saw at the Maker Faire was how they are recruiting, then there won't be enough Hams in this world to do what is done now in the next 10-15 years.
Here they were at the Maker Faire, HAMS, the ARRL, a group that has historically prided itself on DIY and invention, and all they did was hand out pamphlets. That is not how you recruit. Where were the demos. The electronic workshops. A talk or two about moon bounces. Can anyone imagine how amazing a radio would be if a homebrew Ham teamed up with a Steampunk artisan. What gorgeous radios you would have. Some of the Steam Punks would probably love the idea of using Ham radio.
The number of people reusing parts would have loved to see some restored working tube radios.
They could have had a morse code class. Teach people to send "Hello World" in morse code.
Even go retro and sell and help people build crystal radio kits.
If there was a set of QRP stations and supervising control operators, there could have been a local net set up for people to use with supervision.
There are probably some QRP kits that could be built in an hour or 2. To eliminate some issues, use the QRP kits to use FRM or walkie talkie frequencies.
There is so much that the ARRL could be doing, and they aren't. Especially since Morse code is no longer required for any of the 3 levels as well as ALL the possible questions for the exams are published.
This is a hobby that you can enter for $200, less if you get a used radio. And if you never get more involved, you have all the gear you will ever need. If you drop out, in an emergency, you will be able to get a message to someone when the cell phones and land lines are out after the next big earthquake.
If I am wrong here, let me know. Let me be flamed be the 200 new hams under the age of 30 that are joining every month. Otherwise the ARRL and the local clubs better get their act together.
Labels: ARRL, ham, ham radio, maker faire, makers faire
posted by Mike at
2:26 PM
2 Comments:
I'm sorry, I don't agree with Johnny's comments about the internet and contests killing ham radio. Granted, the internet provides a diversion, a distraction if you will, that may keep young folks from exploring other hobbies, such as ham radio. But it also provides a wealth of readily available information that simply wasn't within my grasp in the mid-70's. Within the space of a few hours, you can find all the knowledge you need to start obtaining a license, including the question pools for testing. Not only that, but anyone, anywhere, can find a radio for sale on ebay or elsewhere. "Back in the day" you had to wait for hamfests or know a friend of a friend that had a radio for sale. Or be lucky enough to live in a major metro area that actually had a ham radio store.
How is that killing ham radio?
As for contests, if it wasn't for contests and DXpeditions, the bands would be awfully empty. Yes, perhaps the lack of activity is partially due to the present sunspot low, but contesting in its truest sense is to train operator to work efficiently in time of emergency. How is that killing ham radio? And I'm not a hard-core contester, by the way.
What's killing ham radio is a large group of people that resist change, long for the 'good old days', and won't provide leadership for young people to become interested. Take a listen any night to the upper reaches of the 80 meter phone band, that's their hangout.
I agree wholeheartedly with KI6QNZ's comments about the poor showing that ARRL provides at area hamfests. I've been to 6 hamfests this year and, as he says, they're quick to hand out flyers and pamphlets. Nothing more.
73's Ed N4EMG
By
Ed N4EMG, at 10:47 AM
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