I am 40 and a Tech. Will be taking my General test on Aug 10th.
Been a Tech since 2006.. But have a heavy interest in radio since I was child. Just did not realize how simple the process was, till I became a NOAA Weather Storm Spotter in 2004... LOL
I'm 60, be 61 in Sept. Been a ham since high school. Learned the code
in high school from a 1966 ARRL Handbook by simply memorizing the code
combination's until I could recall them instantly without thinking.
Held 2 Novice tickets, WN8VVJ (66) and WN4CHV (73). Took and passed the
13wpm code test and General exam in San Diego (74) while attending an
advance electronics school. Upgraded to Extra class a few years ago.
I am a retired Navy Radioman Chief Petty Officer (22 years). Spent over 50%
of my Navy career aboard ships in the eastern and western Pacific, Atlantic,
Caribbean, and Mediterranean oceans/seas. Worked a lot of SSB, FM,
Satellite, RTTY, CW, and AM modes. I was an Navy instructor at the Navy's
Fleet Training Group in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. I operated as KG4AH from
my home during that period. Worked tons of DX and stateside stations on
SSB, CW, and RTTY using a Kenwood TS-520SE and a TA-33 rebuilt yagi up
25 feet on top of the cinder block/concrete roof house.
Enjoy CW more than any other mode, mostly on 40 meters.
59 here. I'm an Extra with no code. I just never got the bug for code. I was first licensed in 1991. I mostly like HF/Phone. It's fun to make DX QSO's; you just never know who is on the air and where they are from. It's a great hobby.
I too would like to see a poll of age & license class held. That would be interesting.
I suppose this is really a poll of the ages of Radio Amateurs who are active on QRZ.com.
This is slightly alarming. Younger people are supposed to be more computer aware and active. If the proportion of young ages is as low as it seems by the poll, and younger people are more likely to use QRZ.com, then the reality must be that the mean and mode ages of the Radio Amateur population are even older than the poll indicates.
Anciently
John
G4ALA
I think you're right.....at least at our local ham club, I think the average age is well over 60. I'm a young whippersnapper at 55~
eric
__________________
That's not right. It's not even wrong.
-----Wofgang Pauli-----
Well... Being 20 years old and in the hobby since I was 14 I've seen a lot, especially since I've co-founded a high school club and was one of the members that helped rebuild the RIT (K2GXT) club. Contrary to a prior comment Bryce and I are the only K2GXT members that are active on the QRZ.com forums, there are about 15 - 20 members depending on the quarter and classes. I know a lot of younger Radio Amateur's that are not active on the qrz.com forums, is that bad? Probably not as people tend to stick with only one forum and that may not be qrz.com.
I am in no way an expert on the subject but I got some years under my belt and I can say that the hobby is NOT dead nor "Dieing", in fact the more that people keep referring to it as so the closer it gets to being true. Coming from someone who's helped get dozens of under 20 year old people get licensed and stay active, I have always told people that the younger generations need to head-up the efforts to get other younger people in the hobby.
Second, It's awesome to see really young people in the hobby but let face it, most get into it for a few months then leave. We need to focus on the 16-22 year age group for several reasons. Most of this age group is more likely to find something they will stick with and with have their "OWN" source of income from a job to support it. Most of this age group also has started to form an interest in technology such as engineering or other areas and can be intrigued further.
Lastly, Looking at what was said between the 1930's hams and the 1960's hams it is fair to say that the hobby changed! The addition of new technology and a surge in licenses saw the "Old Timers" saying that the new technology is not real radio or such. Lets face it, Software defined radio is replacing not just amateur radios, the internet is likely the most used form of digital communications, and other aspects of the hobby are changing. The hobby started as spark gap transmitters and receivers governed directly by the length of the antenna to today's super rigs, the hobby seems to be doing OK! Embrace the new technology just like most of today's older hams did 30-40 years ago!
P.S. Contrary to popular belief there is still an honest interest in electronics from the younger generations. It is one of the aspects of the hobby that I promote at club days at RIT. Students may not be as use to or know how to get involved but with a little push and guidance a number of Electrical Engineering students and others have diving further into this area.
OK, back to work!
73's
-Brent
__________________
RIT Crew Rower (Go Tigers!)
President of K2GXT (Rochester Institute of Technology)
Co-founder of the Chelmsford High School Amateur Radio Club KB1NAY
I retired at 59 years of age and have noticed trying to keep up with technology, especially dealing with computers and software keeps my mind active. I have a dog to give me plenty of exercise since she requires two walks a day and to keep me busy in the radio shack, I now operate a software defined radio, the Flex 5000A. I never knew much about computers and software until I took the plunge but now can help others with what I have learned in the last 10 years. Placing my trackball mouse cursor over a stations signal and then clicking, is much more pleasing than having to turn knobs and twiddle other controls and am able to understand what is going on in my 64 bit computer when I see their signal or when I speak. Also, I never dreamed my CW skills would surpass 30 WPM.
We appreciate your support.
Linear Mode
