Hi, John. In the video we talk about "secondary" markets for promoting ham radio. We think some CBers represent such a market. Many fine ham operators came through the CB ranks. We might do a future video on just that.... Thanks. Quin K8QS
I don't really like the idea of borrowing OP's equipment, they might not get it back! I'm leaning towards new(er) equipment, SDR REALLY interests me, but I'll have to save the pennies a while...
I think the baffling part is that so many teachers no longer know how to expose students to something they are unfamiliar with in an exciting way. I have had great success getting my Padawans interested and licensed. It takes a serious amount of effort and money (the very reason I run a YouTube channel is to fund my efforts). It's not that kids aren't interested... it is more that kids don't know enough about what radio is to get interested. I'm not ignorant enough to think that every one of the kids who get a ticket with me (47 in the last two years) will stick with the hobby... but if we get several that run with it, it is worth the work.
Building the hobby. That is a great idea! I feel if you want to attract the non hams you need other platforms to get the word out. When I say other platforms... a person who is not involved in ham is most likely NOT viewing a radio magazine, not on a ham social media platform. Nor would they be attending a ham fest. You would find you are advertising to people already in the hobby. So if you are Trying to reach the general public it must be done in a more general way. One idea would be Clubs interested in growing the hobby to select Groups of volunteers setting up tables in public forums. Malls, fairs, non radio related conventions. Although this is a technical hobby I believe it must first be presented in a non technical manner or you will lose them. Talk about the fun first! And later the challenge. Assemble a team to host these tables. A team who can take this technical hobby and explain it in a non cerebral manner. People want to socialize and be accepted among their peers. If you have a club Make one meeting per quarter or month or use the first 15 min of every meeting devoted toward growing the hobby. Invite non Hams to these specific meetings. Make sure the members know this specific meeting or portion of this meeting is more social to develop future HAMS. So keep it fun and friendly. If it’s done correctly you may be surprised at the result. Through that social connection they may be inclined to connect further, learn more and eventually become an active member of this awesome hobby. Some really great posts on here. I am Learning a lot and wish you all the best! John
If you're asking how to get more young amateur operators to replace SKs, one option would be not to completely focus on the emergency communications aspects of things. It's counterintuitive, but because of (or perhaps despite) the fact they've grown up with 24x7 access to mobile phones, the Internet, satellite communications, and not to mention plain old traditional land line telephone service, the idea of all of those services going offline simultaneously seems far away, or even impossible unless it's a situation they've personally experienced. Trying to bring them in with visions of a doomsday scenario where all of those are simultaneously offline is only likely to work with those who have experienced it, then the most organized and mature-minded of them. For the rest, they "just can't see it" so they see no need to prepare for it, and the more you stand there shouting and waving your arms about how wrong they are, the more put-off they're likely to be. Yet among those who just can't see it, there still are many technically apt and even brilliant young people who would make excellent hams if they knew of the limitless opportunities to use their license, the ever-evolving digital modes, and their imaginations to have fun and do new and interesting things. You can also focus on non-experimental, but more adventure oriented aspects of the hobby like parks on the air or summits on the air... Offer it up as a way to enhance an activity they already do and grow their technical skills at the same time.
1) "Profanity is the common crutch of the conversational cripple." — David Keuck 2) "Those who think they know it all have no way of finding out they don't." — Leo Buscaglia 73 de an Extra-class appliance operator, Sean KS4TD
In my experience, saving up to get better equipment is always a good thing though very frustrating while doing so. 73, Sean KS4TD
I'll respectfully disagree with you on the cost. If you look around, you can get very good deals on equipment. My first HF station cost me $300 for both the radio and the antenna matcher (I still have both). However, new hams don't know this. So no matter the age, if they get licensed, help them find equipment! Also, 30-50 year olds understand that the ROI on radio equipment can be quite nice if you know where to find things. I am of the notion that you don't need a $20K station to enjoy ham radio. I've worked a station in Perth, Australia, 10,000 miles from my home QTH, on 25W of power on a 20M dipole I built myself on my little ICOM IC-718. I've had the pleasure of getting several of my peers into amateur radio and encouraging them to get their General to enjoy HF. So far, so good. I became physically disabled and am now medically retired. Amateur radio is a godsend for me to get out and make friends on the air. 73, Sean KS4TD
How to make Ham radio grow Very simple. Have ARRL, hire young Hams and do a marketing campaign to private schools in the USA... New Hams like KD9LFZ (Leah) should be the face of ARRL...She had many videos (Along with her Father).. Leah, just by her age, and enthusiasm will attract other Hams (Like my son KI5FJE / Adam) Leah's (KD9LFZ)'s You Tube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdmr0XxVPxsf9ZBcnjNKfqQ/videos
That and stop trying to narrowly define "ham radio" (It's CW, no it's HF, no it's homebrew, no it must be point-to-point RF only). Let the person engaging in the hobby decide what ham radio means to them and let them get on with it. The attitude that the hobby must fit a narrow niche defined by people who only enjoy one aspect of the hobby is what drives younger folks away. "Amateur Radio is the art and science of using the medium of radio frequency in a defined set of frequencies to achieve a goal regardless of the distance that RF has traveled, the equipment, or the communication protocols used to facilitate that goal". Chris
My husband and I talk a lot about this on our weekly ham radio podcast. I might be in an echo chamber because we're parents of young kids, but I think ham radio is great hobby for people with families. Hear me out, it's one of the few hobbies that can be done from home or at a park or on a hike or campsite, which is great because many of us like to be indoorsy and outdoorsy with our families. We're a scouting family so a lot of our peer group respects self reliance but also STEM education. Our kids have a great time working on electronics components like snap circuits and adding in ham radio as a telecommunications extension of learning about electronics is a great hands on way to expose kids to all manner of DIY technology. And it's a hobby that can grow with the family through the decades. We get a lot of people who write in to tell us that they or their partners decided to get licensed after listening to the podcast. We're always so thrilled to hear this because the truth is our podcast is truly ham radio lite, much to the chagrin of some people who happen upon it and expect us to be concise and cover specific points in a short amount of time. We cover ham radio topics but we go on a lot of tangents and make a lot of funny and not so funny jokes but it makes ham radio feel like a hobby any man or woman could get into because it's a conversation between a ham husband and previously unlicensed wife. We hope that it makes ham radio feel accessible. I think a big piece of the puzzle of growing ham radio is being inclusive, normalizing ham radio and embracing the various social media platforms. YouTube, Instagram, even TikTok have hams sharing the hobby in some really fun and informative ways that get people asking, "What is this ham radio stuff?" and that's the first step for many.
Love the podcast, I was listening to it last night while tinkering on a new antenna. I guess this means you made good on your plan to join QRZ. Chris
Thanks for listening to the podcast! Last week's was unreasonably long so I hope it helped you through the entire build! Since I received my call sign yesterday, I registered for QRZ, emailed Gordo a thank you letter, updated hamtactical.com removing references to me being unlicensed (super proud moment for me), and used my call sign when I had a conversation on a repeater and scanned the frequencies to listen in. Making my way through all the things I said I would try out as a Tech for the first time, none of which being "The First Thing You Should Do" as referenced in the podcast.
You should be super proud! It's a big accomplishment. Congratulations and welcome to a wonderful hobby. My condolences to your pocketbook.
