I love the survey, great idea and a great way to get a good sampling of opinions. I would however change the digital mode question just a bit, when you lump all digital modes into one category you will skew the results. Had you asked about digital voice and digital text modes I and quite certain the answers will produce very different results. Simply put digital voice and digital text are two very divergent modes.
I have no interest whatsoever in social media, I prefer to press the PTT. Maybe I will not see the results. 73 Chris M0RSF
How come a single person can put together a much more on-target survey than many a national society? Well done. Maybe if we see more of this kind of thing, we can kick the societies into being more responsive. Maybe...
As a new member to to the hobby, I’m glad he did. It’s nice to know that some of the older hams “get it”. I’d love pick the brain of someone like him. I’m sure I’d be able to learn faster, and would develop more of a drive to participate. But trying to talk to some of the Denny’s Bunch can be frustrating and exhausting. I usually don’t even ask anymore. I just try to figure things out on my own.
I don't know - when I saw the question on the 2018 survey I was tempted to make that the biggest problem - in the sense that the older hams keep dying off and there aren't enough young ones coming up behind to fill in. (I know - I've gone to too many funerals for SKs... kind of a function of my age.)
I completed the survey, and was happy to do so. I turn 52 in two weeks, but I’ve been licensed just 5 years. Does this make me an old ham? Am I the problem or the solution?
Thanks for comments Jim, and welcome aboard! Most hams have no idea that the problem I outlined is a real one, not just for young hams, but for many 'newbies'. There's lots and lots of friendly, helpful hams and you are bound to run into more. We just need to be sure we don't let the 'discouragement fraternity' dominate. 73 Chip W1YW
Hi Dustin, good luck with the survey. I am looking forward to the results (and I read your survey last year). Don't know if you saw the survey research I conducted along somewhat similar lines; if not here is the link: Goo.gl/d5JLq3. 73, Joel
Thanks for doing the survey! Maybe next time you could ask a question or two about cw. For example, what percentage of hams use it, their speed, and whether they use a computer. Another interesting question would be the relative percentages that use dmr vs dstar vs c4fm vs fm. Thanks again.
Looking at last year's survey, I was surprised to see 'old operators' as an issue. I don't think it's so much their age, but their mindset and attitude. My grandmother is in her 90's, and she is the sweetest and most loving person I know. There are also young or mid-aged operators who are disagreeable, so pinning the blame on one age group is probably not very accurate. I think the biggest issue facing operating today is the horrendous flood of poorly-made power-supplies and devices that just wash our HF bands out. I'm sure the political and HOA issues are important too, but as someone who loves to operate on 40 and 20 meters, I go crazy with the sheer amount of QRM masking QSOs.
Hey Dustin, why did you leave out all of us 65 year olds. Did you notice your age groups toward the top.. 45-54, 55-64, over 65 You totally skipped us 65'ers. Sorry, just had to pick at you about that. Loved the survey. I did not know about it last year, but just finished filling out the 2018 one. Good work and thanks for the interesting results.
I completed the survey also. I thought that most of the questions were useful and applicable. I'm 62 and don't know if I'm in the old timers group or not but don't think that I think like one and am very active and always trying to learn something new. In my personal opinion one of the biggest threat to the future of hobby is bad behavior like one can here on 7200 kHz and 3845-3850 kHz. 73 & GUD DX, Thomas F. Giella, W4HM Lakeland, FL, USA http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/spaceweather https://www.facebook.com/thomasfranklingiellaw4hm
Reading through these replies shows one reason we have a hard time drawing and retaining new licensees. People with nothing better to do than to take offense and derail a serious thread all because they have to be on the lookout for something political to get all offended and worked up about. The "It takes a village" comment was applied to the hobby, not a political comment.
Absolutely. The original comment was made by me, in context to Part 97, and I personally am quite far from a left oriented philosophy. My point is that we need to encourage each other more. Really, that's it in a nutshell. 73 Chip W1YW
