Does Ham Radio Need to Rebrand?

You mustn't remember the last ARRL billboard fiasco. It was a huge embarrassment.

 

Why?

 

Ham radio doesn't need to re-brand, it just needs better leadership. We need to target the youth in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) as well as Makerspace/hackerspace crowds.
We need a leader who recognizes innovation now mostly in the form of software (which is much easier to mass-produce than hardware). HF example: WSJT digital communications technology introduced by Joe Taylor. VHF/UHF example: MMDVM software by Jonathan Naylor. I feel it very important for leaders to recognize the works of the dedicated software developers. In addition need to have a Hack-a-day column in QST, and anyone still beating the ARES drum exiled to REACT... its a dead horse, get over it. If FirstNet didn't convince you, Starlink should kill of any doubts.

 

I have only a general idea on what happened. Just because they failed to use billboards effectively in the past doesn't mean they can't learn from these mistakes and do something better. If the problem was a lack of money then the suggestion is to pair up with a like minded organization to create a new advertising campaign that can benefit both parties.

I believe the ARRL has failed to lead, and if they can't find a spine to lead then maybe we need a new organization to provide leadership. I see the ARRL failing to lead on efforts to update Amateur radio licensing. Rather than lead they seem to be trying to appease people looking for effective change while appease those that maintain the belief that nothing needs to change. Amateur radio needs to live in the here and now, not some long gone era that so many old farts want to relive.

A rebranding will need a change in licensing. We have licensing that is still far too focused on an era when technology prevented much activity above 30 MHz. With far more room to play above 30 MHz today than there is below 30 MHz there's no wonder that more than half of licensed Amateurs have not bothered to go beyond Technician.

I say it's perhaps time to flip the script on what makes up "incentive licensing". Make the entry license HF only, then if someone wants to operate above 30 MHz then they need to upgrade. Bits and pieces of HF for Technician aren't incentivizing anything today. Or, a better idea, we dispense with the idea of incentive licensing and just have licensing. A license grants privileges for more power and other privileges based on one's ability to handle the equipment they are permitted to use safely and effectively.

Leadership in Amateur radio would mean telling the old farts that want to keep living in the past that they can't keep dragging Amateur radio into the past too. If we are going to target the youth that are interested in STEM then we need to stop thinking that the ultimate goal of every Amateur radio operator needs to be getting to 20 WPM on hand sent Morse code.

I say rebranding will require updating the licensing to reflect the realities of today. That requires dispensing with Technician and General as we know it. We can allow those with these licenses to keep them but we can't issue more of them, and we need to have a path for those with Technician, Novice, General, and Advanced to move seamlessly to a new licensing that reflects the needs and purpose of Amateur radio today.

You believe we don't need to change anything with the licensing? Okay then, explain to me how if Amateur radio did not exist until today how in the world anyone would come up with the licensing we have? It would never happen because without the last 70 or 80 years of history in licensing we would not conceive of restricting a license to CW only on any portion of their allocated bandwidth. It's an anachronism and we can't rebrand Amateur radio to attract youth interested in STEM with licensing that is still stuck in the 1960s.

 

The diversity of opinions already expressed illustrates exactly why this is mission impossible. It's a hobby and people will naturally value, pursue and defend those interests that the hobby allows. Be thankful we still have those freedoms. For me as long as all the various interest groups continue to be polite and respectful of each other then all is well for the future - angry old people are not the best recruiters of the young . 73

 

Elder abuse never advanced any cause.

 

But you are losing sight of the fact that the rebranding is not for us - we are already sold on the idea of ham radio. It would be a rebranding to try to get people with no knowledge of ham radio to consider it as a hobby for their futures.

Look, here's an example of where we have a problem... A few months ago, we needed to get a couple of trees that had got out of control cut down and the stumps ground out. In order to do it, the contractors needed to bring some heavy duty equipment into our garden and I had to remove some aerial cabling that would have been in the way. I was disconnecting wires and coiling them up and the boss of the tree surgeons asked me what they were for. I replied that I am a ham radio operator and these wires were part of my antenna. He looked puzzled for a while, then replied "Oh, I've heard of that - does it still exist?" It's my bet that if you were to conduce a survey of a thousand members of the public chosen at random, the number that are aware of the existence of ham radio would be vanishingly small and, of those that were, even fewer would be aware of any distinction between ham radio and CB.

Whenever the subject of getting new blood into ham radio is discussed in fora like this one, the discussion rapidly focusses on things like making clubs more friendly and changing the licence structure to make it more accessible. Now, I have no doubt that we are our own worst enemies in many respects with members of the old guard never missing an opportunity to criticise the newcomers for having taken dumbed down multiple choice tests and never having learned Morse, but that is not the problem that ham radio is facing. If the younger generation don't know that we exist, then they are never going to step into a club or get on-air and no amount of reform of attitude in clubs or on-air is going to make any difference to uptake.

Martin (G8FXC)

 

It is good to see all the young people in HAM radio, now the question becomes: "how to keep them save from sexual predators?"

 

Just how big of a problem is that in BC ?

 

It is a big problem everywhere.... it is HAM using repeaters to recite child porn and other crap. It is desperate individuals soliciting sex over repeaters. It is disgusting and I would never want my son to be part of this! If you re-brand maybe fix the of the sexual predator problem first and then you find you do not have to re-brand just police the people who are problematic.
Especially 80 m needs to be fixed up.... if someone has a high powered transmitter that is the worst advertising you can get, if he does not respect the law. Deal with problems sooner and make sure it is save for kids!

Alex - VE7DXW

 

Guess that's part of the hobby I've never encountered in over 61 years on the air.

 

Excuse me but who are we throwing into the wood chippers?

 

You guys are ALL WRONG! What we need is another Carrington level event. In the days following, people everywhere will appreciate the beauty of wireless so much, they will be standing in line for it.

 

I listened to the entire podcast.

Here is the problem. I am not an engineer, communications technologist, RF anything...

I HAD NEVER HEARD OF HAM RADIO UNTIL I WAS 40 YEARS OLD!!!

If it wasn't for accidentally noticing CB radios in a truck stop, I never would have gotten involved in the hobby.

Radio needs to be promoted!

I say market ham radio to those who may have both discretionary income and have older kids. They have time and money to spend on a hobby. The young kids can be persuaded (attempted at least) to join by their parents.

I was following the other public service thread too. Loneliness was a *pre-pandemic* epidemic. Now isolationism remains a norm still. Why doesn't Radio "re-brand" it's public service component to promote an emotional well-being that comes along with a kind voice on the airwaves? No need to be an unwanted standby for a professional emcomm agency. Hams could develop this service ourselves. And use it for promotion of Radio in general.

Just some thoughts from someone not weighed down by a lot of years in the hobby.

Of note, as a non-gray haired (I'll never go gray, haha!), non-OM (no comment on the O part), I really wish the self-disparaging demographic references would stop. The now-elder crowd of ham radio enthusiasts have carried the hobby to this point. Let's just team up to best represent this wonderful Radio thing!

Mindy
P.S. Libraries-on-the-Air is a great idea!

 

**HOLD ON JUST ONE SECOND BOYS AND GIRLS, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN**

Seriously...

I don't have an opinion about all these rebranding topic BUT...

Let's all think back over recent times when we've had the genuine opportunity in conversation to slip into a conversation with someone who didn't personally know you "I'm a ham radio operator."

--If they were even listening, which, to tell you the truth...they likely were NOT...because, after-all, this IS the 21st century and who the heck listens any more

(Sorry folks. I got distracted.)

Back on point, did that someone display an odd look of, wth is ham radio? And FORGET IT if you said "Amateur Radio!"

Next time, ask that someone, regardless of their apparent age, if they know what ham radio...or amateur radio...is.

I'm going to go out on the proverbial limb here and state, 9.5 out of 10 times I've had the opportunity to recognize the confused look on their face concerning wth I'm talking about, they no absolutely no clue! OH! And that .5 percentage of the time? They were certain I was referring to...GASP...CB radio..."like back in the 1970's you mean, Greg?"

"Oh, yes! JUST LIKE back in the Smokey and the Bandit days with C.B. McCall, in fact."

Don't believe me? Give it a whirl!

So, maybe this entire "rebranding" thing isn't such flaming horse poo-poo! If we begin the fact that, the folks and community leaders who USED to understand and have a reasonable grasp on what the likes of ARES/RACES "DID" ...past tense...and emergency preparedness and bla-blah, bla-blah, bla-blah...just maybe some OUTRAGEOUS and WHIZ-BANG REBRANDING of ham radio operators would, at least temporarily, put us back in a recognizable light!

Why?

BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN FALLING OUT OF THE RECOGNIZABLE AND USEFUL LIGHT FOR OVER A DECADE !

Maybe not since, WHATEVER verbiage we collectively came up with would, with little doubt, "offend" someONE and then, we'd really be out on the "proverbial limb."

In fact, this entire "ham" radio thing?

I'm "offended."