FCC license numbers 3/15/05

That's pretty funny, coming from someone who just benefited from the "dumbed up" test. Hey, I just got my extra, also, but I'm not trying to masquerade as something I'm not. Dan, does this mean you are calling yourself a CBer by passing the "easy" extra test, as K9AUB suggests? Some people take a beating, I guess... Others just beat themselves up.

 

Ten year Licence ? Lucky you  

In the U.K. we have to renew every year !  

U.K. Ham Totals are difficult to obtain too.

The High TECH totals might reflect the increased use of IRLP/ EchoLink?

                                                           73

                                                          KH6/G3SEA

 

George, your numbers are pretty much what ours are. It is a difficult situation. I have thought about this quite a bit and the solution is not on a national basis, but one that is local. There are exceptions however. I just finished a three country tour of Central America. Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Their growth rate is much better than ours which is negative. On the average they are up by 8 percent per year. The reason for the growth is that their national societies conduct schools to get new members and radio amateurs. In Nicaragua for example this is the 8th year they have conducted a school thus increasing their numbers by 100 percent in that period of time.

Their President, YN1J and I spent a lot of time discussing their school and the fact that they get by with just the bare essentials. For example: The national station has a Kenwood 520, but it does not work. The hand book is from 1982. Yet they do what they can.  Juan told me that the big problem was that the older hams did not have any type of education program for almost 4 decades. There is no one around now to help teach. So, they took the task on themselves.

Each of the countries now have new hand books and antenna books and I am putting together an "aid" package for each. Before you start yelling, it is from private donations in the way of equipment.

My trip opened my eyes on how they have a desire to learn and grow and will do so inspite of extreem hardships.

As to the data here in the U. S. actually it is 10 years plus 2 years grace period. I had a ham buddy die just after renewal. I asked his wife if she wanted me to cancel his license. She said no, as she did not want someone else using his call.

Active vs non active. I have spouted stats here on QRZ before so I will not now, but it also is a problem. We all know hams that have a license, but have not been on the air in years.

I would really like to see this thread stay on topic. Get some good ideas posted that can be implimented so we can turn amateur radio around here in the U. S.

Jim, W5JBP -ARRL

 

"Total number of USA Licensed Amateurs by Class"

Hello George,

Your numbers match the ones I've been posting on usenet since about 2001 under the thread "ARS License Numbers". I post them twice a month.

The source of the numbers is the ARRL website, under the search "license count". You don't have to be a member to access. The result shows licenses by class and state.

The numbers shown are for current licenses held by individuals - only. Licenses which are expired but in the
grace period are not counted, nor are club, military, RACES or other station-only licenses counted. That's an important bit of info because some other sources (like hamdata) show all licenses in the database, even if they're in the grace period. The difference is significant.

Some points to remember:

- Since April 15, 2000, FCC has been renewing Tech+ as Tech

- The 10 year license term, started in 1984, meant that no licenses expired from 1989 to 1994.

- Changes in how we renew and modify licenses, and the 10 year term, have caused significant confusion among US hams who don't follow rules changes closely. I *still* encounter hams who ask me where they can get a Form 610 to renew. Also, the 10 year term and 90-day-before-expiration window makes it easy to miss the renewal target. The renewal reminders from ARRL & W5YI help, but some hams simply forget.

- Cell phones have replaced many "honeydew" ham comms.

- Up until about the 1970s the typical ham newcomer was a teenager or young adult. Yes, there were newcomers of all ages back then but young people dominated the Novice ranks. Since about the early-mid '70s, more and more middle- and retirement-age newcomers have joined the ham ranks. That's a good thing - no, a great thing - but it has certain demographic effects, like pulling the "average age" of US hams upwards.

And now the big one:

- Reducing the license requirements, both code and written, has *not* brought growth in numbers.



73 de Jim, N2EY

-

 

I would agree that we seem to have a very large percentage of non-active hams. (I wonder if the league has a good estimate of this percentage?) My guess is that it could be as high as 80%. Why do we need new hams when the existing ones aren't active? Doesn't it seem silly to try to get "new" customers when we have plenty of existing ones who just don't want to play anymore?

 

Let me offer my anwer to my own question: (Why do we have such a high percentage of inactive hams?)

I think a big reason for so many inactive hams is their failure to find a niche within the hobby.

If you participate in "mainstream" ham radio where you exchange comments about your name, QTH, rig, and weather, you will get bored fairly quickly. It's a problem with the "quality of conversation". How many times do you want to have the same conversation with hundreds or thousands of different people?

I think that the hams who stay are those that have found a niche that interests them. It might be contests, or it might be EME, or EComm. But I bet it will be something other than just exchanging weather reports. In my case it is some vintage AM work, but mainly MARS. Funny thing is that although I consider myself an active "ham", you won't normally ever hear me on the ham bands.

Perhaps we need to do a better job of helping the newbies find their niche.

 

Our estimate is somewhere between 175,000 to 225,000 that get on the air once per month. I would be interested in ideas as to how to get them to "play again" as you say....

Once in a while, I have the membership folks make a list of 100 random hams that are no longer members. I send a stamped first class letter out from my office here in Dallas with a stamped return envelope asking a few questions. The last time I did this 19 came back with a hand written note telling me that the ham was now a SK.

Jim

 

"Perhaps we need to do a better job of helping the newbies find their niche. "

Twenty three percent of new hams have never been on the air. When asked why, the majority of response was: "no one to help."

Jim

 

Jim,

Your figures would suggest that 66% to 74% of all licensed amateurs are not active. I guess that is no surprise to any of us.

It seems odd that someone would find it easy to get a ham ticket, but hard to find help getting on the air. I always thought that most newcomers got their tickets through clubs that offered classes and exams.

Perhaps the ARRL has already done something like this, but would there be any value in asking ARRL affiliated clubs to staff a certain number of "mentor" positions which then could be published and promoted on-line?

 

Greetings ...

Today I have heard a WA4 guy in FL on 15m asking to a YL guy if
he was in Mexico.

Evidently the labels like "novice" or "extra" do not reflect the real
knowledge of the ham.

73s de JM F1DFR

 

Check this out and tell me what you think.
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/club/mentor/check-list.html

 

Techs have plenty to do. It is a shame that once they pass their test someone stuff an HT in their hands and they think VHF is only about repeaters. Tehre is so much more in the VHF and higher bands and it takes more detailed knowledge of radio propagation and radio theory to take advantage of it. Perhaps Techs should be relagated to the lower bands where all one has to do is hang a wire, order a transmatch, and hook it up to their $300 radio to start making world wide contacts.

There are some really cool things they could get invovled with, things such as:
Meteor Scatter-Free software almost 24 hours a day of pings

Satellites-bit more money but lots of fun and can learn about setting up systems

VHF Contesting-roving or fixed ops with groups of people and really getting to learn propagation

VHF weak signal

Microwave-lots of home brewing

I find it ironic that most serious VHF and higher ops are at the extra level. YOu would think that since the incentive these days to upgrade is to only get some extra HF spectrum that these guys would be down on the low bands. But instead they gravitate to the bands where they have the same privelages as tech class licensees.

73
Scott

 

Well said----- this is the crux of the arrl mistaken endorsement of the dubious plan to dumb down the licensing even farther---- "hey, let's drop the code, we'll attract millions and have the clout to protect spectrum"... --- what a joke....Hellllllooooo McFly !! - Chris KE6IRP

 

W5JBP,
Jim in all due respect the statement"No one to help" tends to ask more questions than it answers.

It is obvious you monitor QRZ since you post frequently,but do you take the time to really read some of the postings where new people are claiming "no one to help"?

In my 50+ years association with Amateur Radio I have never met a Senior Amateur with experience and knowledge that is willing to refuse to pass along his help!

Yes there is a Generation Gap,most OF's came from a time when if you wanted to learn you listened and paid attention,and tried to grasp every little detail you could,and you were thankful you had the oppurtunity to learn.

As they are fond of saying this is now the 21st Century,all the old knowledge and traditions are no longer in acquiescence.Change is the order of the day,even if it is only for the sake of change.

I as an OF,and proud I lasted long enough to make that statement,now pick and choose those whom I coach or "Elmer". WHY? Because my time is also valuable,as much if not more to me since I approach the November of my being, as it would appear to the neophyte.

I will NOT waste my time trying to teach someone with an "ATTITUDE" that they passed the Tech test so that proves they know all that is required.

In my opinion Amateur Radio no longer satisfy's the Basis and Purpose Part 97.1. It is now merely a HOBBY for those who are bored with their station in life and hope to increase their Social standing by being an Amateur.

Superiority in numbers, Divide and conquer,and the list goes on,the one I like is, To trade Quality for Quantity is the bargain of a fool!! I do not think the present program by the ARRL to flood the ranks of Amateur Radio with WARM bodies is one that will pay positive results to Amateur Radio.

We have already seen an attitude that why should one bother to learn the basic's of Electronics,when all they want to do is talk to their buddies and shoot skip!!

Anyone who has been around Amateur Radio for over 20 years remembers when it was a Fraternal group with the common dedication to advance the state of the Art of Radio Communications. That fraternal bond to help each other and tackle the frontiers of communications has been broken.That tradition of "All for one and One for all"no longer exisits.

Until that bond can be reinstated,and the pride of accomplishment returned the almalgamation of Part 95 and Part 97 will continue.               73,   ORV

 

Jim,

As I read your post it occured to me that some of the reason for the growth of ham radio in other countries, especially the poorer ones is because it is difficult to to obtain a license and actually get on the air, In some areas of the world this is still a complex and expensive undertaking.

You mentioned the non functioning TS-520 at the club station and the 1982 handbook.

We sometimes forget how easy it really is to get a license in the US and how much equipment is available to us, some of it just for the asking. I suspect that anyone in the radio club you mentioned would jump for joy if they could have what is in the shack of anyone who posts on this forum.

There is an old saying concerning how one regards things that were obtained easily as oppossed to how we regard things we obtained through hard work.

73
George
K3UD