FCC license numbers 3/15/05

Orv, that bond still exists in my view. The eye opener is that you and I came up in a different era. My mother did not have to work, my wife did not work up until a few years ago and people had more leasure time. When I was at Dayton last year a young man came up to the booth and we were talking about local clubs. He said to me that he had not been to a club meeting in a number of years. He indicated that both he and his wife worked, and thus had to share duties as taxi drivers for the two kids. They get out of school at 3:45, then baseball, music or what ever, then home to cook, help with the home work, then a little TV then to bed and next day do it all over again.

You are correct in that hams of our age want to help, but when can we fit our time into theirs? I have a RFI complaint over a local ham that three times I have tried to set up a time that I can come over and check it out. All three times something came up on his end. Another instance. A senior ham here wanted me to help put up his R-7. An hour or two at the most. Took two attempts to get our schedules in sinc.

The point is lack of leasure time to sit down and work with these folks. It is not you or me, but those who have jobs, kids and other obligations on their time.

I see more clubs moving their meeting times to Saturdays because the weeknights are full with other activities. Enough for now. Thanks.

Jim

 

After reading some of the comments/opinions, I'm glad I made a point to pass my 20 wpm code test if for nothing else, respect! Seriously, I love the code. I believe we need younger, more approachable hams out there recruiting for new licensees. I thank all of you OT's, but unless we project our hobby as "cool" we're going to continue to see a downswing in the numbers. Of course this is all my opinion, but I'm doing my part...I've brought my brother in and am working on a couple of other friends!

 

W5JBP,
Thanks Jim for the reply.

Yes I'm sure there are many things to do,however if I remember right we also had many things to do as a neophyte.

TV was new and only on a few hours a day,there were no Computer Games,we all had those little things, like rebuilding the car for that special Saturday night date,some of us had jobs after school,school it self took a bite out of the daily schedule. Then there were the chores around the house we were responsible for.Of course a lot of us had discovered Girls and that commanded a rather large portion of ones schedule.

The point being we were dedicated to learning about the ART of Radio Communications,and to achieve that goal some study was required,so we arranged our schedules to allow for it.

With all the devices present to mankind for saving time it is hard to believe some one can not rearrange their schedule, unless it is just not that important.

When was the last time you did a Root Square calculation? We don't bother now ,simply pick up the calculator and it spits the answer to us.

Again showing my age but"Where there is a WILL there is a WAY"!!
Whether it be the over attentive parents or the teachers in school who supply the answers to make their job easier,the younger generation is going to have to show some initiative and study,they WON'T be spoon fed when they get out in the real world!
                  73,   ORV

 

One big difference between today and 20/30/40 years ago, when many of us got our start, is how our free time was arranged.

In the bad old days it was common to get "blocks" of free time, particularly if you were a kid. Today, it's much more common, particulalry if you're an adult, to get free time in little bits and at odd times.

Which means that a lot of us do ham radio in relative isolation. Getting to a hamfest or club meeting is a big deal for a lot of us because it requires a block of predictable free time.

73 de Jim, N2EY

 

Why did Russia collapse? No incentive. Why is Ham radio following the same path? Can the regular pajama person think of any reason that they might become a ham radio operator?

Resistance is futile.

Dinosaurs became extinct, so can ham radio operators.

Sorry I don't see the light at the end of the tunnel.

What can we do?

 

I have many times offered to mentor prospective hams, new hams and hams saying they wanted a little help but so far no takers. If they won't take advantage of it, there is little that I can do about it.

 

Hi Jim Haynie,

I'm happy to see that you are aware that there is a profound problem in the health of the ranks of US radio amateurs. That is a good thing.

The problem is that you've had approxmately 5 years to recognize, plan, and attack the issue in your time as president of the ARRL. Admittedly, my knowledge-base on your actions to stimulate growth are not complete, but my sense is that you have not been able to implement a successful plan in this regard. I am also surprised that we have to go to Nicaragua to get ideas on how to stimulate growth in US amateur radio ranks. It seems more likely that they are implementing a conventional model first done here many. many years ago.

Could you kindly give us some insight into what actions you have previously led to combat our growing problem (of attrition); the outcome(s); the new action plan; the expectation of results?

I think this candidness would do much to bolster additional confidence in the ARRL/NAAR as a leader in solving one of the key issues of our service.

73,
Chip N1IR

 

What is the ultimate goal of those who would want to increase the number of U.S. amateurs?  Two million, five million, two hundred million?  I agree, the original purpose of amateur radio has been lost, replaced by an appliance operator mentality in many cases.  Most of the technical material on the tests is totally irrelevant to the ham who doesn't work on their own equipment.  There is too much business involved to make amateur radio what it is supposed to be, for the tinkerer and homebrewer.  It wouldn't bother me if amateur radio was a low power,  homebrew equipment service for passing traffic and testing propagation while maintaining a pool of electronic savvy individuals like it was originally envisioned.

 

I have said it many times, I don't care about the numbers. Whats on paper means nothing. I am not going to try recruiting people who don't want to be hams. There are plenty of great hams out there, and we continue getting great hams. Does it surprise me that there was an increase in Extra class hams? Not really, many people are going to the top today. Why? Well there are several reasons why I think people are getting Extra class. A big reason is for the HF privs, and after you get general why should you not go to Extra? Like I said before, even if there was the 20wpm code, I think I would have still gotten my Extra for that good DX on the bands.

What should se do about the Techs who are dropping out of the hobby? We should attempt to get them on the air. We should work to get them involved with the various differnet things they can do on the air. Even if its just checking in once a week on a local net, or getting in the mornings. That is activity.

Around here activity is not an issue, there are guys on Simplex in the evenings. There are always nets and people on the repeaters. Then again we have nice people, VE sessions two or three times a month. The clubs offer classes, code tapes, and study manuals. The hams around here will help you get on the air. There is an older man who gets on the repeaters, he is blind and stays at home. Not only does he give new hams a person to talk to, but he has served a purpose. He has done emergency relays, made telephone calls for people, etc. He is a good man, and when his radio went out the local hams pulled together some money and bought him a new radio.

Stop complaning and get on the air! Go over and help someone!

As I said in a different thread.. I hope to be part of the Amateur Radio Service and the Hobby itself for the rest of my life. Even if its just me..

 

Well for us Volunteer Examiners you get a dry spell then wham 2 classes come right on in its fun and great to see the new licensees coming out !

 

I'm pleased to say that after 30+ years as an Advanced, I finally put in some study time and made Extra this last weekend. I haven't read all the posts here, but I hope this adds something positive to the discussion thread.  

 

Jim,
I think the ARRL mentoring program looks good. Certainly the ARRL is doing it's part to encourage mentoring.

Unfortuately for Ham Radio, I do think that times have changed. Ham radio is seen as being "old tech" and has fallen out of favor. Several years ago I offered to teach a Ham Radio class at a local high school, and was told that "kids don't have interest in that anymore, they are into computers now."

I know the ARRL has put out some good TV advertisements to help change public opinion. It just seems that we have an outgoing tide, and there isn't much that can stop it.

 

Part of the intrege into HAMdom was the mountain that you had to climb to get into the sport. Now they are minor foot hills and soon will be flat lands. With the elimination of the challenge (dumbing down the tests/code) so goes the interests.

The mysteries of radio are fading with cell phones and soon video phones. We use to wait for the noon and evening news on three public TV channels/AM radio stations - now we can get the stories within minutes anytime we want them just turn on the cable channel or go to the internet and stream it to your PC.

Ragenomics killed the FCC required 1st Class phone at TV/Radio stations and so went many of the electronics jobs. Today you're hard pressed to find parts at Radio Shack that use to have kits for us to build and learn.

The school systems are dropping some science/electronics/radio/photography/band programs due to lack of funds because of reduced taxes and way to many top level adminstrators.

Our youth is turning into a push button socioty that plays intendo rather than playing with neighborhood kids. They no longer need to be creative to play it is on the internet, cable/SAT TV, or a game-boy.

I bet if we looked we would find the SWL radio market has all but colapsed. No one but us old farts do SWL'ing in the HF broadcast bands anymore.

Soon echolink will take over HF DX while your mobile getting into the FM repeaters and we'll be able to talk all over the world via the internet. It doesn't take much to get there!

HAM radio is evolving due to technology pressures and change in socioty interests. Communicaitons/radio is no longer a unique mystery - it is now on your hip with a cell phone or a Xband.

I do wonder about the future in communicaitons/electronics as college Coops come to places to work as Juniors and have not been taught what a diode or bridge is/does, how to solder, or measure current with a DMM. They want to learn but the colleges are only teaching theory and math with little to NO practical. And forget tube theory - not needed any longer (except for those big TV/Radio staiton amplifiers?).

Kuby, N6JSX/8 ''

 

Oh I just saw a brovo for the ARRL doing mentoring. You must be nuts - the ARRL has done a pathetic job in getting kids.

Why hasn't the ARRL - endorsed - PUSHED and made the HAM Club "adopt-a-school" program their number one focus? This idea has been around for +15 years but you don't hear the ARRL pushing it. No we might want the ARRL to give free memberships to kids under 16 and that may cut into the $alaries of the HQ staff.

Where will we get the most bang for our bucks/efforts - in an "adopt-a-school" type program. How many of you guys are retired and could put a few hours a month at a school? Could you help the science teachers setup a HAM shack at school? Could you teach after school Tech license training? Could the HAM clubs generate equipment donations for the school shack? Could we keep the equipment up at the school shack?

Then why in the hell are WE not doing it. Do we have to sit around and wait for the ARRL to bless this noble cause - heck no. Organize it and do it.... do it for the kids and maybe we could turn this negative licensing trend around. But don't tell me the ARRL is doing all it can do - it does just enough to give an apperance that they are active - just to keep you paying your member$hip due$.

I've been harping on this for over 20 years on these boards and packet - to deaf ears. I tried to get a few repeater clubs to adopt-a-school - but they rather snipe at each other than do something postive. I've found a general rule of HAM clubs is that about 20% of the members will do soemthing, 10% do it all, and the rest just complain about it.

Kuby, N6JSX /8

 

Isn't the US the only country that has a code requirment?

I am NOT for dumbing the test. If the purpose of the code test is to "filter" out undersiables why not make the test more challenging by adding more theroy and technical questions? BUT get rid of the CW! So everyone who hasn't passed the coded test is a poor operator? I dont think so.
In my city hearing a "poor" operator on 2m is the exception
NOT the rule. If more are to get involved CW has to go.
Dont get me wrong if you like CW as a mode great but keeping it around for testing is going to kill our hobby


Catch y'all on the filper after I peak and tune my Icom
10-4 good buddy wave'en the hand to ya