HamRadioNow: That ARRL Entry Level License Survey

I am in my 30s.

hamstudy.org

Yes and it is full of old hams who fight about bylaws.

My father-in-law.

 

Nathan,

Thank you for your kind reply. I was really expecting a berating as one of the first replies to my post and am glad to find that is not the case. Thank you for your support. I hope people like you and I are able to bring this point of view to light. I am also not saying that CW should 'go away' just that there are more interesting things to do with ham radio these days, such as digi modes. Truth be told, digital operation is the only thing that makes me want to get my general. I think there is something really cool about being able to digitally transmit something OTA on low power and it traverse many miles. Thanks again!

Eric K3HDG

 

It's an ingenious answer to a non-existent problem. The TECHNICIAN license has been dumbed down so much, that now we have determined that our only recourse is to GIVE IT AWAY? Good grief boys and girls, What's turning them OFF is the vast plethora of pseudo Wal-Martians. When these folks try to find out about it, what do they confront?... think about it. Perhaps an even more theatrical plan might be to do it like Hunter Safety courses... if you want to hunt, and you're not an old fart, you have to attend a class or two, take a simple exam, and walk out with your Hunter Safety card - perhaps that method could be adapted, but an "attendance" license, just because you can breathe? Nahhh,

 

It doesn't, the young people who want a license already have one and still get them even now. But as you know, it requires a small amount of effort and some people want to take that requirement away.

It has been posted that the Scouts passed the tech exam with just 6 hours of study. But it has been justified by saying that Scouts are not low level street people so they should be able to pass the tech exam with little study... So the new license appears to be aimed at low level street people... and naturally you can't expect those sorts of people to be able to read or to do basic math.. hence the need for a simpler test, perhaps in the hope that the ARRL will have more members.

The other thing to consider is that the less a ham knows the more he buys instead of makes, or builds. They buy things like simple wire antennas for hundreds of dollars because they don't know any better.. The key then to making money from hams is not to educate them.

 

I am also in my 30s and have been licensed since age 14. This entire thread (and forum) is quite amusing to watch. It is pointless to try and change some folks as they fall back on the 'lazy millennials', and 'back in 1964, we did it this way' mantra.
Keep up the good fight.

 

See what I mean?

The Tech study pool is an electronics course masquerading as a ham license prep.

Look guys, with 30 years of academia under my belt, and after teaching ECT and Signals and Systems, I can tell you the Tech study pool is no great intro electronics course. IMO it is a half-*ssed assessment of electronics knowledge.

It's dumb that the FCC offers and requires an intro electronics course to get an--entry-- ham license. This is a modern era phenemenon, not true 50 years ago with the novice study pool of --44-- questions.

IMO what you guys are confusing is an eletronics course that essentially awards a ham license, with the need for a new --entry--study pool that brings the newbie up to speed on what he or she needs to get on the air, and thus give them the INCENTIVE to continue.

Stop insulting Techs by saying its 'dumbed down'. Just accept that its a mediocre ELECTRONICS COURSE to get an--entry-- ham license.

It hasn't been that way in the past, and doesn't need to be that.

AND this Tech pool 'electronics COURSE' is a HUGE turn off to young people who want to get OTA thru an entry license...

You shouldn't have to 'take' an electronics course to get an entry ham license. That's like saying you have to learn FORTRAN to program Arduino....

 

That is hard to do when you are right, minor exception, the cost of amateur radio. Of all the hobbies I have been involved with ham radio is by far the cheapest. Your rig, assuming you disconnect the antenna during a lightening storm is a passive investment. 20 years ago a new good 2 meter rig was at the $380 dollar mark, now $180 for Kenwood. I have been flying RC helicopters since the 80's, you want to talk about an expensive hobby.......

 

The incredible irony of the Tech pool 'electronics course' is that it provides no incentive to get OTA. Hey! I just took the COURSE! What am I going to learn--additionally-- about Ohm's law by getting on 2M with my HT??

SHOULD entry licensees know SOME electronics? Sure! Just don't snow them to death with a half-*ssed course of electronics that has nothing to do with getting OTA...

The perfect example for that is we offer CW PRIVILEGES --an OTA experience-- but don't TEST for it.

Why?

CW is not part of the 'electronics course'.

 

Did not notice that until now, that is an interesting observation.

 

Jim,

The problem is that if you wait 30 years or more, to get the extant 'young people', there is a huge gap between the off-the-cliff present demographics and when those folks kick in. That amounts to a 15-20 year lull of OTA hams, duing a period of profoundly low SFI.

I can tell you right now that will be the death knell of many exclusive ham band allocations in the US. There will NOT be OTA activity to defend against that.

 

That's like saying that a huge deposit--say 40%--doesn't prevent people from 'obtaining' a house...

 

The much larger threat is IoT, its going to be a bandwidth gorilla and its needs might possibly consume many frequencies above 100 mhz. HF will be spared until technology enables a thumb nail size patch antenna with at least 0 dB gain.

 

Some thoughts on this topic: First, I've been licensed almost sixty years, and started out as a novice at age 9, back in the 1950's. I've been an extra for some time (and yes, I had to take the 20wpm code test). I guess that makes me an old timer, but I think it's important for folks to understand the background of someone who posts, so you can get a frame of reference. There are lots of new folks entering this hobby, via the Technician route. They get excited at first with the concept of using their HT and public service with repeaters, but many of them (not all) get bored with monitoring repeaters that are basically dead much of the time. They loose interest in the communication hobby. They need something to further peak their interest, help them get on the air, give them incentive, and further advance in the hobby. They don't need to "dumb down" what is already a pretty basic entry level exam. If you have to work for something, it has more value. I would keep the test as it is.

What about the interest however, in keeping folks in the hobby or advancing? Well, if 10 meters were open all the time, and we were at the peak of the sunspot cycle, we'd see more folks on that band with a tech license. They'd be having fun, and yes, they would be excited about the hobby. But that's not the case at this point in time. My recommendation: a time limited "add on" certificate to allow techs a small portion of the 40 meter SSB frequencies. Say 7.125 to 7.150. This would have a "Two year, non renewable" component, similar to what the novice license had back in the 1950's. An allocation like this might increase incentive to advance further in the hobby. Originally, incentive licensing was what the old changes were all about. Not just getting a license, but incentive licensing.

One more thing, unless "WE" can clean up our own act with some of the "rule breaking garbage and obscenities" that are on the air (listen on parts of 40 and 20, if you haven't heard it), then we probably should not further advance this idea of changing the licensing requirements. If we can't self police (the FCC doesn't have the human resources and financial resources, c'mon ARRL and the OO program, or even among ourselves, let's get it going), then we might end up with an operating environment much like the 11 meter days.

Well, some thoughts well the band is dean this AM from a strong solar wind. 73, Bruce

 

You are totally correct with that statement. Problem is Radio Spectrum is a finite resource and others with more resources and needs will be attempting to take Ham Radio Spectrum. At this point in time it is now an act of self preservation thus invoking the need for change from historical norms.

 

Flawed logic.

We have 8 year old extras. So if teens and 20 somethings can't be bothered by either learning the material, or memorizing the questions and answers to pass the current test it is an issue of drive not difficulty or bloat.

"Giving" them a license is not going to get them on the air. Real help from real Elmers and active clubs helping new people will.

We don't have 8 year olds buying houses with 40% down.