Hey HAMS! How many of you have children that you want to introduce to our hobby?

From the time they were born until they left home, my girls were exposed to the hobby. That includes all modes, contests, Field Day, and going along with me to hamfests. In fact, my oldest daughter would "mind the store" when I went roaming around to the other sellers looking for goodies.

Would it have been nice if one of them would have been interested in the hobby, sure. The choice was and is theirs.

 

Maybe they passed on it because they have a distaste for creepy old men, leering at them through the speaker.

I only bring it up because after hearing how a bunch of lecherous old bigots treated a yl recently, why would any female want anything to do with ham radio after that?

 

I made a deal with my daughter. She could get her driver's license as soon as she was eligible, provided she had at least a technician license first.

She did get her tech license at 16 while taking driver's ed and at age 21 she uses ham radio when helping out with a major community event once a year. She recently asked when does she have to renew her license.

 

Congratulations! There are plenty of fun, ham-related activities for young children once they reach elementary school age. For example, have a spy-themed birthday party and have the kids all make an LED+coin battery+foil tape on an index card as an activity. Print the Morse alphabet on the card, and a dotted line to fold over to close the circuit and form a straight key. (Do NOT attempt something that produces sound instead of light. It's more complicated and the other parents will hate you.)

My university has an annual engineer's week community day in non-COVID times, where the students brainstorm high-tech activities for the kids. I think next year we'll try to make a silent disco with a T-coil loop to demonstrate inductive coupling; Lord knows we have enough spare PA amplifiers that we can risk sacrificing one in the attempt. That might make for a fun b-day party activity as well.

 

My daughter is more interested in TikTok'ing with her friends, using Adobe After Effects to make animations for social media, and just talking and laughing with her friends.

Her energy spent learning how to TikTok better and learn to use After Effects. She has zero interest in ham radio.

That said; if all of her friends also used ham radio, she would probably be interested too. Though, if you get a bunch of 12 year old girls on ham radio. You wouldn't have any bandwidth left to talk about your prostate issues / new tower / antenna / amp / radio, or complain about politicians! As they always say, be careful what you wish for!!!

 

Congratulations, and I think that's a great idea.

As a kid I was fascinated with short wave radio (I used to swipe my dad's all-band receiver and listen to far away stations when I was supposed to be in bed). As a teen I'd have jumped at the chance to get my ticket if I'd have only known someone who to point me in the right direction.

I see no reason a youth/teen/young adult net (however you want to run it) shouldn't catch on. It'd be a breath of fresh air compared to the political conspiracy theorists who frequent 160 and 80 meter nets.

Oh, and as for HAM vs. ham...... WHO CARES?

 

To be fair, those are great activities to develop relevant skills that can be used to work paying jobs today.

That is not to say there isn't a useful scientific education hiding in ham radio, but it sure isn't like it was back when some electrical/electronic knowledge would give you a leg up on a career path.

 

I'm very much in favour of introducing children to radio communications early, but there is a risk that we should be aware of and should drum into the children that we are instructing - radio is not private! We use PMR446 (roughly equivalent to FRS) a lot here for quick communications and we live next to a large open space which is partially wooded. Children love to play there and an increasing number of them have PMR446 radios. In the summer it is quite common to hear two obviously quite young girls out on the common talking to each other and saying to each other things like "OK, I'll wait for you behind the stables..." - wonderful information for a sex offender on the hunt! Do make sure that, if you introduce a child to any kind of two way radio, you impress on them the fact that they need to think about what that are telling the world...

Martin (G8FXC)

 

Both my kids were around ham radio their whole lives. When I suggested they could get their licenses, they laughed and laughed. Thought it was a dad joke!

 

I came across your posting and found your project interesting. I have been a ham ( PY7-CPC) since 1976. Yesterday I had a phone call from a teenager manifesting an interest to be a ham. He witnessed a demonstation when I gave when he accompanied his dad, not a ham, on visit to my QTH. A few questions:
1. How I could get him started ? Recommend him to buy a cheap receiver able to cover ham bands so he could first practice the art of
listening. Then learn electronics/morse and then licensing exam ?
2. Would it be interesting if bought a cheap SDR receiver ?
3. Would you have time to give him a helping hand/ and correspond with you .I think he has a command of written english. I could pass him your email
73s PY7CPC