New Zealand License Statistics

The New Zealand MED (FCC equivalent) have now issued the Amateur License statistics for June. These show a continuing slow decline in the Amateur population. These are the last statistics issued under the old system of Annual licenses. New Zealand Amateurs now have a free Licence for Life, so from now on the total number of licenses issued will have little meaning as that will inevitably increase month by month. The key figure will now be the number of new licenses issued each month.

New Zealand only has a single class of Amateur License they have yet to introduce an entry level Foundation license.

Amateur License Statistics from the Ministry of Economic Development’s web site:

    Category     Jun.25.04   Mar.29.05   Apr.22.05   May.19.05  June.21.05
                       
   General Grade        4725        4687        4672        4675        4662
   Limited Grade                    
   Novice Grade              12            11              9              9              9

   Total Licenses         4737        4698        4681        4684        4671

   Beacons                       42           42            42            42           42
   Digi-peaters                  29           29             29           29           29
   Fixed                              2              2              2              1              1
   Repeaters                  219         249           249          292          277
   TV Repeaters               22           42             42            42            41
   Total Beacons/Repeaters/Links 364         364           406          390
                       
   Total Licenses          5051       5062        5045        5090        5061

73 Trevor M5AKA
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It still looks like a slightly higher radio amateur population per 1000 than the UK. I think we have about 62,000 licensed radio amateurs here. Still not enough either here in the UK or in NZ.

73, Bob, G0IMB.

 

How many is enough ?

Mel

 

Quality not quantity. And dumbing it down and removing code or creating one class will "save" nothing, only destroy it faster.

When we need more pilots, we don't reduce training requirements to get more bodies in the cockpit.
Public school outcome based education philosophy doesn't belong in amateur radio.

I'm doing my part by passing it down to my sons. My 12 yr old just got his Tech so he could get on the air ASAP but had already started studying code and will be upgrading to General when he takes the code test in a few weeks.

We all need to pass down the traditions and knowledge to the younger generation, and parents and grandparents are the ones to do it because we have the most influence.

Dumbing things down is a short term view with a long-term destructive result.

 

Who is responsible for defining quality? You? ARRL? FCC?

Is CODE the criteria for Quality?

As a pilot, I take exception to the comparison. Don't compare oranges to apples. Thank you for doing the fatherly think by teaching your children. We wouldn't want them Dumbed Down now, would we?

Let's stick to the subject, The number of Ham radio licenses is on the decline here as in other parts of the world.

The question before us is how can the trend be reversed?

 

Dah.....sorry about the color, it's fixed and yes I meant to say "thing" not "THINK"

 

What has code go to do with dumbing down?

Go look on 75 meters code did nothing to keep stupid HAMS off the air.
You just have to look at what's going on in the real world TODAY .... not the 1920's world of the FIST boys ..... we either get new hams or we will be extinct.

Why has CODE become the battle cry of the old time hams? Did you fight losing SPARKGAP as loudly? Dose PSK-31 ring a bell or is that a new fangled mode too?

If someone likes code fine but it is not needed today by most hams and should not be part of the general class exam.

 

New Zealand dropped their code test last year, and grandfathered all of their 'Limited' licensees to 'General'. Apparently, this did not result in a stampede of hooligans.

 

nor an increase in numbers ...

So, did it accomplish anything?

73,
Walt, W5ALT

 

That's the problem we can TRY by eliminating code or we can sit on our butts and watch HAM radio die.
Anyone got a better idea?

Bruce Mallon

LIFE MEMBER ARRL more than 30 years.
SMIRK # 70
On 6 since 66 and proud of it!

 

It accomplished a modernization of the radio service.

Just like how a modern ham would not need to be tested on spark gaps to be a safe and effective operator, a modern ham does not need to be tested on Morse code.

I don't know if the goal was to increase numbers.  I doubt the goal was to decrease the quality of new hams.  I do believe that the goal was to change the quality of the hams.  Whether Morse code knowledge increases the quality of a ham, decreases the quality of a ham, or makes no difference is always going to be debatable.

One thing that people seem to forget is that just because a person was not tested on Morse code knowledge to get their license does not mean they do not know Morse code, can't learn Morse code, or won't learn Morse code.

Knowledge of Morse code prior to granting of a radio operator license is a regulatory decision.  If you don't like that you have to convince the regulatory body that Morse code knowledge should be required.  Today we have many means to communicate over a radio available to us, that includes Morse code.  Truth is that one does not need to know Morse code any more to be an effective communicator on Amateur frequencies.

One thing that amazes me is that in 2005 there is still a requirement to know Morse code to get any Amateur license.  Trying to explain the need to know Morse code to a potential ham is futile when so many other aspects of radio are open to them.

Brining back Morse code testing is not going to bring back the "good ol' days" of Amateur radio.  If that were true I suggest we bring back alcohol prohibition to get back the great economy we had in the 1920's.

 

Exactly!!! Nor did the numbers increase when we lowered the testing requirements.

Doing "more of the same" is not going to be the salvation of amateur radio. Taking your ht to work is not going to be the salvation of amateur radio. Getting people on echolink is not going to be the salvation of amateur radio.

The salvation of amateur radio can only come with some type of joint effort to get exceptions to cc&r across the globe for amateur radio. It will also be saved by making things more difficult, instead of less difficult. People want to feel like they accomplished something when they enter a hobby like amateur radio. The easier the entry is into a hobby, the more that will leave it.

 

" Nor did the numbers increase when we lowered the testing requirements"

Does this meen the test is easer that 40 years ago when i took mine?

Does this mean that  the question pool is smaller than the mid 60's ?

OR does this mean the same people wanting to bring back spark gaps and Cats wiskers  didn't get there way?

In the 20-60's code made sence since the military needed code but today that is gone too SO why is there even a debate .... it's except for HAM radio a dead mode.

With internet and computers we need to be able to spark intrest in this hobby ...... And code dosn't do that.

O BTY I HAVE CW filters in my radios if I should desire to use it.

 

No, it just means there was a panic to get more bodies into amateur radio. Nothing else.

The point IS, is that it is not working. The testing is not bringing us into the so-called future. The testing is the biggest joke. I'm a friggin "extra". That sure does take the "extra" mystique out of amateur radio for me.

We have an enormous amount of techs hanging around hoping the code will go away. Some have waited for five and six years.

Successful people go out and get what they want. They make things happen, they don't WAIT for things to happen. Do you want people who "wait for the future" to ultimately decide amateur radio's fate?