Short Takes #30: Amateur Radio Promotion Goes Solo

This is a forum for discussion of ham radio recruitment. While formerly it was clubs only who would be out promoting ham radio in their markets, now through POTA individual operators are having an impact. And licenses are now up 23% from last year, so it's working! Read this article about how W7DGJ is extending this beyond parks and into fairs and meetups.

Please add your comments below. Thanks, Dave W7DGJ

 

Great article. I agree that it's fun (and sometimes productive) to demonstrate the hobby to the general public, if you can find the right venue. Our club, the Nashoba Valley Amateur Radio Club did something similar back in October. We took a space a popular local flea market and we had a great time operating and talking about the hobby. Here is a link to a recent newsletter with an article about it. It's on page 13.

https://n1nc.org/Newsletters/2024/3311.pdf

 

Hi Adam, thanks for the update and interesting article. Let's hope more organizations (and individuals) start doing this! Dave

 

don't see how that is possible honestly. https://www.radioqso.us/modules.php?name=Ham_License_Counts 2024 was a overall loss of ~10,000 and the only year gain was extra class by ~1,000

 

I suspect the 23% is representative of new licenses over the prior year. The data you showed is representative of total licenses. Overall, it does seem to be shrinking.

 

Tony, I take numbers directly from the ARRL on stuff like this, and never grab numbers from a forum discussion. Here's the quote, word for word: "We want to take a moment to THANK YOU, our Volunteer Examiners (VEs) for being an essential part of the ARRL VEC program this past year. The number of new licenses issued by the FCC in 2024 was strong, increasing by 23% compared to 2023, while upgraded license activity rose by 12%. VEs served nearly 25,000 exam applicants using the ExamTools online examination system last year, with 88% of candidates earning a new or upgraded license."

To clarify with your point in mind, I added the word "license applications" or licenses issued, to the article. Thanks!

Dave, W7DGJ

 

As in any discussion that is based on numbers and statistics, it can be manipulated in any way you'd like. Personally, I take the positive view that we're on a roll and increasing the number of new licensees now so that we can catch up and be back strong in a few years. Promoting the Amateur Radio Services is something that everyone should participate in, as our bands and so on are based on useage. Dave W7DGJ

 

Dave, the data I have in that link is from ARRL license count number from 2010-today. 2009 and older data is from other sources and i 100% believe is reasonably accurate. So we have a issue since we both are using ARRL data for 2023/2024 they show from their own data a loss of ~10K. So this tells me ARRL is doing what gamblers tend to do "SEE I WON $10!" awhile they are honestly $10K in the hole but trying to make it look like they are winners. With total license numbers dropping for the 3rd consecutive year that don't look good overall. So if 2024 was a "23% increase" in new tickets with a 10k overall loss, that 23% ain't very many people.

 

It's still a positive trend isn't it? If I had lost $100K on a bad bet in Vegas, but my "earnings" this year were up 23%, at least I'd feel I'm going to eventually put that $100K back in the bank. I like positive trends! Dave, W7DGJ

 

23% from what? if your 2023 earnings was only $750 well 23% increase ain't going to get back that 100K you lost. And in this case its the same what was the real numbers? If they only had 100 new tickets in 2023 well thats only 123 new for 2024 while losing 10K total.. that isn't positive and we see in the counts the numbers are not going up but down.

Just using the totals counts just from the Dec 31, 24 numbers to Jan 7, 25 numbers extra class had a gain of 5 overall licenses had a loss of 210. so -210 in 7 days which if that trend continues 2025 will end with a loss of 10,920+/-

Now pulling in from anderson repeater club (which does VE test in Anderson,IN) in the Jan 25 newsletter they have in it
"In 2024 we conducted 12 test sessions serving 42 candidates resulting in 26 new licenses and 11 upgrades"
so +26 in 2024 that just that club/ve group had and they do tests every month so 12 test sessions a year so they only avg 2.166 new tickets per session. I can't pull any old newsletter from their site but I would bet the number was a lot larger pre $35 fee likely doing the 5-20 new tickets per test session x 12 total a year and using the low fig number that would be 60 new tickets a year.

And that is the key, the $35 fee. since they fee has come out it has been overall losses. the losses started just before enacted but I suspect that is why the losses did start as it was a huge talking point in the few months before it became final which caused the numbers to start dropping as before the fee US ham radio had enough new tickets to counteract the losses thus giving us total gains since the fee that is no longer the case.

So having the ARRL trotting out the 23% increase in new tickets over 2023 really is like a company misrepresenting its financial data claiming they are doing good and things are 23% better then last year trying to fool the investors that "nothing is wrong", but are in the red financially bleeding the same amount of cash as they did the year before AKA company is in financial trouble.

 

I used to run our club's weekly net from different parks, senior centers and libraries in the area, just using an HT when I could. I had a flyer with info and contacts to hand out, and the "Now You're Talking" book so people could see what the test was like.

People got a glimpse of what the club, repeater and ham radio were about, and what they could do with the Technician license and a small investment.

 

Dave, this is a great piece. I have twice recently run across POTA operations while birding in the field. One operator was very friendly and initially treated me well as someone interested in the hobby -- until I explained I was also a ham. He was a great spokesperson for the hobby. I wondered about the value of a friendly, outgoing person like that setting up in a more public spot and having a second person who could talk with the public and give out local club info, FAQ materials, etc. Quin, co-host of "Ham Radio Perspectives" Podcast/Video

 

Thanks Quinn! Nice comments, I appreciate them. Yes, my sole regret is that I didn't have a second person there operating. As a result, I had to have a series of short, POTA-like QSO's, so I could talk to my visitors in between. My wife would have been helpful. She started with me, and I intended her to keep up the chatter with visitors (she is not a ham, but knows it well and all about what I do and like). But she started into looking at the Christmas goodies and food and left me alone. Still, it was a blast. Dave, W7DGJ

 

Be warned- my comments will likely be the all-time most unpopular posting in amateur radio. But how much of a conversation is it if we all agree with each other on everything??? While this will all likely seem outrageous, know that I am sincere and will attempt to give support for my positions (as opposed to simple trolling). And of course, these are ONLY my (hopefully respectfully-presented) opinions based on personal observations and experiences.

First off, this article starts with “Anyone who has taken a station out on .... field day with their local club -- knows that it is fun to have the general public ask questions and express interest in radio.”

In my case, I disagree.

I will probably be the one person in the world that has attended events that exposed the public with the radio hobby and not found it fun to have questions nor got anything out of any interest from others. That said, when conversing with those unfamiliar with amateur radio, I often begin most conversations about the radio hobby by stating that it was a FANTASTIC activity in the TWENTIETH CENTURY (that helps with the confusion of big antennas and keeps me from looking like an old fool). Don’t kid yourselves people, very few young people will be dazzled by investing considerable money and major efforts to erect antennas to chat with someone on the other side of the world. They’ll simply pull out their smartphone and tell you (or at least think) how trivial such a notion is, adding that Whats-crap, Skype, Facetime, etc. do the same thing, all free, and without interference.
So when I’m out with a station (field day or whatever), do I want to spend that time doing radio, OR answering a bunch of questions (with sometimes some not really seeking information or attempts to learn, but inquiries leaning towards why are you wasting your time with this?) and convincing the uninformed that this is really cool? For me- no thanks to the latter.

And I don’t think there’s much need from us in the way of outreach. Most anyone interested can expose themselves to practically unlimited information. To learn about anything, you don’t even have to go to a library. Endless material is at the fingertips online, and I don’t need to spend time spoon-feeding general information about amateur radio (specific, informed questions are always fine and welcomed however).

On to new hams. Of course my sample exposure isn’t that large, and I’ve met some neat new hams; but overall, I’ve been somewhat underwhelmed with the newer crop of licensees. I’ve encountered several (of a total sample group containing only a ‘few’) who are completely clueless about radio. No background in shortwave, scanning, CB, etc. NADA! I still can’t wrap my head around those that take considerable time and effort to pass the exam with little-to-no experience or background of what to expect from the hobby. That’s like studying for SCUBA certification and never been to an ocean (or a swimming pool) or seen a Cousteau documentary. OK, maybe there are a few people like that in the world, but again, I’ve met several of the radio-clueless hams lately. Obviously some people like teaching kindergarten, but I’m not among them. And to boot, some new licensees that are (still) clueless with a Baofeng or QRP HF radio drift towards frustration as whatever notions they’ve heard along the way (like “talk-all-over-the-world”) are daunting to implement- expense, big antennas in HOA environments, etc.- when VoIP-like efforts are all they’ve ever known. Another analogy- It’s like sending someone expecting to go grocery shopping to a tractor and farmland. This hobby is typically not a trivial undertaking, especially among the new.

Next is the whole notion of increasing the amateur radio ranks in general.
I’m totally against it!! Here’s my rationale. Clublog has the United States dead-last at #340 on the DXCC Most Wanted list. In the DXing community, US hams are in the ‘penny-a-dozen’ category. Canadians aren’t much more desirable, coming in at #326. Personally, I would be more interested in promoting amateur radio in remote places so those rare DXCC’s can be contacted. Another US ham is simply more competition for me in DX or a contest, and another Canadian ham is that, plus potentially more interference if located nearby. Of course it’s possible that a new ham nearby might become my new BFF, but that’s even lower probability than finding the perfect partner at a pick-up bar (imo). I’ve certainly never encouraged my bored and retired neighbours to investigate the radio hobby in any capacity whatsoever!

In addition, that new North American ham will likely begin acquiring equipment. If brand-new equipment is purchased, that means more resources used, more manufacturing, more carbon, more transportation, more pollution, more packaging, more energy consumption, and eventually, more e-waste. Of course it’s no fun to only have one walkie-talkie in the world, but I only see increased environmental destruction with more hams- when there are already plenty. Additionally, we’ll have more signals/interference on the air. A big contest will reveal that there are LOTS of hams!

And not to pick on North Americans, I feel the exact same way for more Italian hams (most wanted #339), more German (#338), Russian, French, etc. If someone truly has a sincere (and ideally informed) interest in the hobby and wants to put the effort into learning about it, I’m all for it! Believe it or not, I do try to post information in my local groups to assist newcomers (but with minimal results). But on the flip side; I’m fairly against active promotion, especially to the masses. Just because I love the hobby (and yes, I really do!), there’s no need to proselytize.

There’s another possible consequence of increased ranks. How many remember the wildly popular radio activity known as citizen’s band in the 70’s? Everybody and their dog was into the craze. Though I’ll always have a very fond nostalgia towards 11m, I would NOT want that all over the ham bands- there’s already some of it. The more that join, the less exclusive the club becomes. It’s not that I’m being elitist, I’ve just seen similar things pander to the lowest common denominator. And lastly, do any of YOU really want another HF enthusiast setting up a station next door??

If some is good, more isn’t necessary better.

Personally, I think all the enthusiasm around the radio hobby promotion is driven by those that feed off it. The ARRL, RAC, Icom, Yaesu, Dayton, etc. Of course they love local clubs to do their advertising for them!

It has been carved in stone that it’s a great to get new hams and promote the hobby. This notion is universally accepted as gospel and everyone chimes in reinforcing with their agreement. Anyone reading this far, all I ask is to stop and think. To the statement “We need to expand the number of operators and grow the ranks!” <---- Ask yourself: “Exactly WHY is that a good thing?”

That’s pretty much all I have on the topic, let the hate-comments begin (or better, tell me if you think I’m right, and enlighten me if you think I’m wrong- and yes, I do understand that your personal experiences and/or temperaments may be different)!
73 all,
VA3RTG

 

Hi Rob,

Thanks for your input. I'm sorry I can't reply in depth to your lengthy post -- you made some good points, and it will create traction here in general for the discussion. But I find it overall negative personally . . . I think you might be purposely targeting some flames back and forth, and we don't like those on the T&E forum. Suffice it to say that we are at polar opposite extremes on the matter. For me, I support the ARRL efforts to keep our frequencies intact, and I don't necessarily support all ARRL activities. But I'm a member, and I put my money where my mouth is by promoting AR anywhere I can. If we don't use our bands, they will go away. That's pretty much guaranteed. Best regards, Dave W7DGJ