The Future of Ham Radio

I'd like to take a minute and throw in on this discussion with a bit of perspective from a relative newcomer (I'm 40, been a ham for about a year), and a couple of observations. As far as Dayton - I'd have liked to have gone, but that trip would have costed me vacation that I couldn't spend, and a lot of cash to get up there. Just couldn't pull it off. Maybe next time.

Now, for the other part that this discussion has kind of splintered off into:

I had always wanted to get into amateur radio, since the late 80's and into the 1990's, but never knew any hams that could help me, or how to find them (mind you, that was at the dawn of the internet as we know it). All I heard from anybody was "it was expensive". I wasn't turned off by code, just more a matter of $$, and lack of outreach.

Fast forward to now: I made the decision to just do it, for me. Call it mid life crisis if you want. Professional career, life, marriage, family, older parents to help out, 14 hour days , housework, bills. It wasn't easy finding time or money, especially in the worst economy since the Depression. But I finally got a modest station going, obtained my licenses, etc. And yes...I'm trying to learn CW because I WANT TO. But I digress. And the original arguments applied - I really had to seek out other hams, and it wasn't as easy as you think to make the first contact with them. I didn't see it at a meeting or anything written.

So, here's what I've learned:

1. They say, "none of todays whippersnappers knows electronics anymore, or builds anything". Guess what? I would have loved to...and many I knew would have loved to. But Heathkit wasn't around by the time we came through. Lack of sales, etc., in the late 70's. That's not my generation's fault. I guess there are a couple - Elekraft is one- sure, but you have to rob a bank. And if it WAS available, I can only imagine how much it would cost.

2. They say, "buy American" (a.k.a., Ten-Tec). See comment above about Elekraft. I'd love one, but...yeah.

3. They say, "If you don't have a rig with ABCDEF features, you're wasting your time and money". Again, where the hell is THAT $2,000 bucks coming from? I can only afford the $500 rig I have. I did the best I could, and all I see are sideways glances and smirks.

4. Related: "Buy used", you say? Have you been on ebay or to a hamfest lately? I've seen old non-working Heathkits going for $400.00 all day long, and the repair ain't gonna be cheap either, with component costs.

5. Want to know the attitudes I've run into (and new hams I've met run into the same, I try to run interference for them when I can): they go to a meeting, and feel unwelcome. They try to join into a net and get poo-pooed by older members who have been in the same place on the freq for years. Oh, I've seen a LOT of rudeness. Even on 2-meters, new hams scared to give that first call, and when they do, they get ignored or someobody snips them because they "interrupted". I felt really bad for one guy here a while back that got his hand positively smacked. And another case in point - I recently listened to an hour-long tirade on 40 meters where a new net started up too close to an old established rag chew net. And no, they didn't try to work it out. "We've been here for the past 20 years..." was the prevailing attitude. READ THAT: Older guys didn't WANT newer no-code whippersnappers in THEIR hobby. Period.

Anyway...my points boil down to this: I think a lot of the younger generation would be more than interested, but it's a matter of reaching out. Make equipment that they can either afford to build, or be able to afford in such a way that it doesn't require refinancing mortgages. And when they DO get on, for heavens sake be NICE. They can't learn to swim without getting into the pool and sloshing around a bit. Instead of complaining about the waves and splashes, help GUIDE them into swimming. And everything can't be at a club level - most folks are trying to work and survive right now. Somehow, some kind of outreach that could involve people, maybe using other technologies, but something that would help folks that are dealing with the world we live in, to get involved. EmComm has certainly helped, but there's a lot more to it than that.

Speaking as a younger generation person - the flame isn't out, guys. Yes, circumstances have changed, and the reason for interest has changed in the face of technology. But the flame is still there. It needs fanning, though.

Just my 2 cents worth,
Dan, K3PAW

 

Wow! K3PAW has made many valid points here!

The Dayton thing for us younger people with little money and little children is pretty much out of the question. If I took my family from NJ to Dayton, I can assure you my wife would pretty much pull the plug on the hobby for me. She is cool about letting me have some time on the radio, and she overlooks the antennas in the yard, but dragging the family to a decrepit convention center for a family vacation would be a no no. And rightfully so. As pointed out, Dayton is really just a couple of local clubs' hamfest, not a huge ham convention.

If want to attract younger or new hams into the hobby, the established hams need to be less grumpy. Answer questions, even if they seem dumb. Explain why they are silly questions and guide newbies. Don't chase people off "your" frequency. Include them. You may have loved the old days, but the younger crowd generally doesn't care about the old hams that you used to talk to that are dead now. And if you hear someone on the repeater, answer them.

Luckily, I found a good crowd in my area, but I have also encountered some of the grumpy hams on "club" repeaters in the area.

Oh yeah- CB is often a gateway into amateur radio. Lighten up on the "11 meter" crowd. Remember: CBers had to learn how to be CBers. They'll learn the ropes as hams too if you give them the chance.

 

As an amateur of nearly 40 years myself, I have to agree that in the past numbers have fallen here in Australia and that the age profile was increasing. That was until the Wireless Institute lobbied to have our Regulator here bring in a Foundation grade of license. This has resulted in many many XYL's, younger people, and those former SWL's who, thought they could never pass a license exam, easily passing the mostly competency based assessment and getting on the air. Radio clubs hold training and assessment on weekends and most applicants walk away being qualified to apply for a callsign. My son had his license at 11 years of age and he carries a HT which we communicate on through repeaters after school and on weekends when he is with his mum. I would say that the Foundation license may just be the saviour of the hobby here in Australia as many of the Foundation licencees have become very active in clubs and events. There was resistance from the old stalwarts in the beginning, but without doubt we have more hams now than we had 10 years ago.
Ray VK7VKV - Tasmania

 

ham radio used to be fun but now all it has turned into is a bunch of old guys talking about how they turned in someone to the fcc for something stupid because the person was on their so called frequency.. even the ham radio newsline only talks about is how fcc is busting someone and giving them a 20,000 fine which they will never pay.. who wants to be in such a negative hobby that has no freedom anymore.

 

Where's the "Like" button for K3PAW's post.

 

I agree with K3PAW, make kits affordable so that newbies like me can afford and grow in the hobby and learn from it.

 

Thanks guys. But for the record, I didn't mean to turn it into a bash session. I love our hobby, and wish I had gotten into it years ago. But there are things that I've learned through hard knocks along the way. I have a couple of friends who are new hams that I've helped along the way (I wouldn't say elmered, as I don't have enough experience for that...but I did egg them on and help where I could, if that counts). On more than a few occasions, I've found myself apologizing to them for what they run into (grouches, hand smackings, "get off our frequency"), and for the lack of "welcomeness" that we keep harping on but often is hard to find. I think that means that there is definitely room for improvement in the "reaching out" category.

I believe in my heart what I said - the flame is there. With the modern, fast-paced technology that a lot of older folks blame for the decline in amateur radio, there also comes the alter-ego: an innate want/need for learning the "old ways" because it's a security blanket, and one of those "it's cool to learn an old skill before it gets lost" things. That's why CW is still going right now, with new people learning it all the time. Do they need it? No. We can talk about QRP all we want, but that's not the reason people learn it. They learn it because it's cool, and it's an old skill that everybody wants to keep, and because it's there. I think more kids than you think really would like amateur radio f they were better exposed to it. I've thought there should be some way to set up more "practice channels" for phone and CW, for newbies to make mistakes and be mentored; contests set up for new hams, maybe, that are less rapid-fire and give them a taste of a normal contest (let's be honest - a newbie in their first contest is in for a wild ride, and I've seen some get completely turned off by it). Once they learn the drill, they (like me) can get hooked.

As far as gear, it would be nice to see some affordable kits out there, to whet the appetite. And you guys are right - more hands-on experience building antennas and the like from today's standpoints (HOA restrictions, etc., etc.). Like I said, clubs are great, but we need to find other ways to reach out, too, even for things like hands-on kits. I can see online communities, video channels, all kinds of fun ways that kids would latch onto. Play to the technology strengths and use them to our advantage.

Ok...enough of my effluent. I can spew ideas all day long, and they are just my opinions (which you know what they say about). This hobby doesn't have to decline if we don't want it to. But we do need some attitude shifting to make it happen.

73's, K3PAW

 

Chip,-
You hit the Nail right on the head...I have noticed every point having been licensed almost 50 years. Tho the number of Ham Licenses are at an all time high, it does not tell the "real story" - Randy W7TJ

 

I think this post by Chip has brought to light a number of opinions that our ambassadors of ham radio need to take heed. We really do not have a national origination that supports the general mood of the ham community. The ARRL is a nonprofit organization with 120 staff and a yearly budget of 14 million which is basically a publisher and a lobby of the FCC. I stopped my subscription of QST in 1960 to indicate my concern that the ARRL was not representing ham radio. One might ask the question of why there are only 150,000 members when we have in excess of 700,000 US licensees. Can you imagine the FAA turning over the regulation of private pilots to the AOPA? This is basically what the FCC has done with the ARRL. We have basically put the FOX in charge of the chicken coop.
Reprinted from Wikipedia:
Criticisms of ARRL have included its support for less strict licensing requirements in the 2000s, which opponents consider a "dumbing down" of amateur radio or making it more like CB radio, moves allegedly made to gain additional membership.^[13] Other critics have felt almost the opposite, however, arguing that the ARRL was slow to lobby for the removal or the easing of the Morse code proficiency requirements of the various license classes, a "conservatism" keeping otherwise qualified people out of amateur radio and thus threatening its future.^[13]<o></o>
Other critics have cited ARRL's support for segmentation of the HF amateur bands in the U.S. by bandwidth, rather than by mode, which some have claimed gives preference to users of the Winlink system.^[14] Many Amateur Radio operators who are seeking to develop and experiment with new technology see the ARRL as backing down too quickly on the regulation by bandwidth issue. Recent^[update] FCC rulings on the new soundcard mode called ROS point to the need to drop regulations that hinder experimentation and impede the development of narrowband techniques on the bands where they are most needed^{[15]<o></o>
Tom k5mvw<o></o>}

 

Aging population and is Ham Radio just Civil War Re-Enactment

I ran numbers a year or so ago and based on national birth/death rates and the age groups of Ham Radio my conclusion was that our ranks at best are at zero population growth or just under. As an instructor I have inferred that there seems to be a bimodal distribution in the ham ranks, one peak is around the teenage to early twenties and the other is the over 45 year. Based on some questioning with a few people it appears that many hams who started as teenagers become inactive as their careers and families take off and then sometime around the time their kid enter college they begin to turn back to the hobby. Also, don't discount that impact that WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War had on ham radio. Beside surplus equipment it trained a lot of radio operators and technicians that decided to continue after leaving the service.

What's the point. First, I would highly encourage that we as a group begin to go into retirement communities and retirement homes and help old hams set up clubs, stations, and teaching. Ham radio is a great way for people to fight isolation and to keep their minds active. Second, we need to move Ham Radio from the perceived ranks of Civil War Re-enactment to being more relevant to younger people. Part of this is pure outreach and marketing, but another part is dealing with the impact of the Internet, cell phones, and texting. Perhaps we need an app that enables someone to use a 2 meter handheld via repeater to link to a SMS gateway so they can have two-way texting to someone with a cell phone when they are out of range of a cell tower. Kind of phone patch meets ILRP meets SMS. Maybe we should begin a crowdsourcing project to find ways to make Ham Radio more interesting to today's generations? Basically we need to answer the question "What is in it for me (14-22 year olds) in the age of the Internet." "What does this offer me that I can't get somewhere else?" "I am already using a radio - a cell phone."

We also need to accept "the build your own radio days" are over for the majority of us and that the only consistent avenue for this type of expression, which is easily reachable for most people, is antenna building and writing ham radio (non-testing) apps. Lastly, we need to dump the General Class. We only need an entry level and one higher level. We need to revamp the Extra Test to reflect reality. It should be focused on operating techniques and modes, setting up a station from black boxes and computers, propagation, and antenna types and construction. Everything else cut because if you want to be a radio electronics technician and build stuff (BTW I was trained as such way back when) then go to school or read five or six books; otherwise let's just focus on what we are Radio Operators. Maybe it is time I climb down from my soapbox.

Anyway that is my 2 cents.

73

W7DAO

 

Guys,you may say anything you want,but to me the future of HAM-RADIO isn't that bright.At least,I can say that on the basis of few examples from my country,and the neighbouring ones too.
Here in E7 there is not so many hams,neither the old ones or young ones(teenagers).And when some young people pass their exams,they quickly loose the interest.I have such situation in my club station.Some 2 years ago,there was a course,attended by some 20 highschool and elementary school students.18 of them(including me) passed and got CEPT 1 class(don't know it's equivalent in U.S. system),and thus became certified CW operators.And after all those months,the statistics is followingnly 5 of us ever worked a QSO,7 never came to pick up their licences from the club,12 have forgottten Morse code,and 4 took part in contests(I did of course)....Even 4 out of this 5 kids that "got bitten by the radio-bug" gave up.Now it's only me who visit the club and operate frequently.Very frequently,I can say.I took part in my first contest(Ukrainian DX 2011)after only 4 months on the air(maybe few days more).For 2 hours,I worked 80 CW QSOs.I liked the atmosphere in contests,so I was active the following weekend on OK/OM DX,and in LZ DX the following week.I was hooked on contesting,so now after 2 years of activity I have 50+ major contests behind me,including CQ WW,CQ WPX,ARRL DX,IARU etc(90 percent of them worked as SINGLE OP 40 and 80M low power.Never worked on higher bands,only 40 and 80m.)What about the others who became hams together with me??Well,out of 10 comings to the club,9 are by me.Once I was away from club for a month,and when I got back,I found out that no one of them came while I was absent.Now,when coevals go out on Friday night,maybe to a disco,instead of that,I take place in front of a TS430S,and do some night time DX-ing.Certainly,because of that,I receive many compliments,out if which IDIOT is the lightest.Why??Because I use prehistorical means of communication,according to them.......
There is also one thing which reflects the "age scale" of Hams....Here,in ex-Yugoslav countries,all hams have one round-up frequency on 80M band(SSB section).It becomes alive at 4.30 am local,sometimes even earlier,and it is active to 8.30 am.Hams from S5,9A,YU,E7,4O,Z3,and some from OE,DL,HB come there.It happened in March this year,when RUSSIAN DX was on the run.After very good night on 40m,I switched on to that frequency,just to say hello,and then to go for a rest.11 hams were present there.The youngest one was 52.They were all in total,847 years old.Without me,the average age was 77 years(I am 17).That is a bit sad......I never came across a ham younger than 38 on that frequency......Maybe this is not the case in other parts of the world,but If ALL HAMS don't do something,young ham will soon become "an endangered species"....I am proud to say that I am going to lead a course for some kids in autumn.I will do anything to make them interested(won't say hooked)in radio.......
Reading all this posts,I noticed that many refer to equipment prices....That is also a big obstacle for newcomers to the radio world.Especially here in Bosnia,where you have to live on 300 dollars a month,or even less......What can a newcomer expect here??He can only dream of his OWN shack(just as I do) and wait for a rig to fall from the sky...
Meanwhille,what hams with better economical situation do???Keep addind newest rigs,and increasing their shack.They should be a bit more generous to the poor ones.Why not to donate something??In that way they will earn someone's gratitude and help strenghtening of our beautiful hobby...
73
Dule E77CW.........
P.S. Excuse me if I made any mistakes,and if yound found that I am a bit sharp or boastful...........

 

LOL (errr...Hi...Hi!!) Love the Berra quote!! Hadn't heard that one before, altho sure sounds like something Yogi'd say.
Good point about "ya oughta wanna", too. Doesn't only apply to kids, either. Been trying to get my xyl interested in getting her Tech ticket just so we could stay in touch in an emergency (like a year & a half or so ago when the power went out across two states and Mexico). She's been a hard sell (like no sell!). And we're in our 60s.
Vy 73, all. Great thread...good comments!! ...Joe, (San Diego, CA)

 

I think the most important thing we need to do is to market to much younger people. There are never any HAM radio operators at the local boyscout meetings. There should also be local groups or clubs attending Civil Air Patrol Meetings. Our local Civil Air Patrol teaches kids about HAM radio but most CAP groups do not. So we need to get into boy scouts and civil air patrol. The kids I have talked to about this kind of stuff are excited to talk on the air. If we keep marketing to an older dying population then you cannot act suprised when the hobby dies with them. I recently asked an Icom rep as to why they dont use current technology in Ham radios like touch screens or PDA like devices to remotely control our radios. He stated, "Our audience is aging and does not possess the equipment to make the transition to better technology." So Icom does not respect this aging group. They are expecting our demise. The REP basically told me HAM was old and ICOM was putting what technology it had available without wasting research and development funds on a hobby that is just about dead. The ICOM 7100 for instance has technology that hasnt seen production since 2003. Touch lcd screens that are black ad white died with the Palm Pilot Trio Phone and yet to ICOM they will have us believe it is cutting edge. We are our own worst enemies when it comes to technology. We MUST get younger people into the hobby so the tech companies know their investments will last. Right now they are just feeding us technology to help us get to the grave and appear satisfied.


73 KB3SEG

 

I'm glad I got my antidepressants renewed before reading the rest of this thread. If too many of you are correct, I'm wasting my time trying to recruit, train, and retain new hams. Sadly, there are times when I think you are completely right.

Ham Radio is an expensive hobby? Compared to what? Bought a new motorcycle or snowmobile lately? How about diving gear? How about a good fishing boat? You can still spend a lot more on a quality camera than you will spend on a mid-level HF radio. Frankly, you guys may be right. Wages have fallen through the floor in this country for those who are fortunate enough to find work. Meanwhile, work hours have multiplied, and even when not 'on duty' many of us are on an electronic leash. For me, that was the biggest impediment to ham radio for a couple decades. For many millions, the Internet has become the new 'opiate of the people', partially replacing the boob tube. Anyone who does something different is strange.

I've had to refuse to sell ham rigs for a few hundred dollars because I knew that even that much would be a hardship on the ham's family, and right now, I have three radios loaned out to people who can't afford them, and I have to wonder if I will ever get them back. I don't really believe this is becoming a 3rd world ghetto, but I am an optimist.

Hope? Yes, I see hopeful things. Here's one: http://www.wouxun.us/item.php?item_id=302&category_id=65 5 bands, all modes, 5 watts, $299. The only issue I see is that it won't cover the entire 75 and 40 meter phone bands, but I bet it will work fine for PSK31 or JT65HF on those bands. Here's another one: http://fivedash.com/index.php?main_...s_id=7&zenid=aa29aa472cf7883557c21c41ce97e636 a two or three band HF rig kit, 1 watt, $89. QST just published a design for an easy to build amplifier that could be adapted to bring this up to a more usable power level.

So, the cost of radio gear is going down. I think it tends to conform to the market. There was always expensive ham gear out there - people who could afford it in the 1930's were really the exception. But there were ways that people could build their own, and failing that, there were radio clubs where people could go to get on the air. Today, people are forming groups to build 'superstations' that they can remotely control, and share with others. I hope this will become an affordable option for most hams.

 

Hi Chip,
Thank you for the story. It's actually sad to hear Elmers speaking on the radio and they are not very happy with the quality of equipment some of the newer "Hams" are using. I think it's signal strength and noise and perhaps even some of the discussions. Plus the lack of knowledge. Also, some Elmers are not into Nets which my spouse and I do enjoy. I just want to say, we truly appreciate the Elmer's on the air, as we can learn so very much from their experiences. My Dad, original holder of W8CZL (licensed in the 1930's as a teen) was a great teacher when I was a child, although, I never did get a license until 4-29-2013. Too many other things in my life. It's so exciting being a Ham, and I love to speak with others and every call is a learning experience and I hope someday I'll get to be an "Elmer". (At 64, Kevin says I'm already an Elmer ) Working on my General then hopefully, on to the Extra. We will be attending the upcoming HamFest in Estes Park, CO, our home state. Both Kevin, KD0VHD, and myself, W8CZL will be at the Estes "Fest" and looking forward to meeting new friends and learning LOTS! Hopefully your story will get more people out to these Hamvention/Ham Fests!!
Thank you again for your very interesting story.
Pam - W8CZL