What can we individually do to help the vibrant growth of Ham Radio?

Don't tell me what other people "should do" but want can WE individually do to help the vibrant growth of Ham Radio? Maybe share what YOU are doing? (I have in this video and will also answer). I am working on a club article on this topic (RARS). Thanks for any answers - KI4CFS Martin Brossman

My video discussing this:

 

Stop testing for licenses.

 

Hams yackty-yack. It's what we do.
Hams are "idea men", we think stuff up
and call on others to do our great idea!

BTW, making a video is not action...

 

Thanks for your comment.

 

Thanks for responding but I don't quite understand what your point is? I want to. Please elaborate.

 

After being with hams a few years, I realize that most are not Do-ers. We come up with ideas that we think are so good, why would SOMEONE ELSE not run right out and do it.The Home Ham Depot: More Talk Less Doing...

 

Do? You want me to actually DO something? Har, har! Well, I thought it great that amateur radio was saved by the institution of VE's since the Reagan budget cuts nearly ended the phenomenon of ham radio. I was surprised getting back in to the activity in about 2008 how much MORE freq spectrum was available compared to the late 40's, early 50's. This was all from the efforts of the ARRL and the participation of hams and new candidates.

What I am doing right now is trying to build an antenna coupler to work with a non-resonant end-fed wire. Considering I have no idea what I am doing, something practical and repeatable may result. The Elmer who got me cranked up on this is prominent in SOTA ops with QRP and 33 foot wires tossed up in trees! He has worked EVERYWHERE on 5 watts and less. So I think that a simple antenna like an end-fed wire should be usable 80 to 10 meters, easy to put up, easy to put BACK up after a storm and reasonably efficient with a simple tuner that anyone can build. So simple a cave man can do it! Har, har!

 

I try to share what I do.

1. A couple of local club members (14 of them) said they're interested in morse code. So I said, "sure, I'll teach a morse code class." After six weeks, only three of them were left and I saw them copy 5 WPM from nothing 6 weeks earlier. Bugged them for several months saying I'd be glad to elmer them on their first CW contact. Bugged them for several months saying, come on over and make your first contact at my station, I'll back you up. That was last year. Last I heard, they still haven't made a CW contact.

2. A couple asked me to do a presentation at the club meeting about digital communications. Broke it up into three consecutive meetings. Treated it like I treat the computer classes I teach at the local community college. Started with a little history, then with CW (On/Off), AM, SSB, RTTY (tones and characters), SSTV and packet (frames). Then on through many of the HF digital modes today (carrier/modulation/frames). Then on through the VHF/UHF voice digital modes -- DStar, Fusion, DMR, P25 (modulation/frames). And finally, to top it off, what "trunking" is and how it works. They always left after my presentation with GLAZED EYES.

3. The ring tones in my phone are Morse Code: "Love" (my wife), "Hello" (someone in my contacts list), "CQ" someone NOT in my contact list. Occasionally, someone notices and asks, "Is that Morse Code?" I say, "YES" and tell them about the local club and what I do with contesting, DXing and rag chewing with folks across the states (these days...).

What else can I do? I'm open to suggestions. I guess I'll view your video now.

I don't think anybody gives a 5h17 about ham radio any more since the proliferation of cell phones, internet and TVs flashing everywhere now-a-days.

 

Hi Martin. Thanks for the video.
I think that in order to promote our hobby well, you need to feel passionate about your individual way of promoting it. Otherwise, after a while, you will tend to give it a miss. In my case, many years ago, a friend of mine gave me a computer program which enables you to build websites. After trying it out, I found that I really enjoyed the creative side of it. It certainly suited me. So, the current version of my AR website is the result of persistence and enjoyment of doing it. Without the enjoyment, I would have given up the idea very quickly. So, my point is, that if you want to promote our hobby, you need to feel really good about your way of promoting it. The results, I believe, in your promotion, have a direct relationship with your feelings about doing it. 73, Rob. www.vk5sw.com

 

Thanks so much for what you are doing. I wish I could have been in your CW class. The "Glazed Eyes" if I was teaching is my failure at a teacher not breaking it down enough and I would love to have been in your class. Love having the ring tone! I disagree that no one cares and it is true that there are more distractions than before. Thanks so much for taking the time to respond!!!
Here is my final article on the topic. http://ki4cfs.com/what-can-we-do-to-grow-the-ham-radio-hobby/ Hope to chat with you sometime on the radio. Also if you have something to add to the article I will add it to the bottom with other contributions KI4CFS

 

You make it sound like ham radio is some fundamentalist religion that must be forced down the throats of the unwilling. Do you see people interested in fishing, hunting, flying, racing, etc. constantly going on about "recruiting" people to their hobbies? If people are interested in ham radio, they'll pursue that interest and jump thru all the licensing hoops.

Plus, why measure the vibrancy of ham radio by the number of licensees? Why do things always have to constantly "grow" to be considered successful?

 

That's a good point! Most of the seminars I have attended at ham conventions are interesting but a little above my level. Maybe more seminars during the year at clubs would get some quality in the knowledge base of existing operators. My case in particular in stumbling around with trying to homebrew an antenna coupler after building one that did not work on an endfed wire. An Elmer on here brought me up to speed on using the Smith diagram to find what components and values and arrangement will do the job. He did more than either the Handbook and the Antenna Book put together. With all the spectrum available and modes there has to be SOMETHING to excite people!

 

"stop testing for licenses"?
"teacher not breaking it down enough"?
"a little above my level"?

I started from the beginning (sinking of the Titanic, the Radio Act of 1912 and spark gap transmitters) with my series of presentations on amateur radio digital communications. (Yes, too much information causes eye glazing.) It's been my experience that seminars usually start at "This computer does it all, just hook it up and turn it on. See how simple it is?" I've walked out mid-way on just about all seminars I see at hamfests. (Yes, teacher didn't break it down enough.)

Is it "we" as hams who are not doing enough? Or is it those who show a little interest not doing enough?

Maybe "we" as hams just need to back off. And maybe start rolling our eyes when someone shows a little interest. And start telling these people, "Maybe this isn't for you." (How does that make you feel when someone says you can't have something? As a minimum, it filters out those who don't really want it and saves some time, doesn't it?)

Everywhere I look I see things that have become too complicated. And their introduction systems, in an effort to "increase their numbers" have deleted the history, focused on what is in the now, and expect the newcomers to take it in faith that's the way it's always been and this is the way it'll always be.

I see a lot more frustrated people these days than I did a couple decades ago. Maybe it *is* time to go the way of the CB license if all we want to do is increase our numbers. After all, if you have a question like, "which is positive: red or black?", you can post it in a forum like this one to find the answer.

(Can you detect some frustration in me?)

 

IMHO it's simple. Focus on the fascination, not the politics of "growing the hobby".

People, especially young people, can easily recognize energy, fascination, and discovery and often quickly detach from the politics and BS. The beauty of youth.

Great link from the club here in NH. https://www.n1fd.org/category/education-training/

73
Jim, WQ2H / WK2XAH

 

'Focus on the fascination, not the politics of "growing the hobby"'

What politics? Of growing the hobby? I don't know what you're talking about here. Where is there politics in getting someone interested in ham radio?

Fascination? YES! That's what go me into ham radio. Stories of weak signal CW DXing late into the evening! I found that fascinating to the point of having an obsession over it and to do it no matter what it takes! I dreamed about it at night until I got my novice license (when I was 13 years old). I can't describe how good I felt with my first DX as a novice! (A south american station, Brazil, I believe.)

Question of the day/week/month/year: what fascinates a kid today? (Having taught high school and college in the past couple of years, I have an idea... kids today are very different compared to a couple decades ago...)

The last time I remember actually sparking an interest in amateur radio was when I was going through Air Force Officer Training School (1997). Those destined to become pilots found out I was a communicator and a ham and hounded me throughout OTS to use the standard phonetic alphabet at every opportunity (to help them with memory retention) and continuously test them on the "dots and dashes" of Morse code so they could decode VOR's by memory while their hand was on the stick. It was an interest in something to achieve something greater--it was a means to end--they weren't interested in getting a call sign (other than a tactical pilot call signs, like "vipor" or "mango" or "skinner" or "rufus" or what ever...)

What fascinates a kid today? Look at what's trending on twitter right now. Look at who has the most friends on facebook right now. Look at what 30 second videos on youtube has the highest number of views right now. Look at what video games are selling right now. Look at what apps have the most downloads right now.



After a deep breath, let me just say this: keep on trying. I'll stand by to see if anybody else has any other ideas. Or better yet, some real stories of success in producing a fascination in ham radio in someone who didn't know of it previously.