[Boatanchors] The ARRL's next move

[David Stinson]

While people often use straight inflation
calculations to compare

prices over time, that can be misleading.  A
calculation that will give

a clearer picture of costs over time is the
purchasing-power of

one hour of your labor.  This can give a different


perspective in some cases.  For instance:



The median wage of an Electronic/Communications
professional

(skilled professional) in 1965 was about $3.45 per
hour.

To purchase "mid-premium" ham gear of the day
required many 

hours of labor.  

 

75S3 $680, 32S3 $750, 516F2 $400, total = $1830.

In 1965, it would take an average of 530.4 hours
of labor

to purchase this "mid-premium" rig.

 

There are, of course, no "performance comparables"
today,

as even modern "economy" rigs are more capable,
but 

we can still peg a price of today's  "mid-premium"
rig at about $5000.

 

The median wage of a similar worker today is about
$22.50 an hour.

Today, it takes about 222.2 hours of labor to
purchase 

a "mid-premium" ham rig.

 

So- Ham Radio has indeed become "more affordable"
over

the years, but IMHO, that's a "distinction without
a difference."

This improvement in purchasing power for ham gear
has not

held general for most other things in life, not by
a mile.

For most young people today, burdened with student
and

medical extortion debt, over-extended for what
they have

been trained to see as "basic to life" like a cell
phone etc.,

$1500 for an "economy" radio is out of reach.  No
wonder

our gang is getting old- we're the ones with the
expendable

assets we can toss into a $11,000 plastic "Barbie
Radio" while

these kids are driving $500 clunker cars trying to
finish school.

I hold that the biggest block for young people
getting into 

anything beyond the Butt-Fang 2-meter HT is the
expense.

 

One fella's opinion.

73 Dave S.