[Elecraft] Starting out early in Ham Radio?

[Wallace, Andy]

> > I also have a 6-year old daughter who shows absolutely no=20
> interest but patient tolerance to my mad activities -  is there =
anything=20
> I can do with her at that age?

Well...sometimes kids will take to what their parents like, just
to "be like" mom or dad. But be careful -- sometimes they may
take a different tack.=20

I was surrounded by hams as a kid (dad; brother; one, then two
uncles; family friends) and have fond memories at age 5 or 6
watching dad work the dials of his Collins 75A-4 receiver and
Johnson Invader 2000 transmitter...=20

However, when I finally got into radio at age 12 or so, I
was more interested in SWL DXing, which is, if you don't know it,
as challenging as any DX aspect of ham radio. Unlike a ham contact
where you're in the other guy's log, an SWL has to prove to the
station what he heard was them. Anyway, I did that for years,
and got many QSLs out of it. When I did get my ham ticket,
I used Dad's station (no longer hollow state rigs) and many times
turned the power down to QRP levels.=20

QRP is what got me enthused about radio again.=20

So don't push too hard on the children. Just make sure they
know you'll help them if they ever show interest.=20

(Tongue in cheek: I am surprised teenage girls don't get=20
into ham radio more -- they'll be surrounded by boys!)

Andy