[Fists] ARRL - The Big Project or The Big Question?

[Jeff Davis]

I think that it's a fair question to ask, "what can be done to make
amateur radio more attractive to prospective new enthusiasts?" Perhaps
there are a lot of things that can be done, but quite frankly, I can
think of no pixie dust that can be sprinkled that will suddenly
attract young people with cellphones and wireless PDAs in their
pockets to "jump onboard".

In the case of the ARRL, it would seem that their *only* answer to the
decline of interest in the magic of radio is the constant
restructuring and shuffling of amateur licensing. Look at incentive
licensing, the no-code technician license, and now their current
proposal. There seems to be a fixation in Newington that the "problem"
with amateur radio today is that the entry requirement remains too
difficult to attract "new blood".

When all you have is a hammer, every problem begins to look like a
nail.

Forget the "Big Project", the "Big Question" that League members and
supporters need to be asking is, "what happens when we start handing
ham licenses out and our numbers continue to decline; what will be
proposed then?"

Because friends, that is exactly where all of this is headed.

Today, in 2004, it could not possibly be easier to obtain an amateur
license. There are videos, CDs, and cassette tapes to help the
prospective amateur memorize all the questions. There are stacks of
code tapes, MP3 files, CodeQuik, BrassFast and dozens of other helps
to climb that "big mountain" to 5wpm. The question pools are published
and a test can be taken on almost any night of the week within 20
miles of the prospective amateur's home--a far cry from the days when
we had to wait for the regional FCC examiners to come around a few
times a year.

And if that prospective new ham fails ... he just ponies up another $6
and takes the test over and over and over again until it's passed. All
at the same testing session. Like I said, it couldn't possibly be
easier unless of course, they just start putting Extra Class tickets
on box tops of Cheerios.

And yet, even with that, there remains this belief by some that there
are hundreds of thousands of poor souls out there with their noses
(and apparently their wallets) pressed firmly against the window of
that nasty code requirement, and they just can't get in...heck, *we*
are keeping them out by fighting to keep the requirement.

So tell me folks, when the entry requirement has been lowered so low
that it's merely a trip point and our numbers don't grow
significantly, marginally, or even measurably, what will be the next
step? What will the ARRL propose when everyone who wants an Extra
Class license can have one, but nobody wants one ... what then?

I happen to respect the American Radio Relay League as a great
historical institution that has literally saved our hobby from
extinction on several occasions. I've been a member since 1977 out of
respect and appreciation for the work that has been done in the past
and I take pains to support the League in most matters.

But when my membership comes due again in June of this year, I am
going to have to think long and hard about renewing.

I'd have never thought that possible a few years ago.

73,
-- 
Jeff, KE9V
FISTS 6641