[Fists] ARRL: Hams say "Hello"

Mon Mar 20 08:00:33 EST 2006

This has been an interesting thread, and I've been interested in the 
discussion.  Thought I'd throw in a comment or two myself.

For me, in recent years it hasn't been a concern to get others interested in 
ham radio, because I've lost interest myself 2 or 3 times.  I have been 
inactive for about 2 years now and am just getting back into the hobby a 
bit.  I missed CW, something I have always enjoyed since getting my novice 
license back in 1967.  I am going to be focusing on QRP CW as I get back on 
the air.

My father was a ham when I was growing up, but like me, not always 
particularly active.  Dad passed away in 1996.  I am happy to have his call 
that he held for 58 years.  I had a little interest in radio as a kid, but 
of course those days were a lot different than today.  I used to use Dad's 
receivers and tune the spectrum, seeing what I could hear.  What really got 
me motivated to get my license, however, was that there were some other boys 
in the high school who were also interested.  We studied together, sent code 
to each other, etc.  One thing that hasn't changed in the last 40 years is 
that most teens aren't loners.  They are social creatures and like to do 
things together.  Although there would be a few exceptions, I would think it 
very unlikely that one kid who pursue ham radio on his own.  There has to be 
a way to involve several of them and spark their interest.  A kid isn't 
going to like ham radio because and old guy in his 50's like me enjoys it.  
But, if a group of his peers is involved, he might.  I don't know if today 
I'd recommend that kids use a receiver like I did and tune around the bands. 
  Some of the stuff I've heard on 75 or 20 meter SSB, or even on local 
2-meter repeaters, could turn them off in a big way.  Sure, as someone 
pointed out, there were lids back then, but they weren't as prevalent as 
they seem to be today.  Don't run into many of them on CW, however.

It has been pointed out that the thrill of talking to people all over the 
world just isn't the same today, and that surely is true.  There have been 
tremendous advances in technology since I got my start.  Radio as we knew it 
then doesn't have the place in the world that it did then, and I'm not just 
talking about ham radio.  I was a radioman in the Navy, and the changes it 
that field have been phenomenal.  In fact, the Navy doesn't even call them 
radiomen any longer.  They combined the radioman job and the data processing 
job into a new title, Information Technician.

Quite frankly, I'm not really optimistic about our hobby attracting large 
numbers of young people into its ranks.  There will be a few who still 
understand the thrill of communicating via RADIO.  But, look at the word 
"wireless" and what it means today compared to 50 years ago!

Even though CW has pretty much died in the areas of commercial and military 
communications, there are a lot of us who still enjoy it immensely, and I 
think it will continue to be the case for quite a few more years.  I guess 
it can be likened to horses.  There was a time when the horse was one of the 
primary means of transportation.  That certainly is not the case now, and 
yet there are thousands of people who have horses and enjoy riding them.  I 
just don't look for vast numbers of new people coming into ham radio, but 
there will be some.  And, if we know some of those folks, we need to help 
them along like our elmers helped us.

73,
Wes W1LIC
Bangor, Maine
FISTS # 2697

>From: "W1EOF" <w1eof at hamnutz.com>
>Reply-To: w1eof at hamnutz.com
>To: <fists at mailman.qth.net>
>Subject: RE: [Fists] ARRL: Hams say "Hello"
>Date: Sun, 19 Mar 2006 17:35:13 -0500

>
>
>You make some good points Jeff. I know when I have shown some teenagers ham
>radio they were NOT thrilled with digital modes, DX, or talking. What did
>they really like? CW! When I started sending code on my keyer they all
>thought that was really neat. It was not enough to cause them to pursue it
>however.
>
>My point is that it's not the boogey man, it's not to be feared. It is only
>ONE website afterall. It will not appeal to everybody. There are some 
>people
>who will come into radio because of the AWA website. Or the FISTS website.
>Or some digital mode website.
>
>There are all different reasons people get into ham radio. You are correct
>that for most people these days there is no thrill in communicating with
>people from "far away lands" as it was in my early day. Actually in my case
>the technical aspect of radio was a big draw. I enjoyed learning, building
>my own gear, and then using that gear to talk to people.
>
>Fact is it's not THAT hard to get a ham license. Young children have been
>passing the exams since the early 70s if not before. There has always been 
>a
>portion of ham radio that were "appliance operators". My Dad used to tell 
>me
>of guys in the early 1930s who were! That was 75 year ago, long before
>incentive licensing or anything else attributed with the demise of radio.
>There were "lids" back then too. There were guys who would play music on 
>the
>phone bands.
>
>I've spoken with many, many hams who came in under the no-code license.
>After being exposed to the full spectrum of ham radio they turned into 
>great
>hams and very very good CW operators. So to me, the additional exposure is
>another opportunity to bring some new CW ops along. Or... or we can put 
>them
>down and demean them as a lesser-class of hams. This happens all too often
>unfortunately. I say we welcome them, and do what we can to help them
>along... kind of like the elmers who treated me with respect and helped me
>along. It worked for me. It can work for them too.
>
>73,
>
>Mark W1EOF
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Jeff Davis [mailto:ke9v at yahoo.com]
> > Sent: Sunday, March 19, 2006 4:57 PM
> > To: fists at mailman.qth.net
> > Subject: RE: [Fists] ARRL: Hams say "Hello"
> >
>
> > You're right, there is nothing particularly "anti-CW"
> > about this campaign. It's more "anti-sophisticated".
> > It purposely paints a picture that amateur radio
> > communication is simple and doesn't require much
> > technical acumen. Just take a quick, easy test about
> > some rules and regs then buy an off the shelf handheld
> > and SHAZAM! Now you're talking!
> >
> > I have four children, the youngest is 13 and of that
> > crew, only one had enough interest in the hobby to
> > actually get a license. This despite the fact that
> > they lived with me and were exposed to RF their entire
> > life.
> >
> > Let's face facts and not stick our heads in the sand -
> > ham radio is NOT for everyone. Some people see the
> > challenge it offers and seize it. Most do not.
> >
> > Every attempt that's been made to "grow" the amateur
> > service through trivializing it has failed miserably.
> > The no-code technician license made lots of people
> > happy--for awhile. Then they all moved on to greener
> > pastures.  Ham radio was not as "easy" or as much fun
> > as they had been led to believe.
> >
> > I asked my 13 year-old daughter to take a look at the
> > "Hello" Web site and tell me if it would convince her
> > or her friends to get involved in the hobby. Her
> > response?
> >
> > "It's weird that they are using a WEB page to try and
> > tell people how easy it is to TALK to others. I am
> > chatting with three friends (using an instant
> > messenger client) while looking at that Web site ... I
> > can call any of my friends on my cell phone and talk
> > to them or exchange text messages all I want. Why
> > would I want to take a test, get a license, buy a
> > radio and put up an antenna when I can already TALK to
> > all my friends right now?"
> >
> > I'd say my daughter makes an excellent point, even if
> > none of us like to hear it. Nobody needs ham radio to
> > TALK to anyone. Free nights and weekends on the cell
> > phone, instant messaging, text messaging, and voice
> > over IP has COMPLETELY eliminated the need for ham
> > radio--if all you are interested in doing is TALKING
> > to someone else. There HAS to be something more to
> > amateur radio than just TALKING to other hams because
> > otherwise, you are looking at the final generation of
> > the hobby.
> >
> > If we want to "save" amateur radio then we need to
> > figure out what ELSE it's good for, because simply
> > TALKING to others won't attract enough of a crowd
> > these days to help pitch a Field Day tent...there has
> > got to be a challenge.
> >
> >
> > 73 de Jeff, KE9V
> > FISTS #6641
> >
> >

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