[HCRA] ARRL Director election - my view

Sat Sep 18 19:18:43 EDT 2021

Chris,

This email reads as a slap in the face. At 30 (licensed at 20), I'm one of
the younger, if not the youngest HCRA member. If it weren't for the support
I received from Kx1x, KK1W, N1FJ, K1TTT, N1TA, and other HCRA members, I
most likely wouldn't still be a ham.

Your sentiments echo many of those that I have heard over the years. I'm
not a real ham because I'm not proficient at CW. FT8 isn't a real mode. I
should turn in my license because I didn't walk uphill both ways during a
blizzard to the FCC office 50 miles away to take my 30 WPM novice test.
These gatekeeping sentiments are EXACTLY why youth are not joining the
hobby and/or fizzle out soon after being licensed.

Instead, we should be promoting other avenues such as maker spaces, digital
modes, tech, etc. where there are opportunities to capture the youth
demographic and potentially expose them to other facets of the hobby. For
example, I was always interested in dxing but after I got licensed was
introduced to SOTA and contesting. After a few years, I discovered
digimodes and now that's honestly 70% of my at-home operating.

We're honestly running out of time. If we don't embrace the younger
demographic, we won't have a hobby left. If that requires the hobby to
change, then we have to adapt, otherwise there won't be a hobby left.

Also, I'm not going to address the women in ham radio point because I can't
speak to their experiences. You do seem however to have ruffled some
feathers.

This hobby is big enough for everyone. Why can't we just play nice and
enjoy it together? Just because I don't enjoy it the same way you do
doesn't mean I'm not entitled to have fun being a ham.

73,
Nick K1NZ

On the Droid.

On Sat, Sep 18, 2021, 14:59 Chris Scibelli NU1O via HCRA <
hcra at mailman.qth.net> wrote:

> ______________________________________________
> -------Hampden County Radio Association-------
> -----------e-mail list (reflector)-------------
> ______________________________________________
> If AB1OC is going to try and turn the demographics of our hobby into that
> of the overall population that is reason enough NOT to vote for him.
> This hobby has tried for decades to get teens into the hobby and I think
> most of us have finally realized it's not going to happen.  This is 2021,
> not 1951. Teens have a plethora of hobbies to chose from and they view our
> hobby as antiquated and boring. At least that's what the teens I've talked
> to about ham radio have told me.  Some of us from the HCRA elmered a teen
> about 5 years ago.  I must have spent 50 to 100 hours with him on the air
> or on the phone. He was gung-ho at the start but it only lasted about a
> year. He's now an inactive ham. He didn't quit due to a lack of support
> from local hams because he received plenty of help from myself and others..
> .As for getting loads of women into the hobby, I don't see that happening,
> either. Most female hams are usually the spouse of a ham or a significant
> other introduced them to the hobby. I think many join the hobby to please a
> spouse.
> As it stands now, most new hams are still mainly male, they toyed with
> radio at some point in their lives, and they are now near retirement or
> fully retired.  They now have the time and money to buy and use a station,
> That has been the background of almost every new ham I've met in the past
> decade. We may as well go after the demographic group actually joining the
> hobby instead of trying some social experiment destined to fail. It's
> simply a losing battle fighting demographics and I won't vote for a
> candidate who thinks that's possible.
> I'm voting for Tom, K1KI.  He's done a great job with the New England QSO
> Party for the past 20 years. That tells me he can stick with a project and
> he has the needed time to devote to the job. We also know he's been a very
> active ham for decades.
> 73,
> Chris  NU1O
> -----Original Message-----
> From: John Ewell <ewelljohn188 at gmail.com>
> To: HCRA at mailman.qth.net <HCRA at mailman.qth.net>
> Cc: AB1OC Fred Kemmerer <ab1oc at ab1oc.org>
> Sent: Sat, Sep 18, 2021 1:15 pm
> Subject: [HCRA] ARRL Director election - my view
>
> ______________________________________________
> -------Hampden County Radio Association-------
> -----------e-mail list (reflector)-------------
> ______________________________________________
>
> To my fellow HCRA members regarding the upcoming ARRLDirector election
>
> Beginning in October, ARRL members will have the opportunityand
> responsibility to elect a new Director from the New England Region.
> Ourregion has 3 candidates for the Director position. All of them are very
> smart,very accomplished and active hams. We are very fortunate to have an
> actualchoice in candidates for our region.
>
> 2 of the candidates have held the Director position (FredHopengarten, K1VR
> is current, Tom Frenaye, K1KI is previous). Fred Kemmerer,AB1OC is the
> President of the Nashua Area Radio Society.
>
> I met Fred Kemmerer AB1OC, as I took a 3-day Ham crashcourse to get my
> Extra license a couple of years ago. He held the class at hishouse, and
> provided multiple examples of equipment and its use from his hamshack. We
> went through test equipment, various types of antennas, satellite
> communications,all in a hands-on fashion. His team of instructors was able
> to explainelectronic to this poor steam and water based mind (my background
> is in powergeneration, not electronics).
>
> We also had demonstrations of some of the projects andsuccesses that he
> has had with NARS, such as ham boot camp, ISS – school contacts,and high
> altitude balloon tracking.
>
> Fred has a background in corporate management at the toplevels in the
> electronics industry. He has plenty of experience building a teamto
> accomplish a goal. He has turned NARS into a fantastic resource for
> hamradio, which is freely shared online. He knows the value of radio clubs
> inmaintaining activity, education, public interaction and involvement,
> andgrowing radio. He has used social media to share and grow his club, and
> others.He has reached out to other clubs and hams to share their talents
> and ideas.
>
> Fred has recognized that in order to grow, we have to lookbeyond the
> traditional ham – beyond older middle class white men, and startlooking at
> the overall population and try to mirror that. His success withyoung and
> school age entry into radio speaks well for him and us.
>
> I feel strongly that Fred Kemmerer is the strongestcandidate in the field.
> He knows how to build a team, how to motivate people,how to inspire that
> wonder that started many of us in radio. He is also one ofthe best speakers
> I have seen in radio. He has a plan, he has set goals forhimself, and has a
> history of succeeding at what he puts his mind to.
>
> I wanted to wait until just before the voting start to sendthis out. I
> didn’t want it to come out too early and be forgotten. So,beginning October
> 1, until November 19, we have an opportunity and an obligationto choose
> where our organization goes. Continue the status quo, or move to anactive
> and diverse future.
>
> If you are an ARRL member, please treat this election seriously.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> John Ewell N1JIE
>
> n1jie at arrl.net
>
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