[HCRA] ARRL Director election - my view

Sun Sep 19 00:53:48 EDT 2021

Isn’t it cool how this hobby gives everyone an unbriddled voice and a discrete identifier that lets licensees spread idiotic, ignorant, and not well-constructed ideas from the comfort of their homes? Homes that are also tied to that callsign thingy…

It is hams NU1O like that are the achilles heel of this hobby. 

As a middle-aged white guy myself, I’m proud to say My wife is my control op! Truth be told, she increases my privelages on the the air and in life…like most hams do for other people. As an example, we are currently volunteering our time with an ARES group at a large race event in northern Nevada this weekend.

Given the global context of radio operation, if anyone thinks there is a “face” of amateur radio, this person is missing a large part of the puzzle. Especially if this person is skilled and active in the hobby.

In a former life, amateur radio was incredibly useful for Marcia and I. It was central to our lifestyle for many years, but through an amateur radio community we were lucky to become involved with, radio became so much more then just useful. It was a rather remarkable melting pot of people. A shining example which will always be an example of what a radio club should look, feel, and sound like.

Having this amateur radio community to compliment who natural brilliance and curiosity, she became quite the inscessant recruiter. For years her common refrain in life was, “this would be easier if you were a ham!”.  No joke!!!

Today, My wife and I are both VE’s. We’ve actively recruited over 30 candidates into the hobby. Some operators have become more active on the bands then we’ve ever been. -Young, old, people of different races and ethnicities. Men, women, and children. Recruitment and rention is easy when you Share the hobby and make it accessible and fun and interesting. 

Chris, your arguments (excuses) for why younger people might not be interested in radio is foolish at best. As anecdote, your incorrect observation of  human curiosities would mean a modern person, young or old, might never bother to learn to ride a bicycle because there are so many other quicker, easier modes of ground transportation. Your thinking is nonsensical and simply lazy. 

I’ve often said and firmly believe the amateur radio community is TERRIBLE when it comes to recruitment. Chris, I believe you and I could agree on some broad ideas surrounding ineffeciencies in the effort and expense of recruiting but I would prefer doing so in a constructive fashion. Seems more productive.

But, even Despite all the difficulties the community (including the ARRL) has with recruitment efforts, Chris, I think you’ve provided (unintentionally. I hope) a fine example of what so often repels people from the hobby. Sometimes even those who are already issued a callsign. Believe it or not, difficulty in recruitment has nothing to do with spinning the VFO..as antiquated as you make that sound. Instead, your dismissive, disgruntled, and homogenous idealogy is the only real antiquity preventing participation. It is unfortunate and I despise how folks who share your thinking easily and effortlessely detract from an otherwise fantastic community that, in reality,  is filled with a great diversity of people…even if you are limited in your ability or willingness to see it. At the end of the day, you make us all look bad.

While Marcia and I moved to Hampden County over four years ago, we’ve not joined a local club because I’ve had more then a few interactions with local operators that were similiar in tone to your obnoxious message. These instances have occured online, over the air, and in-person.

License radio amateurs now for ten years, too often we meet people like you and wonder if the community is consistent with who we are as people. While we feel a bit ashamed and embarassed sometimes, we have too many examples of how this hobby has impacted our lives. Guess what? For us, Radiating RF is only a fun side-effect of promoting a fun and interesting hobby full of fun and interesting people who may or may not fit a stereotype. 

NU1O, Unfortunately it appears you are emitting a lot of QRM. Chris, I recommend installing some filters so we can all work you better in the future. Maybe something that can clear up that aweful intolerance we are all hearing. For now, I’m standing-by in case you attempt to re-transmit your message. I know you had traffic worth sharing, but your signal was awfully noisy. Try again…

-Rich
Qrz.com/db/kb1wdw

> On Sep 18, 2021, at 17:14, Chris Scibelli NU1O via HCRA <hcra at mailman.qth.net> wrote:
> ______________________________________________
> -------Hampden County Radio Association-------
> -----------e-mail list (reflector)-------------
> ______________________________________________
> Go find one sentence from my message where I denigrated digital modes or put down those who don't know CW.  You won't find one because I didn't write a word about the things you referred to.
> My point is we should go after those actually joining the hobby and not waste time or money on demographic groups that aren't joining the hobby.  In essence, that's all I wrote.  Maybe you're too sensitive, or you can't handle actual facts. 
> Chris  NU1O
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Nick Maslon - K1NZ <k1nz at arrl.net>
> Cc: HCRA Email List <HCRA at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Sat, Sep 18, 2021 7:18 pm
> Subject: Re: [HCRA] ARRL Director election - my view
> 
> ______________________________________________
> -------Hampden County Radio Association-------
> -----------e-mail list (reflector)-------------
> ______________________________________________
> 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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