[OMIK] From Art N8BLK/3

[Frank Decuire]

HI All, 

Disregard guard the previous email, that was a draft response.

Frank K6FED
Sent from my iPad

> On Aug 12, 2026, at 1:38 PM, Frank Decuire <fdecuire at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Hi All,
> 
> I see the same thing where we are not well represented in the hobby. That’s on us we,  want our youth involved but only if they do it the old fashioned way when the other young people are working in the same hobby but focused on the newer technologies. Building communications websites, developing communications software and the like
> 
> As I have mentioned on many occasions we are fishing with “old bait”. Young people are more apt to get involved if we meet them halfway. They are more likely to pick up their smart phone, tablet or PC than they would a radio plus it’s an added expense where 9 times out of 10 nobody’s listening to the frequencies in their area. Now  they get no response when they key up then the radio goes on the shelf or in the drawer.
> 
> Everything time we mentioned the digital modes the older hams say its not real radio now the you’ve lost the young audience. What we should focus on is as I have said before is Amateur Communications instead of Amateur Radio.   This includes  all aspect of the hobby to include the digital modes.  The OMIK organization currently has those resources available but they less likely to be used because of the stigma placed on them by the older hams.
> 
> It’s not like it was in the old days where hams would rally around each other for an antenna party to help get someone on the air. Now with HOA’s, affordability of housing and an unstable job market putting up those big antennas are now becoming an unnecessary burden and expense for many. Not to mention as we get older they become harder to maintain not to mention getting someone to help.
> 
> My suggestion,  put some new bait on the hook by showing young people as well as others how they can get into the hobby with the resources they already have (Smartphones, tablets and PC). The if they are truly interested may be they’ll eventually invest in a radio. Keep in mind there’s always global activity on the digital modes.
> 
> Frank K6FED
> 
> Sent from my iPad
> 
>> On Aug 12, 2026, at 12:21 PM, Lloyd Mitchell KO4L via OMIK <omik at mailman.qth.net> wrote:
>> 
>> From: Arthur F Clemons <n8blk at aol.com>
>> Date: Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:57:16 -0400
>> 
>> Subject: Why so few of us?
>> 
>> I looked at the list of recent ARRL scholarship recipients and noticed a
>> distinct lack of us among the recipients. I then thought of all the people
>> I have seen test, and how few I see.
>> 
>> I have to ask, what are we doing or not doing for that result? What can we
>> do to attract young folks, what can we do to attract older folks? I hope
>> for suggestions that work and can be applied. -art clemons- N8BLK/3
>> 
>> 
>> Lloyd M Mitchell KO4L
>> 
>> 
>> "Learn from yesterday. Live for today. Look to tomorrow. Rest this
>> afternoon."
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