[QCWA] A Challenge

[ve7ken at amsat.org]

VE6AFO made some very good points as did others in this forum regarding the
future and movement of Amateur Radio.  I agree that information technology
is drastically changing.  Along with this, Amateur Radio enthusiasts must
also change their way of thinking and absorb many of the new technologies to
survive.  Amateur Radio is still an experimental service I my mind and one
should be able to incorporate changing technologies under the Amateur Radio
umbrella to further assist in breakthroughs in communications technology.

A question on the USA FCC dropping of  Morse Code testing:  at present this
may be a slight detriment in the fact that many countries belonging  to the
ITU (international telecommunications union) still require morse testing as
part of the amateur radio structure.  This may mean that US Amateurs may be
restricted in operating (at present) in some foreign countries while
visiting due to not be proficient in morse code (right or wrong).  Until
morse code testing is dropped world-wide by all countries, this may be a
problem for those countries without morse code testing as part of amateur
radio (now including the USA) granting amateur radio reciprocity priviledges
to operate in some parts of the amateur radio band while visiting in that
country.

I agree that the Amateur Radio community (fraternity) must reach the younger
audience to perk their interest to survive.  I definately support contacting
the schools and exposing Amateur Radio as much as you can to the educational
institution.  As an example, ISS - The International Space Station and NASA
has done wonders in exposing Amateur Radio to a world-wide audience, as has
many other organizations such as AMSAT, ARRL and Canada's RAC.

Amateur Radio is competing with many other commercial technologies out
there.  But one advantage Amateur Radio does have, is the ability to
experiment and bridge a lot of the commercial technologies within its medium
to make things work in a more effiicient manner to assist in communications
both as a hobby and a source of technical advancement for many of the
"future engineers" out there.

Ken Berg
VE7KEN
ve7ken at amsat.org

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <ve6afo at rac.ca>
To: "Discussion of QCWA" <qcwa at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Tuesday, December 19, 2006 4:18 PM
Subject: Re: [QCWA] A Challenge


> Good morning Matt & Mike,
>
> You both have made some very good "though provoking" comments. I don't
believe
> there is a single answer to keeping amateur radio well and alive. It is a
> combination of all. Each person has their own expertise in promoting
amateur
> radio. Where one is lacking the expertise in one area - another can pick
it up,
> and so on.
>
> The short and long of QCWA Wild Rose Chapter 151 - we ARE involved with
youth
> in schools. This is one of our mandates. We have helped to complete 2 ISS
> contacts (Dec. 2, 2005 and March 21, 2006). We have exposed the kids to
our
> hobby. Not everyone wants to be a Ham...but, exposure to ham radio is a
sure
> way of letting them know what is out there, if they are so inclined to
seek out
> this kind of fun in technology.
>
> Matt - in answer to your remark "Maybe QCWA chapters should set a goal of
> having at least one (1) Amateur Radio training class a year, or an open
house
> at a Chapter members station to show interested people what Amateur Radio
is all
> about." ...this coming January 7th would be a good time to start, with
"Kid's
> Day". I try to invite as many young kids to my place for this 'twice a
year'
> event. The other day of the year for "Kid's Day" is the Father's day
weekend in
> June.
>
> 73,
>
> Ken Oelke - VE6AFO
>
>
>
>
>
> Quoting Matt Tinker <matt.tinker at enduroscope.com>:
>
> > Good Morning Mike,
> > I agree with you, and at the same time I disagree with you in some
> > respects.  You are correct in your statement that we should be looking
at
> > the big picture, the survival of Amateur Radio.  Amateur Radio is a
HOBBY,
> > not a job.  The key here is the word survival.  It is up to all of us to
> > become more proactive with our hobby.  If that means going to schools to
> > show kids what Amateur Radio is, or becoming a VE and recruiting new
> > members to Amateur Radio classes, organizing and making Radio Clubs more
> > active in their communities, or QCWA Chapters becoming part of the
> > community, or just being proud and showing that pride to people you
> > know.  Let me give an example :  In the spring and summer I coach
baseball
> > (ages 13-15), I have an ARRL sticker on my back window.  A 14 year old
that
> >
> > plays on our team asked me what the ARRL was ?  I told him what we were,
> > and if he would like, he could come over and see my station.
> > He and his father came over the following Tuesday morning.  We walked
> > through the station, and I flipped on the switches, and tuned to a
favorite
> >
> > rag chew net.  It was amazing to see his eyes as people from Florida,
New
> > York, New Jersey, Iowa, Colorado etc checked in and just chatted.  I was
> > funny that during this his cell phone rang, and his Mom wanted to have
him
> > get something on his way home.  That phone was not nearly as neat to him
or
> >
> > his father as the radios sitting in front of them.
> >
> > They were amazed at the fun and technology that they could have in their
> > own home.  He has been back to the shack, and experienced some DX, and
had
> > a chance to talk on the air.  He and his father are planning to take an
> > upcoming class to get their licences.  Now, some will say that was a
rare
> > instance, but I say if you are not proud of your Hobby, and tell someone
> > about it, there would never even be a chance for someone to learn about
> > Amateur Radio.  All from a sticker on the back window of your car.
Being
> > proactive is what we need to become, not static.  The ARRL needs to be
> > people freindly, the QCWA needs to become known outside of the Amateur
> > Radio fraternity.
> >
> > To say I wasn't disappointed by the FCC droping the code requirement
would
> > be a lie.  I hoped that they would retain the 5wpm for the Extra
> > Class.  However, we need to move forward, and bringing new people into
> > Amateur Radio, trained, and ready to operate correctly should be our
main
> > goal.  CW does have its' place, and forgetting it would be a
> > disaster.  Again, we need to show people that CW can be fun, beneficial,
> > and its something they want to do in Amateur Radio.  But, we have to get
> > them into the Hobby.  Maybe QCWA chapters should set a goal of having at
> > least one (1) Amateur Radio training class a year, or an open house at a
> > Chapter members station to show interested people what Amateur Radio is
all
> >
> > about.  Maybe, with an effective media campaign, advertising both on a
> > national and local level, and proactive Hams we can grow our ranks, and
> > become more of a force to survive the battles yet to be fought.  A new
era
> > is here, and we need to quit worrying about cell phones, and start
letting
> > people know what the Amateur Radio Hobby has to offer; FUN, LEARNING,
> > FRIENDSHIPS, SOCIAL EVENTS, CLUBS, AND A LIFETIME HOBBY THAT WILL BE
THERE
> > ALL THE TIME.  We have let people know who we are !!
> >
> > Well, I thank you for your insightful comments, and hope we will move
> > forward and make some changes to our approach to making Amateur Radio
known
> >
> > to our communities. Our national leadership needs to take pause, and
> > develop a clear program for the future of our Hobby.
> >
> > Best 73
> > Matt Tinker AA8P
> >
> >
> >
> > At 02:33 AM 12/19/2006 +0000, you wrote:
> > >I was very heartened by the measured response by all those who
commented
> > >on the code issue.  Frankly, I expected a more traditional response and
> > >I'm thrilled to be disappointed.
> > >
> > >Thirty years in Information Technology has made it easy for me to
accept
> > >major changes in technology.  In 1980 I was an expert COBOL programmer
but
> >
> > >that skill is about as useful to the world now as the 20 WPM CW test I
> > >took for my extra ticket in '75.
> > >
> > >OK, OK ­ I do feel a bit superior to anybody that got an extra recently
> > >with a 5 WPM test, but that feeling is somewhat deflated by the fact
that
> > >my 20 WPM test was in the multiple choice format which much easier than
> > >the 13 WPM test I took in '72 which required perfect copy for one
minute.
> > >
> > >CW aside, I really wish the QCWA would tackle the larger issue ­ the
> > >survival of Amateur Radio itself.  Let me illustrate this with
something
> > >that happened yesterday.
> > >
> > >I'm a private pilot and yesterday I flew a few circles around a
friend's
> > >house for photos.  Before arriving on station, I flipped my cell phone
and
> >
> > >called to tell everybody to "look up".  After the photo-mission, I
called
> > >again to say I was heading back to home base and no, I couldn't see
them
> > >at the altitude I was at.  Then I shot a picture of myself in the
cockpit
> > >on the cell phone camera and sent it to folks below.
> > >
> > >Ten years ago, sending real-time voice and images from a private
aircraft
> > >required a sophisticated Amateur or Commercial communications set-up ­
> > >today it is routine with a cell phone half the size of the battery on
many
> >
> > >of our old 2M HT's and more important, available to anybody without
having
> >
> > >to pass any kind of test.  Of what practical value is a multiband HF
rig,
> > >tower and a ton of antenna when international Internet communications
are
> > >instant, available for free in nearly every library or in every private
> > >home for nothing more than the price of an entry-level PC and an
> > >insignificant monthly ISP charge?
> > >
> > >Some will argue the emergency capabilities of the Amateur Service
justify
> > >it.  To this I say that these capabilities, like HF communications, are
> > >just plain unneeded in the 21st century.  Sure we read, as recently as
the
> >
> > >Katrina disaster, heroic stories of Amateur Operators helping out -
> > >largely written by and consumed by our own community.  In reality the
> > >carriers are getting better and better at rapid restoration of wireless
> > >service and could improve even further if pushed by a more
public-spirited
> >
> > >FCC (I can hope, can't I?).
> > >
> > >In the mid 90's I trained soldiers going to Somalia to use a huge,
clunky
> > >INMARSAT terminal for wireless voice and data communications ­ today
every
> >
> > >emergency service has "satphones" that fit in a briefcase.  World War
II
> > >required the mobilization of Hams to serve the country with their
unique
> > >skills.  Any future mobilization of such a scale (Heaven forbid) would
> > >have a huge pool of talent to choose from, given that nearly every
> > >teenager has basic computer skills.
> > >
> > >Thus I maintain that justifying the existence of Amateur Radio by
> > >declaring the Amateur Radio Operator essential to emergency
communications
> >
> > >- even with the latest technologies like WINLINK - is delusional.
Please
> > >remember that systems are currently being marketed to the Government to
> > >block all radio communications for a wide radius around a potential
> > >"ground zero" for security reasons.
> > >
> > >However, Amateur Radio can have a future.  The desire to operate radios
as
> >
> > >a hobby will not die for the same reason that horses are still ridden,
> > >small boats still sail and private airplanes still fly - because people
> > >still love amateur radio communications or riding or boating or flying
and
> >
> > >will continue to do so indefinitely.  THAT is the reason that Amateur
> > >Radio should be saved. Ham Radio gave me my career in IT, it was the
> > >crucible from which numerous technologies were born and can maintain
its
> > >place in the radio spectrum if organizations like QCWA and ARRL begin
now
> > >to take steps to actively preserve it.  This can only be done by a
> > >realistic reassessment of what we are, what we can offer and why this
> > >should be preserved.
> > >
> > >Hasn't FCC's less-than-supportive response to our serious BPL concerns
> > >proven our vulnerability? I implore the QCWA and all Amateur Radio
> > >organizations to abandon the old paradigms and embark on a realistic
and
> > >forward-thinking campaign to preserve our Amateur Radio allocations for
> > >the future.  The Amateur "Service" must be redefined as a hobby that
has a
> >
> > >right to its portion radio spectrum in the same way that bridle paths
have
> >
> > >a right to exist, small boats have a right to public waterways and
private
> >
> > >aircraft have a right to public airspace.  General aviation is
currently
> > >fighting this same fight for survival.  I deeply fear that failure by
> > >Organized Amateur Radio to respond to this challenge soon will cause
all
> > >of Amateur Radio to go the way of the CW test.
> > >
> > >--
> > >Mike Sturm KA2E
> > >http://www.mikesturm.com
> > >
> > >
> > >______________________________________________________________
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> > >Post: mailto:QCWA at mailman.qth.net
> >
> > ______________________________________________________________
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> >
>
>
>
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