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What Can We Do to Help Grow the Amateur Radio Hobby?

Created by Martin Brossman, KI4CFS on 2020-05-12
What Can We Do as Amateur Radio Operators Do to Help Grow the Amateur Radio Hobby?



I became a Ham Radio Operator in 2004 and I just love the hobby. I earned my General license and set up a “Ham Shack” with an ICOM 706MKIIG (multi-band transceiver), Carolina Windom 80 Special (HF long-range antenna) Dipole in the trees above my house, 2-meter / 440 antenna on the roof, a 6-meter yagi with a Radio Shack rotor on the chimney and ICOM 2720 dual-band (two-band transceiver) in the car. You get the idea?

When my parents became ill, my hobby was sidelined for a number of years. A few years ago after they both passed peacefully in their home in DC, I was on my way to a Brossman family reunion in PA with my friend and fellow Ham Paul Apollonia, Call Sign N3GCA. We stopped at Ham Radio Outlet in VA and I fell in love with the ICOM 51A handheld that is dual-band and offers D-Star.

As I got back into the hobby, I realized I had forgotten a lot and that a lot had changed. I took the opportunity to act as a beginner again, to experience the excitement of learning it like it was the first time. For some reason, I felt a greater appreciation for the quality of people participating, for the volunteers that help keep the repeaters working and for the folks who assist in emergencies.

Around that time a visitor saw my ICOM 51A (see photo) and asked if it was a Walky-Talky. I said no, it’s a Ham Radio. They wondered, is that still around? Their wondering got me thinking about what distinguishes Ham Radio from all the other means of communication we have available today.

I have a more powerful knowledge of marketing today than I did when I earned my Technician Ham Radio license in 2004. From my work as a speaker, business coach & educator, I have an understanding of multi-generational and multicultural issues. I decided since I’m getting back into the hobby I would explore how I can give back to the community.

I believe any person can make a profound difference in the world once they let go of their limiting beliefs. I have seen it happen with my clients and in my own life (Google my name), so I began a quest to find out what it would take to grow the hobby.

I started by asking the question of a number of Hams of different ages. Below is a summary of the insights I received from others and insights of my own that surfaced in the process. My thanks to all the Hams who have contributed.

What can WE do (as individuals, not some organization or association) to grow the number of constructive active members of the Ham Radio community?

Stop being a lurker!

One way to grow Ham Radio is to USE IT!
One of my favorite comments from others is, just use it! Stop checking to see if anyone is online. If you don’t hear anyone online that is because YOU are not talking Talk and come out of the shadows! For those of you who say, “I just listen, I don’t talk much,” I say that by staying silent you are contributing to the demise of your own hobby because relationships need conversations to stay alive. Without talking, relationships die. When you listen alone or talk alone on Ham Radio, it is not like sitting face-to-face where the other person can tell if you are listening. On Ham Radio, no one knows you’re listening if you don’t open your mouth & speak. When you listen silently, you contribute zero to the collective conversation. To quote Johnny Cash, I say “where are your guts?”
Respond to people you hear on the airways. If you hear “This is KI4CFS monitoring,” RESPOND if you can. Say Hi or chat, even for just a moment. A simple “I hear you” response is more valuable than you may realize. When all the people who do have the courage to actually talk then people who can only listen because their hands are busy with work will hear something happening.
If you don’t hear someone on the band, be persistent! Don’t give up after just one–call out several times. For example, “This KI4CFS on 64 monitoring, Kilo India 4 Charlie Foxtrot Sierra. It’s a beautiful day here. Is anyone out there? This is KI4CFS mobile and monitoring, anyone listening? One more time, this is Kilo India 4 Charlie Foxtrot Sierra, KI4CFS monitoring. KI4CFS clear.”

Show your love of Ham Radio!

Get a vanity Call Sign license plate, take a handheld with you in public and get ready for people to approach you about Ham Radio. Be open if they ask a question, even if they have a smart ass attitude. Maintain your generosity and give a kind, honest answer.
If you are volunteering or recently participated on Ham Radio, share it on social media. I understand for safety reasons you may want to limit your posts when you are away from home but make it a point to post once you’re back home.
When you hear how someone was helped on Ham Radio share that on social media.
Share what you love about Ham Radio and take the time to learn from people who are different from you what they love about it online and in-person.
Look for ways to let the media and local politicians understand the value of Ham Radio. It is OUR responsibility to communicate the value of Ham Radio. It is NOT their responsibility to discover it!

Don’t be a curmudgeon!

I have met curmudgeons of all ages. A curmudgeon is someone who first finds what is wrong, why something can’t be done or reasons to give up without trying. Curmudgeons may eventually notice the good, what is valuable or what is currently working well, but they tend to focus on the negative. For example, “‘Echolink’ is not real Ham Radio,” or “those (name) radios are junk.”
If someone asks a “dumb” question online don’t be a jerk by saying things like “it’s in the manual;” maybe give a short answer and then say “you can find more in the full manual under ‘X.’”
Unfortunately, no one cares how hard you worked to earn something. People care about what you say AFTER they know you care about what they have to say.

For new & younger Hams: Don’t be stopped by curmudgeons

Smile, be nice and enjoy the hobby your way. Ignore any curmudgeon-like comments or bullying attempts. Don’t let someone else put a damper on your enjoyment of the hobby.
Keep in mind that many Ham Operators are engineers at heart, which may make relationships with them a challenge. They, like curmudgeons, look for what is wrong 1st because sorting for differences is the first step in engineering. This skill is a great asset in trouble-shooting but can be a train wreck in relationship building. No one ever said, “I want to stay with my partner for life because they have such a keen understanding of my shortcomings.” What does this have to do with being a new Ham? If you ask the opinion of a Ham who is engineer-oriented they will tell you what you did wrong 1st, which you may take as harsh criticism. Even though it may be uncomfortable to hear, you may, in fact appreciate their insights. I assure you their honest feedback is worth feeling a little uncomfortable. If you want a compliment then ask them what they liked about something you did or what they see you did right.

For experienced Hams: Go to where the new Hams are

Embrace the new digital world AND share your enjoyment of the analog one.
Remember that a good teacher (“Elmer”) does not demand the student enter the teacher’s world but enters the student’s world first, then invites the student to participate in a journey to new opportunities for both.

Don’t try to compete with cell phones or social media–amplify what is unique about Ham Radio

Anyone with a pulse or even no pulse (fake people) can be on social media but Ham Radio has a barrier to entry called the FCC Ham Radio license.
We also have to identify ourselves on a regular basis by our license. People who can be anonymous tend to misbehave more as they do on Twitter.
Watch this video http://bit.ly/1stsocialmedia.

Ham Radio vs Facebook and Twitter

There are two types of people in the world: those who make a difference and those who collect evidence proving that you can not make a difference. What if you were to choose the former as I do? Live as if you do make a difference. When you live as though you make a difference, you are open-minded and eager to hear from others. When your attitude is “why bother trying,” your close-mindedness is killing any possibility of growth. Even though you’ve convinced yourself that you’re right, and you may be, you’re missing most of what makes life worth living. Which type of person do you think has a more meaningful life?

I invite you to share what you think and share what you are doing to help grow our hobby. You can post as a comment here or on this Youtube video I created to help grow the discussion: http://bit.ly/hamradiorocks.
What can we individually do to help grow the Ham Radio Hobbie?

See my Ham Radio Youtube channel and if you find this article useful contribution your ideas and/or share it with other Hams.

Here are some contributions from other Ham operators:

Kevin Egelston K4KDE:

One area of interest that may attract younger radio operators is packet operation. I don’t mean the old means of packet communication where everyone shares a single frequency and has to wait or retry transmissions leading to long delays and unreliable operation. There is another way to use packet radio on individual frequencies between endpoints. Even though it increases the cost and maintenance a little bit it does prevent the “old days” packet communication problems by providing an always-on, reliable connection between nodes.
Tadd Torborg, KA2DEW targets younger radio operators in a community and educational project with a network referred to as TARPN which is an off-the-grid chat, bbs, and email system. One of the few rules is no integration with commercial networking such as the internet. Here is the webpage: http://tarpn.net/t/packet_radio_networking.html

Howard A. Goodman N4KYW:

Despite its mediocre name, amateur radio is a radio service and hobby designed to encourage you to expand your knowledge of radio electronics. In contrast, ‘convenience’ communication devices, such as cell phones, Family Radio walkie-talkies, even the Citizen’s Band, do not teach you anything about how electronics work.
Amateur radio is the ONLY category within the FCC’s defined radio services that allows its licensees to ‘tinker,’ to design and construct receivers and transmitters that do not have to be type-certified. Ham radio was and still is truly an experimenter’s haven.

With particular regard to getting young people involved, I’ve said that there are basically two kinds of youth who are going to be assets to the community –

Those who already love ham radio, and just don’t know it yet. They’re already into DIY tech or communications or disaster response or have some other interest with which ham radio would be a great fit if someone showed them a path to learning the ropes and getting involved.
Those who love somebody who loves ham radio. An example: I like being active and outdoors, but I don’t just love cycling. My son does, though – he’s into competition mountain biking. And I love to ride a trail with him, because I love him and his passion is energizing to be around. With him, I’ll get on that bike, learn things, and genuinely enjoy it, where I probably wouldn’t otherwise. The same dynamic can work for ham radio.

https://www.reddit.com/user/Seliagoidal :

The best Elmers aren’t focused on teaching or “outreach,” they’re focused on doing cool radio stuff. They’re open to teaching and building relationships when the opportunities present.

Those who already love ham radio, and just don’t know it yet. They’re already into DIY tech or communications or disaster response or have some other interest with which ham radio would be a great fit if someone showed them a path to learning the ropes and getting involved.
Those who love somebody who loves ham radio. An example: I like being active and outdoors, but I don’t just love cycling. My son does, though – he’s into competition mountain biking. And I love to ride a trail with him, because I love him and his passion is energizing to be around. With him, I’ll get on that bike, learn things, and genuinely enjoy it, where I probably wouldn’t otherwise. The same dynamic can work for ham radio.

Mark Karagas K5MGK :
I am not a young ham new to the hobby but new nevertheless. I won’t be a curmudgeon like some others on this Reddit forum. I like your talk about not to be a lurker. I am by nature a listener, but I must make a concerted effort to talk more, especially as I gain some experience. It helps that I can have a broader discussion with others about our hobby now that I have a little more experience.

Responses to this article that I thought was important to share:

John T Wright K6CPO:
It’s refreshing to see someone addressing the curmudgeon issue. In my opinion, that’s probably the single most important reason many new hams don’t stay in the hobby. That and lack of any concrete mentoring program for the new people.

Jeff – WE4B:

I’ve read the article and those interested in radio will find their way to radio. Trust me, they will. I went from a kid was a SWL in the 70s and early 80s and then graduated to a XTAL controlled scanner and, well, that led to a Tech license. Then a Tech+ license. Then a General license and now an Extra license. I had no Elmers. What I did have was a dad that brought home an old shortwave radio from a coworker that was selling it for $5 and gave it to me. Dad isn’t/wasn’t a ham but he did have a 23 channel CB in his Opel. I wish I could remember his FCC license call but alas, if people enjoy radio they will find it. This is what happened to me in the 70s-80s that led to me getting licensed.

Now it’s 2019 and I find myself the father of daughters that are 12 year-old and 8 years-old. The 12 year-old is well accomplished in ham radio and has worked hard to win many awards and continues to do so. The 8 year-old will soon have a Tech license. My 12 year-old got licensed because she was spending time with me and found herself operating radios with me as the control op. She got her ticket, and enjoyed radio for radios sake and has gone from there. She hasn’t been pushed or forced into anything. I’m very proud of what she has done. Her little sister is studying for her Tech. She, too, has been on the radio quite a bit with either me or her sister acting as a control op. She’s only 8 but she is emulating and following in her dad and sister’s footsteps. Hopefully, she will also love radio as much as we do. Once again, no pressure on her to do anything.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that people come to amateur radio from all different backgrounds and reasons. Some of us embrace it and use it daily. Some don’t. Some just want it for when the sky falls and for some of us, we want it for talking to things in the sky.

Amateur radio hasn’t really stopped growing. We can argue about the numbers. Yes, I know they are artificially inflated by those that get a Tech in a day kind of ticket but there are some of those that will progress further within the hobby. There are so many facets within the hobby that if someone is truly interested in radio they will be able to find their niche. I’m glad my 12 year-old daughter has followed me into satellites and QRP HF. I mean, after all, she was commanding satellites from the ground when she was only 10. I can’t wait to see what she gets to put on a college application in a few years.

We can’t force people to enjoy radio. Those that do, will. Those that don’t, won’t. Don’t try to answer rhetorical questions.

I look forward to hearing from you on the airways. If you find this useful or through proving please share with other Hams and add your contributions!
– KI4CFS 73 – Martin Brossman –

 

KD2HCU2020-09-08
What Can We Do to Help Grow the Amateur Radio Hobby?
Although it may not bring new people into the hobby, I would like to see a little slice of the 12, 15 and 17 Meter bands opened to technician licensees. Those bands seem quite dead (at least in my area), and some techs in there might open things up. I think when the techs get a taste of HF and buy the equipment for it they will probably study to upgrade their license. As for bringing new hams in I think we need to work with schools and youth groups to get the young people interested, it would make a nice elective shop class in high school.
K1KIM2020-08-02
Re: What Can We Do to Help Grow the Amateur Radio Hobby?
I think one of the most important things experienced hams can offer to bring new operators and hobbyists into the fold to is learn to become a mentor. If you never exhibited patience with your kids/family etc....the task is best left to others.
Be patient. Not everyone has your level of experience or a degree in RF engineering.
Let's welcome the newcomers in, not scare them away!
Reply to a comment by : G8FXC on 2020-05-12

Certainly some good ideas there, but I fear that the best they will achieve is to slow the decline of amateur radio - not halt or reverse it. It is certainly true that those of us who are already licenced are often not as active as we should be and the old guard do tend to discourage new-comers by their elitist attitudes. But for the hobby to survive, let alone grow, we need many more youngsters entering it and that, I think, is where we will fail. The usual route into amateur radio in my youth was via an interest in electronics as a hobby. Electronics was still based primarily on discrete components and it was very accessible to the technically minded teenager. I, for example, wanted a new stereo, could not afford something with the performance I wanted, so I lashed it together with components purchased from my local electronic components retailer. Did you get that? "From my local electronics components retailer" - yes, we had shops in most towns that sold resistors, capacitors, transistors and even valves - in small quantities over the counter in much the same way that the shop next door sold sweets. That's all gone now - at least here in England. I had a Saturday job in my local electronics store while I was at school. Then Tandy (Radio Shack to you on the other side of the pond) came here and took things up market - they put most of the little independents out of business. Ten years later, a British chain, Maplins, sprung up and they managed to put Tandy out of business. But electronics has become far less accessible to the young enthusiast with increasing levels of integration and surface mounting - and the price of commercial equipment has dropped. My granddaughter is still far too young, but if she, like me, decides that she needs a new stereo, she's going to find it both difficult to justify trying to build it in terms of price and simply difficult to implement because of the nature of modern electronic components. Having put Tandy out of business, Maplins began to struggle and finally gave up a couple of years ago - there are no shops selling electronic components on the high street here now. OK, you can still buy them on eBay - that's where I get most of mine now - but the collapse of the high street vendors is just an indication of the loss of interest in electronics as a hobby - and, in turn, the loss of hobby electronics as a route into amateur radio. I'm not sure what the answer is, but I am sure that any answer that is even marginally effective would seriously offend the old guard of amateur radio. I've recently started experimenting with DMR and it is an example of the sort of technology that we might conceivably manage to interest this generation of youngsters in. Why? Well, mainly because it is almost indistinguishable from mobile phones! Through my own hotspot, or the local repeater, I can route calls - both group and private - across the world. Hell, it can even send SMS messages! Martin (G8FXC)
VE3WGO2020-07-27
What Can We Do to Help Grow the Amateur Radio Hobby?
excellent point W3BUG, I agree!

And we also need to think of all the things non-hams might be interested in that ham radio can do, but that they cannot do with their smartphones these days.

During these lockdown days, Zoom appears to have pretty much doomed the whole concept of an FM repeater. We can now SEE as well as hear our club friends, set of multi-ham roundtable skeds, and not worry about repeater crashers and abusers.

CW operating remains one of those very few unique areas that ham radio now seems to have all to itself, and in the public's more-or-less indelible image of ham radio. So let's embrace it and remind non-hams how much fun it can be!
W3BUG2020-06-10
What Can We Do to Help Grow the Amateur Radio Hobby?
How about getting legislation passed to allow us to erect decent antennas on our property. Quash the HOA rulings and let licensed hams erect decent antennas. I know of 5 people who would like to become hams but they are not allowed to erect any type of antenna. 3 of them tried and were fined by their HOA gestopo boards.
G8FXC2020-06-09
Re: What Can We Do to Help Grow the Amateur Radio Hobby?
In answer to VE3WGO, I must say that morse is one of the things that most interests non-amateur friends and contacts when I talk to them about the hobby. Admittedly not enough to make anyone want to take it up, but it does seem to be an attention grabber.

My wife makes jewellery and gives her time every month to a local care home for senior citizens to help with the arts and crafts activities for residents. As part of the VE Day (end of WW2 in Europe) celebration, she worked with the elderly ladies to make bracelets that displayed their names represented in Morse code with long and short beads. That proved to be very successful.

I'm not sure how we could capitalise on it though!
Reply to a comment by : VE3WGO on 2020-06-06

My second comment in 2 weeks: In our recent weekly department meeting at work on MS Teams, people were encouraged to exchange comments on what they had been doing in their spare time during these past months of lockdown. When it came to my turn, I mentioned ham radio. Of course I got asked what it is all about, and I said it's about talking to other hams in distant countries, digital messages, satellite contacts, and making connections via morse code. To my surprise and slight amazement, they thought Morse Code was the coolest aspect of it (my employer is in the cellular radio business). I did ask them why, but I can only guess that the general public thinks of voice DX, text messaging (like ham radio's FTx or RTTY), and video chats with anyone anywhere is so commonplace and humdrum these days that the only thing the public CANNOT do with a phone or laptop now is contact using Code over the air. Maybe that's why they were so insistent on asking me all about Morse code... how did I learn it? How fast can I send it? What kind of radio equipment sends Morse Code? Is it hard to understand the messages? etc. Something to think about! Maybe Morse Code really IS a potential attraction to draw young people in, and we can't see the forest for the trees? 73, Ed
VE3WGO2020-06-06
What Can We Do to Help Grow the Amateur Radio Hobby?
My second comment in 2 weeks:

In our recent weekly department meeting at work on MS Teams, people were encouraged to exchange comments on what they had been doing in their spare time during these past months of lockdown. When it came to my turn, I mentioned ham radio. Of course I got asked what it is all about, and I said it's about talking to other hams in distant countries, digital messages, satellite contacts, and making connections via morse code. To my surprise and slight amazement, they thought Morse Code was the coolest aspect of it (my employer is in the cellular radio business).

I did ask them why, but I can only guess that the general public thinks of voice DX, text messaging (like ham radio's FTx or RTTY), and video chats with anyone anywhere is so commonplace and humdrum these days that the only thing the public CANNOT do with a phone or laptop now is contact using Code over the air. Maybe that's why they were so insistent on asking me all about Morse code... how did I learn it? How fast can I send it? What kind of radio equipment sends Morse Code? Is it hard to understand the messages? etc.

Something to think about! Maybe Morse Code really IS a potential attraction to draw young people in, and we can't see the forest for the trees?

73, Ed
K0VOZ2020-06-04
What Can We Do to Help Grow the Amateur Radio Hobby?
I've thought pretty hard about this for several days. I retired two years ago from teaching and I feel pretty safe in saying that young people have the same thought processes that we had at their age. They are at the beginning of their lives and do not focus on the things that concern and make older people fearful, yes that dreaded word. They have no interest in discussing politics, religion, or the weather. This doesn't mean they don't know a lot of information about these subjects because they do, they choose to keep their mouths shut like we did at their age, lol. And yes, I will turn that dial any time I hear any of that rhetoric, oops that's ninety five percent of the nets. If we want young people to join us maybe we should open our minds and hearts a little. I listen to their music and listen to what they have to say so I won't close my mind to all of the great things they do. We just returned to space the other day thanks to a bunch of twenty somethings that weren't afraid to dream, take that first step, and accept the risk just like we did when we were their age before we started worrying about retirement, our 401's, and all our stuff. They will be here long after we are gone and I bet ham radio will be here to meet them. Okay I'm ready for the rocks, lol.
Cheers,
K0VOZ
VICTUSB2020-05-27
What Can We Do to Help Grow the Amateur Radio Hobby?
As a total outsider on this forum and a potential 'new hobbiest' can't help think a comment should be mandatory in this topic.

-What to draw younger people into HAM radio? 1) I think it is probably the same as what drew you in. If it was to 'talk to weird people in weird places' then HAM is in a tough spot with all the mobile options, however changing tech offers changing opportunities. I was thinking of SATCOM myself, as it is not just NASA that has sat channels but with the new SpaceX Starlink system essentially broadcasting WiFi globally (if I understand the concept correctly) that will be a new front..HAM WiFi from anywhere on the globe in any mobile application, and if done correctly, better than off the shelf receivers.
IF what drew you in wasn't talking to weird people in weird places mabe is what has drawn me here today...being interested in the hardware and software. For myself tinkering with tech would probably be the hobby with communicating in new and interesting ways with interesting people would be the secondary motivation...again for no other reason than there are already techs that provide stable global comms and good luck convincing anyone of any generation the reason they need HAM is for a collapse of global communication infrastructure or somesuch.

As a middle aged outsider-looking-in that would be my 2 cents.
W4KVW2020-05-23
Re: What Can We Do to Help Grow the Amateur Radio Hobby?
1st thing would be in the United States is to do away with the ARRL & start an entirely New organization that make no mention ever of them.They do more to destroy the Hobby than anyone or anything.Everything they propose is aimed at giving more & more away & not requiring anyone truly interested in the Hobby to actually Earn what they get.They feel that giving more away will motivate those who receive the Free Band Space to Upgrade which has been proven over & over as a Terrible idea.They have been doing the same thing for so long it's just a thoughtless plan for them.Same question with the same old worn out answer from the pathetic excuse for a representative of a group we could possibly have.It's a true blessing that they don't actually make rule changes just proposals or the entire spectrum would sound like 11 meters.If they were really good for the Hobby then why do they have such a Poor percentage of members for the number of Licensed Operators in the United States? The answer is simple & it's because the vast majority are not stupid enough to support them & their worn out suggestions.I know many who support them because they think they are the only voice we have.If they are our voice them we are SPEECHLESS on the best day.The ARRL truly are "Amateur Radios Real Losers" & because of them we all LOSE!
Reply to a comment by : VE3WGO on 2020-05-22

How to grow Amateur Radio? ...maybe we should ask young people this question. One thing does come to mind... most young people are night owls, rather than early birds. The early morning nets on weekends are when most youngsters are still sleeping, so they're not going to be interested. Right? If we want to entice young people to get active, we have to be active when they are awake... late at night. It will be hard for us OFs, but that might work.
VE3WGO2020-05-22
What Can We Do to Help Grow the Amateur Radio Hobby?
How to grow Amateur Radio? ...maybe we should ask young people this question.
One thing does come to mind... most young people are night owls, rather than early birds. The early morning nets on weekends are when most youngsters are still sleeping, so they're not going to be interested. Right?
If we want to entice young people to get active, we have to be active when they are awake... late at night. It will be hard for us OFs, but that might work.
N4OI2020-05-17
What Can We Do to Help Grow the Amateur Radio Hobby?
“This KI4CFS on 64 monitoring,[...]"

Nice, thoughtful article... But not sure why one would not just call CQ... And what band is 64 meters?

73
K6CRC2020-05-16
What Can We Do to Help Grow the Amateur Radio Hobby?
I spent my career in Silicon Valley. One important lesson was that trends change constantly. You adapt, accept, or end up as bitter old person. And, be aware that occasionally the trends turn sharply. Think 1920s or 1960s. Or now.

Trends made one of those occasional sharp turns with the Millenniums. Todays popular hobbies and pastimes will likely die with the Boomers and GenXers.

The changes also mean that Churches are empty, Baseball struggling, traditional hobbies dying. Few, will collect stamps or work on old cars. XGames gets their eyeballs, Olympics will not. Who needs TV channels with VoD? A Supercomputer in your iPhone changes many things.

Hams... just enjoy the hobby. It will fade into the sunset with us. But, it will just follow many other things.

WB8VLC2020-05-15
What Can We Do to Help Grow the Amateur Radio Hobby?
The main items to bring in new hams are like the various late night television hosts have a top 5 items of the week.


#1. Don't let any new hams listen to W2NQ/W7 calling CQ for 10 minutes straight around 14.205 +- then having him go off on 5 minute temper tantrums as any new ham prospects will certainly stick knitting needles in their ears and render themselves deaf.

#2. Don't let any new prospective hams listen to KC4TVZ calling endless CQ's on 28.425 MHz as they will do the same as in #1 above.

#3. For gods sake do not let new prospects listen to 7.255 MHz out on the west coast anytime.

#4. Anything on 75 meter SSB is forbidden for new prospects to be subjected to the nonsense.

#5. Don't start new hams off on anything FT8 related as they will wither away with instant boredom and go back to thumb twiddling their smart phones over this mindless drivel of a mode.
KD2BD2020-05-15
What Can We Do to Help Grow the Amateur Radio Hobby?
First, I would stop referring to the Amateur Radio Service as a hobby. Every time we do this, we reduce the value of Amateur Radio little more than finger painting or stamp collecting. We are better than that.

There are very strong, valid, and powerful reasons the Amateur Radio Service exists. There are some very smart, very motivated, and very dedicated individuals who use Amateur Radio for very smart reasons, and society as a whole benefits from their work. THAT'S the reason Amateur Radio exists! While their numbers aren't very high, they are growing, and will be with us for the long haul.

I agree that the reduction in electronics hobbyists over the years has lead to a reduction in people having an interest in radio electronics, and Amateur Radio as a consequence.

But that simply underscores my point about hobbies: They are popular one day, and gone the next. They are not normally taken seriously outside the individual engaged in the activity.

We have a greater purpose than this. Part 97 and the IARU definitions of the Amateur Radio Service spell this out very clearly. (And you won't see the word "hobby" mentioned at all.)

Many of the "hobbyist" activities carried out by Amateur Radio Operators can just as effectively be carried out via the Internet or by other means. However, what Part 97 permits, and in fact, encourages us to do, goes way beyond what can be accomplished today with a smartphone.

And if we can't see that difference, and if we can't make that distinction, how in the world can we promote that which Amateur Radio has to offer to other parties who might find it a life-changing, life-long avocation?

73 de John, KD2BD

VE3WGO2020-05-14
What Can We Do to Help Grow the Amateur Radio Hobby?
I think growth of ham radio will be dependent on how technical our high schools are, how much existing hams embrace new technologies, and how closely national clubs (ARRL, etc) and regulatory bodies (FCC, etc) listen to new ideas and allow radically new transmission modes to be promptly introduced on ham bands.

If we want growth, we should admit that it does not likely mean a lot more CW or SSB or AM or FM operators. The growth might well be higher in wideband video, or more of those new digital modes that many of us love to hate, or lunar communications or satellites, or something else we haven't even thought of.

I won't count on growth happening due to trying to interest new hams in the modes that you will find described in a 1980 ARRL Handbook.
KM2B2020-05-14
What Can We Do to Help Grow the Amateur Radio Hobby?
One common aspect of engineering and ham radio is the availability of antenna simulators to build and test an antenna, prior to building the antenna itself.

I think that those interested in engineering will find the simulation and design of antennas very attractive and often mention this to new members.

4NEC2 is the most powerful of the Amateur Radio antenna simulator front ends for NEC-2 and NEC-4 with the ability to build the antenna in symbol format and then run optimizations to find antenna outcomes.

It does not hurt at all that Arie Voors, after nearly 20 years of development, put 4NEC2 in the cloud for free. A great kindness on his part.

If we can get folks interested in these kinds of basic design activities for either antennas or electronics, we will have captured their imaginations and attention.
KF4HR2020-05-13
What Can We Do to Help Grow the Amateur Radio Hobby?
You answered your own question.
G3SEA2020-05-13
Re: What Can We Do to Help Grow the Amateur Radio Hobby?
Change is the only Constant and applies to Ham Radio.

G3SEA/KH6
Reply to a comment by : G8FXC on 2020-05-12

Certainly some good ideas there, but I fear that the best they will achieve is to slow the decline of amateur radio - not halt or reverse it. It is certainly true that those of us who are already licenced are often not as active as we should be and the old guard do tend to discourage new-comers by their elitist attitudes. But for the hobby to survive, let alone grow, we need many more youngsters entering it and that, I think, is where we will fail. The usual route into amateur radio in my youth was via an interest in electronics as a hobby. Electronics was still based primarily on discrete components and it was very accessible to the technically minded teenager. I, for example, wanted a new stereo, could not afford something with the performance I wanted, so I lashed it together with components purchased from my local electronic components retailer. Did you get that? "From my local electronics components retailer" - yes, we had shops in most towns that sold resistors, capacitors, transistors and even valves - in small quantities over the counter in much the same way that the shop next door sold sweets. That's all gone now - at least here in England. I had a Saturday job in my local electronics store while I was at school. Then Tandy (Radio Shack to you on the other side of the pond) came here and took things up market - they put most of the little independents out of business. Ten years later, a British chain, Maplins, sprung up and they managed to put Tandy out of business. But electronics has become far less accessible to the young enthusiast with increasing levels of integration and surface mounting - and the price of commercial equipment has dropped. My granddaughter is still far too young, but if she, like me, decides that she needs a new stereo, she's going to find it both difficult to justify trying to build it in terms of price and simply difficult to implement because of the nature of modern electronic components. Having put Tandy out of business, Maplins began to struggle and finally gave up a couple of years ago - there are no shops selling electronic components on the high street here now. OK, you can still buy them on eBay - that's where I get most of mine now - but the collapse of the high street vendors is just an indication of the loss of interest in electronics as a hobby - and, in turn, the loss of hobby electronics as a route into amateur radio. I'm not sure what the answer is, but I am sure that any answer that is even marginally effective would seriously offend the old guard of amateur radio. I've recently started experimenting with DMR and it is an example of the sort of technology that we might conceivably manage to interest this generation of youngsters in. Why? Well, mainly because it is almost indistinguishable from mobile phones! Through my own hotspot, or the local repeater, I can route calls - both group and private - across the world. Hell, it can even send SMS messages! Martin (G8FXC)
G8FXC2020-05-12
What Can We Do to Help Grow the Amateur Radio Hobby?
Certainly some good ideas there, but I fear that the best they will achieve is to slow the decline of amateur radio - not halt or reverse it. It is certainly true that those of us who are already licenced are often not as active as we should be and the old guard do tend to discourage new-comers by their elitist attitudes. But for the hobby to survive, let alone grow, we need many more youngsters entering it and that, I think, is where we will fail.

The usual route into amateur radio in my youth was via an interest in electronics as a hobby. Electronics was still based primarily on discrete components and it was very accessible to the technically minded teenager. I, for example, wanted a new stereo, could not afford something with the performance I wanted, so I lashed it together with components purchased from my local electronic components retailer. Did you get that? "From my local electronics components retailer" - yes, we had shops in most towns that sold resistors, capacitors, transistors and even valves - in small quantities over the counter in much the same way that the shop next door sold sweets.

That's all gone now - at least here in England. I had a Saturday job in my local electronics store while I was at school. Then Tandy (Radio Shack to you on the other side of the pond) came here and took things up market - they put most of the little independents out of business. Ten years later, a British chain, Maplins, sprung up and they managed to put Tandy out of business.

But electronics has become far less accessible to the young enthusiast with increasing levels of integration and surface mounting - and the price of commercial equipment has dropped. My granddaughter is still far too young, but if she, like me, decides that she needs a new stereo, she's going to find it both difficult to justify trying to build it in terms of price and simply difficult to implement because of the nature of modern electronic components. Having put Tandy out of business, Maplins began to struggle and finally gave up a couple of years ago - there are no shops selling electronic components on the high street here now.

OK, you can still buy them on eBay - that's where I get most of mine now - but the collapse of the high street vendors is just an indication of the loss of interest in electronics as a hobby - and, in turn, the loss of hobby electronics as a route into amateur radio. I'm not sure what the answer is, but I am sure that any answer that is even marginally effective would seriously offend the old guard of amateur radio. I've recently started experimenting with DMR and it is an example of the sort of technology that we might conceivably manage to interest this generation of youngsters in. Why? Well, mainly because it is almost indistinguishable from mobile phones! Through my own hotspot, or the local repeater, I can route calls - both group and private - across the world. Hell, it can even send SMS messages!

Martin (G8FXC)