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Author Topic: People of all ages operate ham radio. What's your age? (This is the response fro  (Read 1430 times)

K6AER

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It might take longer but ham radio will die like model trains. Todays youth has little patience for learning.
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WW5F

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It might take longer but ham radio will die like model trains. Todays youth has little patience for learning.

I wouldn't call it "little patience for learning."  Maybe in some cases.  But I'd call it... today's youth are overwhelmingly flooded and bombarded with spam, virus's, scams, robocalls, loud advertising, TV "blipverts", video games, loud mind-numbing music (music?  that's not music...), pressure to keep up with a continuous stream of social media content scrolling down the screen of their cell phones, mountains of trash created by using things once and then throwing things away and more peer pressure than ever before to do stupid things such as trying to keep up with and out-do their "social media influencers" within their sphere of "friends".
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F4GFT

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I am with DL9DBM on this issue. Guys, think about your own beginnings in Amateur Radio: we had little money, little space, no way to compete with the big guns, and not at all the time available to watch for DX.
It's the same today. I would not look for the youth, but for the generation 50+. They have the resources, they'll soon have the time, they have the space, and they look forward to a meaningful hobby. I think that's where the sweet spot is.
Being a ham op in one's 20's must be very frustrating. Just as it wsas when I was 20.

F4GFT
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K2TPZ

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A lot of good thoughts here. I hope the powers to be at ARRL and some of the larger, active clubs are reading this.

I got started in the hobby during the 50s. I received my Novice license in 58 at 14 years of age. My interest was being able to talk to people around the world from a few electronic boxes in my bedroom. My gear was mostly military surplus (Arc5s & BCs) and Heathkits. I became an expert at converting military surplus gear to ham use and building Heathkits. It wasn’t until the late 70s that I purchased my first non kit and non surplus rig. I never had any real interest in electronics or electrical engineering.

While I can use an Ohm meter and dummy load with proficiency I only have enough electronic knowledge to maintain my gear and build wonderful wire antennas. My interest in the hobby, as it was when I started, is meeting and chatting with other hams (friends) around the country and world. In my 60s and 70s it is a joy to turn on my radio and meet and chat with friends from a little box, now in my basement shack.

I’m not sure younger kids today look to our hobby for meeting people. While I use to get a kick out of speaking into my tin can walkie-talkie young kids today have cell phones and contact their friends around their city, state, country and world with ease with out a license requirement or any knowledge of how it all works. One piece of hand held equipment can keep youth entertained for hours on end, without concern for propagation or band conditions or QRN or….

We are in a different era. I don’t think our hobby is going to be of much interest to  todays youth. Maybe a few may have some interest following the footsteps of their parents and grandparents. Or some may be intrigued by digital stuff or satellites. But mostly not. I think our hobby is now fertile ground for those older folks wanting a leisure hobby where they can relax at home and meet people from the confines of their own abodes. And, what’s wrong with that? I’m not saying we shouldn’t recruit kids. I like kids. In fact I have a grand kid I absolutely adore. And occasionally we communicate when she isn’t on her cell phone. But I can’t see her ever wanting to sit at home talking on a radio.

I think we need to spend more time recruiting middle age and seniors. They have the resources and need for relaxation that the hobby can provide. I don’t see anything wrong with having a hobby for older folks. Which doesn’t exclude juniors or anyone else that has an interest. Just my two cents.
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K3XR

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I am with DL9DBM on this issue. Guys, think about your own beginnings in Amateur Radio: we had little money, little space, no way to compete with the big guns, and not at all the time available to watch for DX.
It's the same today. I would not look for the youth, but for the generation 50+. They have the resources, they'll soon have the time, they have the space, and they look forward to a meaningful hobby. I think that's where the sweet spot is.
Being a ham op in one's 20's must be very frustrating. Just as it wsas when I was 20.

F4GFT

DL9DBM, Eilert sent me a nice email on this topic.  See my previous post in this thread. I would love to see young folks become involved in the hobby, mostly of their own volition.  Often we see these "wringing of the hands" posts, reminding me of chicken little and the sky is falling, if we don't encourage young people to join the hobby. Where are the post that want to encourage older folks to join the hobby?  As F4GFT indicates, many of them certainly have the financial resources, and the retired or soon-to-be-retired crowd has the time.  It's time we stop pitting old and young against each other and equally encourage all new entrants regardless of age to our hobby.
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K9RJ

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I know I am late to the party but here is my experience. I first heard shortwave on my (rich) Uncles wooden console radio. I was immediately interested. Later I had a paper route (remember those?) and my goal was to earn money to buy a portable transistor (remember those?) radio with a short wave band. I did it! One night as I am camping outside my house I hear two guys talking (40 meters) - HAM RADIO! I was super interested. And the best thing was one ham gave the other ham (they were both local VE3s) his phone number. Since I was in the habit of logging what I heard I wrote it down. I called him the next day. Well the rest is history. Soon thereafter I got and built a Heathkit HR-10 (remember those?) for Christmas. I was in heaven. In 1967 at age 16 I got my first ham license. There were quite a few young hams in those days and almost everyone was friendly. The key thing for me though was "I felt the magic" right away. I agree with all the comments about "youth" in general being occupied with many other things. But ham radio as always been a "minority" hobby, i.e. less than 1% of the population. We only need to find a few to keep things going. One local radio club in Utah County seems very good at attracting a younger demographic and encouraging Technicians to upgrade. Now back to the original suggestion. If we can crowd source a good set of lessons, I would be willing to approach charter schools (not elitist in Utah) and give a demo and if any are interested give a class. Don't know much about the public school system but I am not averse to contacting a few science teachers and pitch it as introduction to STEM. Whatever happens ham radio is the greatest hobby ever and I am very grateful for those who went before me.
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K7LZR

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I wouldn't call it "little patience for learning."  Maybe in some cases.  But I'd call it... today's youth are overwhelmingly flooded and bombarded with spam, virus's, scams, robocalls, loud advertising, TV "blipverts", video games, loud mind-numbing music (music?  that's not music...), pressure to keep up with a continuous stream of social media content scrolling down the screen of their cell phones, mountains of trash created by using things once and then throwing things away and more peer pressure than ever before to do stupid things such as trying to keep up with and out-do their "social media influencers" within their sphere of "friends".

Exactly. Well said.
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AI4HO

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I am in the up to 65 years of age bracket. Been licensed just shy of 30 years now. Still enjoy the hobby, still trying to get more young folk involved in the hobby. We’ve seen a few teens join our ranks here in my part of Florida. Due in part to the propensity for hurricanes here. We do what we can with what is available.
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KD3Y

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If Hams do not do something, most QSO we will be between our graves.



Which band are we using?    :)
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K7JQ

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Age here is 76. Entered ham radio in 1959 at age 13 and still quite active, mostly in CW, SSB, and RTTY contests...no FT8. Unfortunately, my outlook for the future of ham radio is not very optimistic.

Look at the pictures in the HR magazines and on the websites...grey hair and/or bald, wrinkled, and paunchy. While the total number of licenses in the U.S. has been pretty stable over the last 20 years, the disparity in classes is distressing...over 50% are Technician class compared to all other classes combined.

The golden/boom years of ham radio were the 1950's, 60's, and early 70's (when CBers were going to HR). Those are also the ones that upgraded to the General, Advanced, and Extra class that we see today. Lots of teens and 20 somethings, as wireless radio communications was still considered "magic". Not so much today, as the younger generation is consumed with cell phones/texting, computers, video games, and crazy social media options. Tell someone younger than 40-45 that you're a ham radio operator, and you'll most likely get a blank stare and say, "what's that?".

The next 10-20 years will be the telltale sign where the overall total number of licenses will start declining more rapidly, and the Technician class % will rise exponentially, as those upgraded General, Advanced, and Extra class hams from "yesteryear", entering their 70's, 80's, and 90's, will start dying off in increasing numbers.

Regarding the reasons that Technicians are not upgrading to the higher classes, I place a portion of the blame on the increasing numbers of HOA/CC&R antenna restricted communities. As the older communities without such restrictions are becoming more dilapidated, folks are seeking more modern homes, closer to work, schools, and other amenities...now mostly under HOA's. The Technicians are just able to use their VHF/UHF HT's, and without the ability to erect HF antennas, what's the incentive to upgrade?

Of course, all this is just my opinion. Hopefully I'm wrong, and something will come to fruition that will keep ham radio a viable, rewarding hobby that I've enjoyed for the last 63 years.

Bob K7JQ

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AI5BC

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Quite well-known fact the over whelming majority of ham radio operators is white, male, ageing baby boomers. Exactly what your data is telling you.
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G8FXC

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Our two year old granddaughter currently loves my radios - will spend hours fiddling with the knobs and tuning around. A few weeks ago, she worked out how to turn on break-in and I discovered her babbling in Morse on 20m - sorry to anyone round the world that heard her and was puzzled - it was in Lottiese.

She also comes with us to the boat to go sailing and she's learning to use a walkie-talkie. She wanters along the pontoon with a PMR446 (equivalent to FRS) HT in hand, babbling to her grandma back on the boat. Before long, I'll start to teach her how to use the marine radio - I would expect her to be able to make a mayday call if necessary before she is five.

Will she carry on with ham radio? I don't know, but given the lifestyle she is going to grow up in, I would expect her to be comfortable with two-way radio communications as a matter of course...

Martin (G8FXC)
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AC7CW

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Maker clubs are a better way to introduce kids to technology. They can go there and see stuff, similar to model railroading.  Some maker clubs have a ham station.

Personally I feel that hams with their introverty-superior-low-social-skills personalities have been killing the hobby all along... Getting on the air after school when I was a kid was unpleasant sometimes due to comments by the older guys on the air. I eventually went with CW to filter them out. CW is too laborious to express themselves fully.
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Novice 1958, 20WPM Extra now... (and get off my lawn)

WO7R

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Guys, we haven't been reliably attracting "youth" since at least the 1980s if not earlier.

Yet, our license numbers have held steady.  Even our ratio of HF capable ops have degraded (as a fraction of the whole) little if at all.

I'm watching for things like reduction of contesting and like things, but so far, it's hard to see any serious trends.

How have we survived without recruiting fifteen year olds?

We've done it by attracting hams in their 20s, 30s, and 40s.

Instead of assuming we are doomed because teens don't join, we should focus on the places we are actually winning and strengthen that.

If you're worried about "too many appliance ops", you need to check out the "maker" community.  eham even has a forum for it (it's the one with "Arduino" in the title).

We are heading for a ham tinkering world with fewer soldering irons, more Grove connectors and more software.  But, we are not heading for a world where people don't build radios or especially radio accessories.

A lot of people are putting 200 dollar HF receivers on the internet right now.  They are not top of the line, but they are as good as any 20 year old HF analog rig.

There's simply lots that can be done these days.  It is done by older people and it is done a different way.  We need to help them define their ham radio instead of wringing our hands that they won't do it like we did in the '70s.
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K3XR

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Personally I feel that hams with their introverty-superior-low-social-skills personalities have been killing the hobby all along...

IT'S STILL ALIVE!  How many more decades do you estimate it will take until the hobby is dead?  By the way, I don't disagree with you that many hams tend to be introverts but the facts would tend to disprove that as a negative factor when dealing with the longevity of the hobby.
"Amateur radio came into being after radio waves (proved to exist by Heinrich Rudolf Hertz in 1888) were adapted into a communication system in the 1890s by the Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi. In the late 19th century, there had been amateur wired telegraphers setting up their own interconnected telegraphic systems."
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