eHam
eHam Forums => Licensing => Topic started by: W4JF on December 15, 2022, 07:08:20 AM
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We keep hearing that to sustain ham radio, we need new blood. Well, seems the new blood these days does not burn as hot for ham radio as it did years ago. Why is that? I have my own opinions, but I would certainly like to hear from some of the new licensees concerning your challenges and anxieties of moving forward in ham radio and advancing your skill levels. What is it that you want or need from us old guys that would help you along?
Thanks,
Joe W4JF
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My guess would be it's because they get their ticket, then go buy an HT, and never get on HF. They never get their feet wet in the experience of HF propagation, long distance QSOs, day/night variations, etc.
It's easy to get a Tech license. It's actually harder to put together an HF station and get on the air.
Local clubs and mentors need to step up to provide welcoming assistance to newbies to get them on HF.
-Tony, K1KP
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My theory as to why, is there are so many other techie things to do now. Personal computers were a new thing when I got my tech license, in fact my license info was snail mailed to the FCC and it took about 6 weeks to see my tech license. My general upgrade and code test was emailed along and I had a new license class about 3 days later. My neighbor got his tech license and made a couple of contacts with me and that was it. He is massively into radio controlled flying devices. And of course mobile phones and texting are a reliable way to communicate and I suspect young people don't see why to go to the bother of setting up a radio station and antenna. Logically, I guess they're correct. I just like radio, I always have, so it matters little to me in the end.
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This is the first time I've seen that 55% of Tech's drop out. I'd be interested in knowing where that particular matrix came from. In any case, I have heard of certain hams getting their license, then losing interest. Perhaps as easy as it is to obtain an amateur license these days, for some, having an amateur license is not as cherished as it was in decades past. Easy come, easy go?
Or perhaps with Tech's being able to talk to the world with just a HT using the VoIP modes, it's difficult from them to rationalize why they should spend hundreds or thousands of dollars building a HF station to do the same thing.
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How would you know until 10 years later? What are the stats for the other classes?
Mark K5LXP
Albuquerque, NM
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I have never heard or seen the dropout rate you quote. And all the technicians licensed by our club seem to keep their licenses current... and are also active.
-Mike.
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12/9/22 388,182
12/1/22 388,703
11/25/22 389020 technicians
11/21/22 388,763
11/18/22 389,065
10/25/22 389,585
10/17/22 389,060
10/14/22 389,856
10/4/22 389,787
Where is the 55% dropout rate?
-Mike.
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My guess would be it's because they get their ticket, then go buy an HT, and never get on HF. They never get their feet wet in the experience of HF propagation, long distance QSOs, day/night variations, etc.
It's easy to get a Tech license. It's actually harder to put together an HF station and get on the air.
Local clubs and mentors need to step up to provide welcoming assistance to newbies to get them on HF.
-Tony, K1KP
I agree with this. Imagine a new ham presented with a VHF/UHF HT. He or she looks at this HT and compares it to their multiband digital multimedia 5G handheld radio (a.k.a. "smartphone") and wonders why bother with the ham HT? An HT would seem to be like a 1995-era cellphone. If all they know about ham radio is through the HT, then I think the result is no surprise at all.
73, Ed
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I'm coming up on 56 years continuously licensed in January. I suspect that if all I had was a Tech license, I'd drop out too. I listen on 2M FM when I'm in the truck and hear very little and little of that is interesting. The fellows who signed up thinking that they would save their neighborhood on EmComm are still waiting for the big one to hit. Our State, County and Local emergency communications were upgraded after the 9-11 terrorist attack and more recently with the ARPA Federal money from heaven drops. We are not needed for much more than charity walk/run events.
Yes, we can have all sorts of fun with weak signal VHF and UHF, and that's what the Tech license originally envisaged, not a bunch of guys chatting on the repeater, but it's a bit much for most beginner level amateurs. Most "Techs" don't start out being very technical at all. We've been beating the drum for new blood for decades now. I'm afraid I don't have any original ideas, and I haven't heard any. On a happier note, I'm just in from cutting down a couple maples for firewood and to make room to move one leg of my 80M wire beam. It seems that the best we can do to keep Amateur Radio alive is to keep on the air, try new modes, and doing things to improve our station.
73 de Norm W1ITT
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My guess would be it's because they get their ticket, then go buy an HT, and never get on HF. They never get their feet wet in the experience of HF propagation, long distance QSOs, day/night variations, etc.
It's easy to get a Tech license. It's actually harder to put together an HF station and get on the air.
Local clubs and mentors need to step up to provide welcoming assistance to newbies to get them on HF.
-Tony, K1KP
I hear that a lot, and it is not true. Techs have HF privileges in the form of CW, and before anyone starts lamenting CW, please recall that as novices we were locked in to CW, low power, and crystal control on HF.
Think of it as a novice license and help new techs get their feet wet on HF CW. No one helped me, didn't need it, I was thrilled to be able to contact stations around the world on CW. I never viewed CW as drudgery, I was like, oh boy, I get to be a ham. People today don't seem to want to invest anything into their hobby, they just want instant gratification.
Those who truly want to be hams will stay, those who just want instant gratification will leave no matter what we do. The notion that we should give techs phone on HF just doesn't fly.
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In "olden days" there use to be a class of Tech that couldn't cut the 13 WPM test.
What they tended to do was put up a 6m station and settle for that.
These days, 6m is an exciting thing. It might not be year round, but for some people, with limited time, it might actually be attractive. You can work a lot of exciting DX every summer on 6 and also stateside if your station is more limited. Fred Fish could keep someone active for a very long time.
True, the "action" is mostly FT8 on 6m (with a vengeance), but since we're talking about the newly licensed, they won't know or care that some old coots think it is bad.
So, if we're losing a lot of techs (and, I haven't seen the evidence for that) it is probably because, like a lot of other hobbies, they tried it and never found anything to sustain their interest.
Ham numbers are reasonably stable. I have had trouble detecting one. About six months ago, someone posted up some numbers suggesting, for the first time, that there might be a decline. But, if it was more than statistical flux, it's going to take a long time to "do us in". Any other time these last 30 years, we've had between 600,000 and 700,000 US Hams.
Note: The nearby FCC License Count thread suggests nothing to panic about. It's currently around 770,000 total. "Technician" licenses are falling off, but that's because it's been "Tech Plus" for a lot of years now. There should be a decline in "Tech" licenses "as such". So, if that's what someone reacted to, it's an artifact of the data.
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Hi Joe,
Interesting post. A few Qs that a couple of others have posted as well as some additional info.
a. Please supply the source of the 55% quit or drop out.
There are some issues with using aggregate license counts to reach this conclusion. One cannot just compare total numbers at two points in time to determine that individual Techs let their license expire (the official measure of "quitting"). The total numbers are composed of "birth" (licensure) and "death" (license cancellation or expiration). In addition, a segment of those Techs at T1 move up to General or Extra so counting them as "quitting" is not accurate. A third issue is activity: we have no generalizable measures or data on activity nor do we have an accepted conceptualization of what "activity" in ham radio is, in terms of behavior.
At some point when time permits, I plan to use my database of end-of-year FCC licenses from 2000 to present to match individuals (not call signs) to create annual metrics for when each cohort of licensees leave the ULS database. That would be a start.
b. While my post was mainly about ARRL's declining share of the market that the database of amateur licenses represents, I wrote about some of this discussion on growth and decline in the various license classes over the past few decades in a Social Circuits article:
"In 1997, there were 73,737 Extra Class licensees as compared to 314,532 Technicians. Technicians were by far larger than the top license class. By 2021, the respective license numbers had climbed to 154,347 Extras, an effective doubling of 109 percent over the two decades or so. Technicians, by comparison, had reached 396,232 in number or just a gain of 26 percent. Hmm. Well, a share of those Extras began as Technicians which makes the crude comparison of static numbers like this complicated with regard to the full interpretation of such change. We need to assess the “ham career” of individual licensees making the sequential transition (or not) from Technician to General to Extra but that’s for another column. Suffice it to say, the rise in no-code Techs is part of the change. But Extras were a strong element, too."
https://foxmikehotel.com/2022/03/31/arrl-market-share-elvis-has-left-the-building/
Please do reply with your source on the 55% figure, ok?
73,
Frank
K4FMH
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Techs have HF phone and cw privileges on 10m
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We keep hearing that to sustain ham radio, we need new blood. Well, seems the new blood these days does not burn as hot for ham radio as it did years ago. Why is that? I have my own opinions, but I would certainly like to hear from some of the new licensees concerning your challenges and anxieties of moving forward in ham radio and advancing your skill levels. What is it that you want or need from us old guys that would help you along?
Thanks,
Joe W4JF
My guess would be because they end up on 10 meter SSB, in particular on 28.425 MHz listening to a certain Lunatic ham in Ga. calling CQ CQ CQ CQ..... endlessly for 24/7.
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Yes, 10M privileges. Nothing on the market like the Radio Shack 10M HTX-100 radios of old for new Techs to buy.
Cycle 24 wasn't very good for 10M propagation. Sure, I worked over 250 countries on 10M, but I have more DXing experience than the average ham.
From my Connecticut perspective 6M DXing is harder than 160 meters. Pileups to Europe are brutal.
There are areas where the 200 mile range of a good SSB station on 6 would be great, but a lot of areas where that doesn't reach enough hams in a big country like the USA.
Zak W1VT
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It may be that many are getting licensed for some other reason than actually wanting to be a ham. In my area, some jobs for a while were requiring their employees to get a tech license so they could communicate in case the "big one" hit and other communication channels were down. I also know of parents who were hams who required their children to get a ham license before they could get a cellphone or drivers license.
All of these people might get licensed for those reasons, and then choose to not renew their license when it expires. Especially now that renewals cost $35. They might never even get on the air. They were licensed for other reasons.
73 John AF5CC
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Yes, 10M privileges. Nothing on the market like the Radio Shack 10M HTX-100 radios of old for new Techs to buy.
Cycle 24 wasn't very good for 10M propagation. Sure, I worked over 250 countries on 10M, but I have more DXing experience than the average ham.
From my Connecticut perspective 6M DXing is harder than 160 meters. Pileups to Europe are brutal.
There are areas where the 200 mile range of a good SSB station on 6 would be great, but a lot of areas where that doesn't reach enough hams in a big country like the USA.
Zak W1VT
Yes, that's a good point about R/S, until the mid 90's i guess, you could buy lots of ham accessories and some decent HF, VHF, and UHF radios from your local R/S store. I still have my HTX-202, from that era, and except for a new battery pack, and a new memory battery, it still works great and has great audio. And it has a BNC connector, which for me is a plus.
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I am probably one of the few hams who never owned a HTX-202 HT. Did have the HTX-420 dualband HT which was actually a pretty good radio. Radio shack didn't carry them for very long unfortunately. Have had both a HTX-100 and HTX-10. Had some fun with the HTX-100 mobile.
73 John AF5CC
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I don't know if that statistic is correct or not, but if it is, I'll tell you why.
I'm fairly new. I got my Tech ticket a couple of years ago. I have a couple of "Fengs", a TYT MD380, A 2m TYT TH-9000d and a TYT TH-8600. It is what I could afford. I put up a homebrew 2m ground plane in my backyard and I could hit several repeaters. Great...except there was no one to talk to. I wired up my 2m TYT to my Truck and programmed almost every repeater between Est Texas where I live and Casa Grande, AZ where my daughter lives. I've driven that route a few times and ended up talking with only one ham around Tucson. It's not what I hoped. All that said, I got my General Ticket a couple months ago. If all goes well, I'll be on HF in a couple weeks or so. Great. That's about 2 grand minimum. That's steep. I'm sure it can be done a little cheaper as I've researched what I need, but still, it's daunting for a lot of folks. I keep my little 8600 on the local repeater these days and will answer up if I hear someone call. You want to grow the hobby? Talk to the new guys.
My point is, we hype to the new techs (like me once) that this whole new world will open up and you will be able to communicate with the world and the truth is, as a Tech, unless you have access to a 10m rig, you ain't gonna talk to anyone.
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Techs have HF phone and cw privileges on 10m
Techs also have HF CW privileges on 80, 40, and 15 meters. Only a very few take advantage of that resource, and complain instead.
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I am probably one of the few hams who never owned a HTX-202 HT. Did have the HTX-420 dualband HT which was actually a pretty good radio. Radio shack didn't carry them for very long unfortunately. Have had both a HTX-100 and HTX-10. Had some fun with the HTX-100 mobile.
73 John AF5CC
I always wanted a HTX-100 but I never bought one when they were available, I did have a HTX-10 but sold it last cycle because 10 meters was so dead for years.
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My guess would be it's because they get their ticket, then go buy an HT, and never get on HF. They never get their feet wet in the experience of HF propagation, long distance QSOs, day/night variations, etc.
It's easy to get a Tech license. It's actually harder to put together an HF station and get on the air.
Local clubs and mentors need to step up to provide welcoming assistance to newbies to get them on HF.
-Tony, K1KP
I agree with this. Imagine a new ham presented with a VHF/UHF HT. He or she looks at this HT and compares it to their multiband digital multimedia 5G handheld radio (a.k.a. "smartphone") and wonders why bother with the ham HT? An HT would seem to be like a 1995-era cellphone. If all they know about ham radio is through the HT, then I think the result is no surprise at all.
73, Ed
Particularly if that HT is a Baofeng, which is what VE team and others choose because they are cheap. Despite the price point, a Baofeng is not a good HT for a brand new ham. They are devilishly difficult to hand program and the average new ham isn't going to have the skills to set one up. (I acquired my first Baofeng after several years in the hobby and an Extra license and I still couldn't adequately hand program it when I gave it away.) I'd rather see a new ham given something like an entry level Yaesu instead. I really wonder how many new hams quit the hobby because they either purchased or were given a Baofeng, discovered it was rife with problems and assumed all radios were like that?
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Where did you come up with that 55% figure ? I've seen nothing that supports that number.
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Some troll in his first post cites some unfounded and frivolous claim and disappears after triggering a bunch of people with too much free time.
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Some troll in his first post cites some unfounded and frivolous claim and disappears after triggering a bunch of people with too much free time.
Disappears? Relax and give him a chance to reply. The post isn't even a day old yet.
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It may be that many are getting licensed for some other reason than actually wanting to be a ham. In my area, some jobs for a while were requiring their employees to get a tech license so they could communicate in case the "big one" hit and other communication channels were down. I also know of parents who were hams who required their children to get a ham license before they could get a cellphone or drivers license.
All of these people might get licensed for those reasons, and then choose to not renew their license when it expires. Especially now that renewals cost $35. They might never even get on the air. They were licensed for other reasons.
73 John AF5CC
John,
QSL...I've taught Tech classes for the state hospital association and nearly all of them saw it as a work requirement. When the HA left amateur radio for new shiny Homeland Security purchased Sat phones, so did most all of them from repeaters or excercises.
73,
Frank
K4FMH
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Some troll in his first post cites some unfounded and frivolous claim and disappears after triggering a bunch of people with too much free time.
Disappears? Relax and give him a chance to reply. The post isn't even a day old yet.
Okay, I will. Let’s see.
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It may be that many are getting licensed for some other reason than actually wanting to be a ham. In my area, some jobs for a while were requiring their employees to get a tech license so they could communicate in case the "big one" hit and other communication channels were down. I also know of parents who were hams who required their children to get a ham license before they could get a cellphone or drivers license.
All of these people might get licensed for those reasons, and then choose to not renew their license when it expires. Especially now that renewals cost $35. They might never even get on the air. They were licensed for other reasons.
73 John AF5CC
John,
QSL...I've taught Tech classes for the state hospital association and nearly all of them saw it as a work requirement. When the HA left amateur radio for new shiny Homeland Security purchased Sat phones, so did most all of them from repeaters or excercises.
73,
Frank
K4FMH
Around here we've gotten a lot of support from the LDS Church in the way of venues to hold testing and classes. Preparedness is part of their beliefs and many of their members are licensed. One class we held had a large number of young people in it. Fully 75% of them failed the examination. It turned out they were members of the church and were taking the class because it was required.
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My neighbor got his tech license and made a couple of contacts with me and that was it. He is massively into radio controlled flying devices. And of course mobile phones and texting are a reliable way to communicate and I suspect young people don't see why to go to the bother of setting up a radio station and antenna. Logically, I guess they're correct.
That pretty much sums it up. Amateur radio is old news with yesterday's technology. There is no more wonder about radio. You get on th eair and listen, just a bunch of meaningless talk about the operator's health, weather, and equipment. Whoopee!
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My neighbor got his tech license and made a couple of contacts with me and that was it. He is massively into radio controlled flying devices. And of course mobile phones and texting are a reliable way to communicate and I suspect young people don't see why to go to the bother of setting up a radio station and antenna. Logically, I guess they're correct.
That pretty much sums it up. Amateur radio is old news with yesterday's technology. There is no more wonder about radio. You get on th eair and listen, just a bunch of meaningless talk about the operator's health, weather, and equipment. Whoopee!
Yep, I think the only reason for ham radio nowadays is the fact that you just like radio, but IF, there were to be a massive infrastructure failure, amateur radio would all of a sudden have relevance again. I hope that never happens, but it's not out of the realm of possibility, whether a rouge nation attack or some sort or a natural disaster. A radio, piece of wire and a dc source and us hams are in business. That's what attracted me to radio more than 35 years ago and I'm still just as enthused as I was then.
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The purpose of my post was to enlist comments from new licensees on what us old timers can do to enrich their newly-found ham radio experience. There are some good comments from some relatively new hams that do a good job of summing-up the issues. Also, some good comments from some seasoned hams on why they think we have so many technician class operators turning away from the hobby (or service, if you will). You know we used to call it the Amateur Radio Service, but I see "hobby" thrown around a lot these days. Things change I guess.
ARES and emergency communications are still semi-viable functions of the ARS, but even that is becoming less relevant than ever. Now that the emergency management folks have their own VHF and HF systems, they rarely need 3rd party communications assistance. That wasn't the case years ago when emergency communications between disaster sites and service agencies was critical. Ham radio played a significant role back then in the pre-internet era with CW, RTTY, and voice communications. I remember after one hurricane sitting in a tent in my operation position, sending via CW sensitive information about hospital bed and various medicinal availability as well as other tactical details that didn't need to go out over a scanner.
The stat I quoted has nothing to do with licensing or license expirations or the number of techs licensed. It has all to do with what the Techs are doing with their ham radio privileges AFTER they are licensed. Many are falling away and becoming disinterested. That 55% figure was reported around 2 years ago by some ARRL insiders that were making an effort to try to understand how to encourage and empower the new Tech licensees and give them the resources needed to learn and subsequently hunger for a fuller ham radio experience. Hence the publication of some of the new periodicals and podcasts from ARRL that are written and produced for the benefit of the new ham.
Frank, W4FMH, has my utmost respect when it comes to professional data gathering, questionnaire/survey construction, statistical analysis, and using that data to reveal trends and answer questions. Frank, I do not know how the number was derived, but I heard that alarming stat from a number of folks in leadership roles, none of whose names I am obligated to share here. The important thing in all of this is not so much the number, but the cause and if there is anything we, as seasoned and experienced hams, can do to help the Techs enjoy amateur radio and incent them to to delve deeper within the "hobby". It's a real problem, a current problem, and one that we cannot pretend does not exist.
For me, I stay motivated with the pure fascination of radio, the love of technology through radio, and the comradery we have with each other. Over my 48 years as a ham, I have noticed that we seem to have lost the ability, and in some cases maybe even the desire, to actually talk and "communicate" with one another. Sure, we have some problems on certain frequencies on certain bands, but that by no means defines who we are as hams. Those issues seem to work themselves out with time.
So if you are a Tech licensee and reading this, welcome. Don't give up, don't paint ham radio with a broad brush based on your experience on a VHF or UHF repeater or maybe a few luddites in a local club that are socially despicable. Get connected and networked with other hams and ask questions. That's the only way you will learn. You must train yourself to enjoy other modes besides FM, and that is on you. Then get on the air! You will make mistakes, but don't be discouraged. As they say....If it was easy, everyone would do it.
73,
Joe W4JF
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Yep, I think the only reason for ham radio nowadays is the fact that you just like radio,
That has always been the primary reason most people become hams. That is why I became licensed. That should be the main reason people get a license, not for some other motive.
73 John AF5CC
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Yep, I think the only reason for ham radio nowadays is the fact that you just like radio,
That has always been the primary reason most people become hams. That is why I became licensed. That should be the main reason people get a license, not for some other motive.
73 John AF5CC
I agree with John 100% on this. Ham radio is a pursuit that can be very rewarding to the participant who has a great deal of curiosity and wants to explore and learn. If old-timers have to "incentivize" newcomers to explore the hobby, they're probably not right for ham radio anyway.
73 Frank W3PX
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Techs have HF phone and cw privileges on 10m
Techs also have HF CW privileges on 80, 40, and 15 meters. Only a very few take advantage of that resource, and complain instead.
One thing ham needs is an interest in electronics!
In order to understand the myriad levels of amateur radio they need a dedicated mentality to pursue the hobby.
Amateur radio is not cb by any means and the that idea needs hammered out.
Stressing the importance of building and homebrew is a crucial part of our hobby.
Buying radios without knowing how to make some repairs, or building antennas, keyers, amps and such only exacerbates the problem.
Then there is the financial and availability
aspect!
Most techs who are not actively employed such as retirees or teens find it very hard to garner the resources and justify spending hundreds to thousands on a hi quality , high power hf rig.
And a lot of young adults may be busy raising a family.
Availabilities !
Many quality kit companies quit producing amateur radio focusing on audio, computer, and cellphone technology.
What kits are available are generally qrp of 5 watt all the way to 200 milliwatt.
And many of them are costly for the low power levels.
The used market is no better.
Electronics are the only thing that devalues faster than cars.
( after 40 years of computer repair I can attest to this fact)
So purchasing used equipment is a gamble on its efficiency and effectiveness.
And let's not forget, even looking for parts you can expect to pay through the nose for them.
I'm a retired individual with some health issues.
So my choice is pay for my meds and food or pay for a radio, ( which takes priority?)
I'm not complaining about cost as I build my gear.
My complaint is the disdain many elitist have in the hobby.
We have many in the hobby that are irked because the morse code requirement has been dropped from the license tests.
And constantly b!t(# about it.
And a few overrun the forums trying to get the fcc to change the laws ( and end up screwing many Amateurs over)
How many of these are shilling to get the fcc to sell more of our bandwidth?
A part of the amateur radio hobby is and always has been to Elmer and or help each other.
Are we losing sight of that?
With what has been posted is it plainly visible why some lose Interest.
A lot needs to be changed if we expect retention of our hobby.
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What was the drop-out rate of NOVICES back in the day?
I don't know what it was, but it would not surprise me if it were in the 55% range, also.
Not everyone who gets a ham license sticks with it forever.
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What was the drop-out rate of NOVICES back in the day?
I was licensed thru a club in our junior high. The 3 years I was there we had 9 or so of us earned out Novice license. 4 are still licensed but one of those really isn't active that I know about. So 55% was about the drop out rate there.
73 John AF5CC
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I had more fun as a tech working 6 2 432 and up. Now I listen to the hf bands and hear people arguing how f up the government is what there weather is and worthless garb.l
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What was the drop-out rate of NOVICES back in the day?
I guess that depends on how far back you go. When I first got my license (1965) a Novice license was only good for one year and was not renewable. You could get a Technician, but then you lost all low band privileges, and Technician was not considered a upgrade. You were expected to go to General next, if you wanted to keep you low band privileges. Not everyone was ready for General in a years time. Luckily, the FCC saw the error of their ways and changed things.
I was working and in school at the time, so I wasn't ready for the General and went for the Technician license. Had a great time with my Heathkit Twoer on AM. Finally let the Technician license expire and retested for the Novice. By then, the Novice license was renewable and the Technician no longer lost privileges.
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Now amateur radio is by all definition to the fcc a hobby!
We are not commercial entities or enterprise.
We cannot advertise and sell products outside of equipment on a regular basis.
That this even a question in the tech test.
Technology aside the hobby has always been about communicating, education, and fostering goodwill.
Are you a home brew?, are you an appliance user?, are you a code hound?
Are you a youth?, are you a yl?, or are you an om?
Does it really matter? You are in the hobby and on the air.
Splitting hairs and categorizing user types is doing the exact opposite of what the hobby is about.
Here's a bit of gratuitous sarcasm
Talking with a fellow on 2 meter exchange information whe he finds out you talked to him on a baofunk you get the cold response and are ignored by anyone else.
Elitism and bragging about your kilobuck shiny toy and bird frying power antenna, while crapping on everything else does not foster goodwill,
and think about it any one can read the forums, what do you think puts ham operators in a bad light quicker >:(
You would not believe the amount of crap dumped on me by trolls infesting qrz.
Yeah I've only held my license now for 2 years, but that doesn't mean I'm a lid.
Industrial electrician with a very good background in electronics plc,slc automation control, and computer specialist for 31 years prior to retirement
And navy computer tech before becoming electrician.
Yet only having a license for 2 years lumps me in the lid category by a lot of hams.
I built my first am transmitter at 12
Very low power with a transmit range of 300 feet, you could turn any am radio to a dead station, tune the transmitter to it and send morse code. ( used to annoy the crap out of my brother)
That was almost 50 years ago.
Should everyone home brew?
Probably not, but it's something that can easily be learned.
And you don't have to build radios,
Learn about antennas, how they behave under various conditions, learn how to make them, because even the best radio in the world won't work worth a damn if it's hooked up to a crappy antenna.
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Technology aside the hobby has always been about communicating, education, and fostering goodwill.
Splitting hairs and categorizing user types is doing the exact opposite of what the hobby is about.
KC3TEc with all due respect do you really believe what you are saying? One of the main reasons younger generations have no interest in the hobby is because it is full of hate as you correctly pointed out with many great examples. It is a generational thing, the hobby in this country is dominated by aging white male Baby Boomers and Great generations. Those two generations are not diverse, and intolerant of other cultures and ideas. They were taught to hate in schools, by the government, and the media. In nutshell younger generations see you guys' as uninvited dinner guest who ate and drank everything in sight, then you left, leaving it upon the others to pay the bill and clean up the mess you made of everything.
Today ham radio is nothing more than a CB radio. Fun to play in your silver years with and spread propaganda, but no real use anymore. The world moved on to better things, , or not.
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But you can't lump everyone in the same category that's what's wrong!
You don't know me but you put me in a category that suits your vision.
It's just as bad as discrimination.
Call me a dreamer if you want, but the stereotype bull$#!t is something I've worked on changing all my life.
I don't care what your skin color is, I don't care what your religion is or isn't, and I damn sure don't care what your preferences are.
I do care about the good we can do.
Because that is how I was brought up.
I do what I can to change things to the benefit of everyone but I can't do it alone.
So what I'm asking is, is it so hard to get together and change things or just too easy to give up?
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+1, TEC!
Charlie
K3UIM
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Hams stay in the hobby in spite of all the lowlifes that don't care if they ruin it. The reward from a hobby has to be intrinsic. When someone incentives me I feel like whatever they are incentivizing must not be worth much otherwise I'd find it myself...
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Yep, I think the only reason for ham radio nowadays is the fact that you just like radio,
That has always been the primary reason most people become hams. That is why I became licensed. That should be the main reason people get a license, not for some other motive.
I use the phrase "radio for its own sake" (or "Radio for Radio's sake").
Radio as an end in itself, not a means to an end. The journey more than the destination.
Some folks understand - most don't. And that's OK.
73 de Jim, N2EY
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I think building your own antenna, station or parts of it has been a long-time attraction to ham radio, and one very important key to retention of members. But interest in "homebrewing" has dropped considerably in the past 15 years or so. Even ARRL's Handbook has moved away from its former construction project focus. I remember when the whole point of buying a new edition of the Handbook was to see the newest cool receiver or transmitter projects, but it's not the case these days.
The same change happened with computers. Nobody makes their own motherboards now, but we sure did so in the 1970s!
Nowadays the "makers" mostly congregate around the robot hobby: hardware and software technologies to build the coolest "mechatronic" gadget and battlebots - it's a huge hobby. Young builders are outside of the ham radio sphere. It will take a lot of effort to get builders back into ham radio so they won't quit the hobby. We need interesting transmitter and receiver hardware and software project ideas. If we resign to leaving all the new hardware and software ideas to the commercial suppliers, then we have lost.
Thoughts?
73, Ed
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I think building your own antenna, station or parts of it has been a long-time attraction to ham radio, and one very important key to retention of members. But interest in "homebrewing" has dropped considerably in the past 15 years or so. Even ARRL's Handbook has moved away from its former construction project focus. I remember when the whole point of buying a new edition of the Handbook was to see the newest cool receiver or transmitter projects, but it's not the case these days.
The same change happened with computers. Nobody makes their own motherboards now, but we sure did so in the 1970s!
Nowadays the "makers" mostly congregate around the robot hobby: hardware and software technologies to build the coolest "mechatronic" gadget and battlebots - it's a huge hobby. Young builders are outside of the ham radio sphere. It will take a lot of effort to get builders back into ham radio so they won't quit the hobby. We need interesting transmitter and receiver hardware and software project ideas. If we resign to leaving all the new hardware and software ideas to the commercial suppliers, then we have lost.
Thoughts?
73, Ed
There are more than enough ham websites with projects that can be built, with new circuits and old. The ARRL Handbook is almost redundant by including them. QST only has one per month on average.
One advantage ham radio has is that circuits don't become obsolete, even if the devices shown on a particular schematic turn into Unobtanium. Anything old can be adapted to modern technology and devices.
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I think the actual percentage of Techs who drop out is much higher than 55%.
Last year, I sent out about 100 letters and many additional emails (if I could get an email address) to all hams listed as licensed in Accomack and Northampton Counties, Virginia, soliciting them to come to Eastern Shore Amateur Radio Club Field Day. As I searched the QRZ database, I found that many of the Techs' licenses had expired. So I of course did not mail to them, only to "active" licensees. About 40 of the snail mail letters came back, about 30 (out of 50 mailed to Techs) were Techs, or 60%. No signs of ham activity anywhere. Add that to the expired licenses. I'll do this again this year and be specific and scientific about it, but I think the percentage is more like 75%.
Why: (1) lack of interest in electronics or radio or ham radio as a means of emergency communication, and (2) not being embraced by a local club or elmer.
We can do something about #2.....
And maybe snag a few preppers (Baofeng got me into it, though I've gone way beyond that).
David, K2WPM
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well, we can speculate all we want, but we can't deny one thing: the way Ham Radio is evolving isn't very interesting to most new hams.
Seasoned ham: "a new ham will love to have a cheap HT" or "they'll love DMR!"
New Ham at hearing this suggestion: " ::) ...seriously?" after all, they already have a multiband high-speed digital data/audio/video always-connected pocket-sized transceiver (aka Smartphone) that makes an HT look like something from the Flintstones.
73, Ed
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well, we can speculate all we want, but we can't deny one thing: the way Ham Radio is evolving isn't very interesting to most new hams.
I can't do anything about the situation with Techs and HF privileges, but there are plenty of new hams in other countries that I can work on HF.
Hams in Asia find it exciting to work hams in New England. Digital modes like FT8 allow them to make contacts despite antenna restrictions and high local noise levels.
Hams in Europe enjoy the challenge of working across the pond on 160 and 80 meters. It bothers them not that they have to learn to use a digital mode to do so.
Zak W1VT
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Pretty simple, younger generations do not like Boomers.
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Pretty simple, younger generations do not like Boomers.
And they seem to forget that they wouldn't be here without the boomers...
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Harley Davidson’s marketing department is dealing with the same issue. There are alternative leisure hobbies - more than ever. Many more young people live in areas hostile to ham radio.
Visit Reddit and you’ll find a slew of younger people enthusiastic about radioing. See why they deal with.
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Pretty simple, younger generations do not like Boomers.
And Boomers didn't want to do things the way "the Greatest Generation," aka their parents' of the Depression/WW2/Korean War era, did. Before that, the WW2/Korean War-era folks resented the Doughboy Generation (World War I). And so on, and so on, and so on....
It's a fact of life that young adults would rather do their own thing, apart from their parents and grandparents. Accept it. Like we were, they are.
Now get off my lawn, youse meatheads! ;D
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..... There are alternative leisure hobbies - more than ever. ...
Yes, and sadly, most of these "hobbies" involve having their eyes focused on a tiny screen.*
73, Ed
*according to the American Optometric Association (aoa.org)
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We’re already seeing a major change in HR evolution. Except for major contests, CW is wallowing in the mud, and with those licensed in the 1950’s, 60’s, and early 70’s dying off or unable to operate, will probably be mostly gone in the next 10-15 years. Voices you hear on SSB sound “mature”. And now FT8 seems to be the overwhelming favorite mode, in just 3 kHz of bandwidth. HOA/CC&R communities will be more prevalent as older homes deteriorate, further restricting the ability to erect antennas. And young folks have many more other technical things to occupy their time.
Tough times ahead for the viability of ham radio, in my opinion.
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It's a fact of life that young adults would rather do their own thing, apart from their parents and grandparents. Accept it. Like we were, they are.
Divide and conquer!
or divide and sell!
Not your father's oldsmobile doesn't fall onto deaf ears.
Marketing is king.
It's far easier to create new markets by separatiing the generations rather than not.
Not your father's oldsmobile, radio,camera,tractor,rifle ...whatever the thing sold
Not your mother's washing machine
Not your grandmother's oven
...and the list goes on
My father didn't have a radio, I liked my mothers washing machine (haven't seen socks come out as white since), and I miss my grandmother's wood burning oven.
To most people, all these phrases "make sense" and push them towards getting into something new and different from before. Most people just can't resist the marketing message.
Like "true direct sampling SDR".
Apologies if any of you resemble these remarks :)
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It's a fact of life that young adults would rather do their own thing, apart from their parents and grandparents.
Most kids love their grandparents, but that doesn't mean they want to hang out with them.
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Ham radio has been a hobby for something like 110 years. That's 4+ generations!
Regardless of the differences between them, every one of these generations was interested, and the hobby evolved over time. SSB was going to be the end of Ham Radio. Packet was going to be the end of Ham Radio, and FM was going to be the end of Ham Radio. Now FT8 is going to be the end of Ham Radio. But the reality is that none of them ended Ham Radio. What's next? This isn't really about Boomers, or Gen-X, or Y or Z causing the end of the hobby due to lack of interest... it's really just that the hobby adapts to new technologies and interests, but it always persists.
Long live Ham Radio!
73, Ed
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I think there is too much generational discrimination in all things.
Read into too many things.
Not enough involvement between generations leads to discontent.
I'm 62 and with a heart condition I can't play sports anymore.
Yes it annoys me that I can't play with the younger generation.
Technology wise I'm used to working with older and newer equipment alike, so I'm not afraid of learning something new.
The fact is our opinions tend to get jaded based on a few bad examples.
That is not always the case!
Youth face the same situation,
When they encounter a disgruntled curmudgeon what kind of opinion do they end up with?
Younger people will respond to something that holds their interest.
But it's up to us to cultivate that interest and encourage the growth of it.
Cw is a bit of a touchy area because many youth and adults alike will feign disinterest for fear of appearing ignorant.
That why learning it should be made as entertaining as possible.
In other words, get them laughing and you will get them learning.
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What I witnessed was: They came on, gung ho. Baofeng and a couple batteries, reflective vest, etc. having read (outdated) books and articles that stated Ham Radio operators where the thing and would save the world in the event of an emergency.
And then they found out EmComm, for the most part, was laughed at by first responders. In a lot of cases, deservedly so.
I watched this unfold when watching a fire that happened at a race I was working as a check in at. Car left the track, started a fire.
Couple guys there where "emcomm" prepared. They thought the fire helos and the firefighters where going to use them as the IC, the way these guys where acting.
When they find out that's not the case, they lose interest, sell their "go box", and move on.
--Shane
WP2ASS / ex KD6VXI