RadioBanter - View Single Post

June 4th 05, 08:41 PM

wrote:
wrote:
wrote:
wrote:
3) The ARS has the image of an "old white guy's hobby" in some
circles.

In a *lot* of circles and they're basically right.
This phenomenon is a
result of evolutionary forces at work within
the hobby. There are two
choices he Go with the obvious flow and
accept where Mother Nature
is leading us and take advantage of it -OR- fight
Mother which is
always a losing battle and try to keep applying the
mores, values and
expectations of the yesteryears when we came into
the hobby 50, 30 even
20 years ago.

Actually I we should go back to those "mores, values and
expectations of the yesteryears" - in a way.

Look at the old ham mags and other publications (ARRL
and non-ARRL, doesn't matter as long as it was a ham-
oriented publication) of the
so-called golden years of, say, the '50s. Back when we had
annual growth of about 8% year after year. They *weren't*
specifically aimed at "young'uns". The license requirements
*weren't* reduced (as NCVEC and others want to do) to make
the tests easier for kids to pass. The "Beginner And Novice"
columns weren't aimed at teenagers or any other age group.
And that may be a big part of what made them so attractive
to kids!

If it's a numbers game why not shift gears and
recruit retirees instead of chasing kids?

That's been going on for a couple decades now.

Don't agree. Point out one example of a formal effort to
consciously
recruit older folk. Which is like all the widely publicized (and
generally failed) programs which have been targeting kids over
the years.

See above - I'm thinking the trick is to *not* target *any* age
group.

73 de Jim, N2EY