DamnIfIKnow ) writes:
Slow Code wrote:
When code is gone your going to see an in rush of lazy people that don't
want to be good or skilled at anything, and their frustration over their
laziness will be taken out on other hams on the bands. This will turn ham
radio into CB.

SC

HAM isn't as popular as it used to be. All of the old HAMS have either
died off or are no longer on the air for various reasons. When a
service is threatened due to lack of interest, something must be done to
encourage people into the hobby. The FCC decided to eliminate one of
the hardest parts of obtaining a ticket in an effort to encourage people
to obtain a license and hopefully keep HAM radio alive and well.

For decades I've seen the entry requirements ease, and for decades
I've seen people lament that the newcomers aren't entering the hobby.

Canada had a code-free license in 1978, and virtually nobody knows
about it because it made no impact. But since then, we've seen a
change in the licensing structure in 1990, and then some fiddling in
recent years, but still people talk about needing newcomers.

The problem is that in that same time period, amateur radio has
been less and less out in the public view.

When I was a kid, I learned about amateur radio in the magazine
that was part of my Cub membership. And I'm sure there was an article
about the hobby in one of those children's magazines I read at the time.
Even 35 years ago this month, when the rules in Canada changed so you
didn't have to be 15 or over to get a license, that news was in the local
newspaper (well actually, the rule was passed in December of 1971, but
didn't go into effect until the end of April).

But when that rule changed, I hadn't a clue where to find a local amateur
radio club, I had to ask a predominantly US organization, the ARRL, where
I could find a local club.

The same local clubs don't even bother putting information on their
websites today about where they will be doing Field Day, they don't
post in the local buy and sell newsgroup about the upcoming hamfests,
and they don't get those hamfests local papers' listings of upcoming
events. Nevermind how rare it is to see a feature article about amateur
radio, these groups aren't even being effective in their own realm.

So if some kid doesn't bump into amateur radio, they will never know
that it exits. They don't somehow figure there must be a hobby about
radio and then go searching, they need that initial contact. If they
don't know about the local hamfest, then they'll never get there to
buy some neat junk and maybe get lured into the hobby. If they don't
read about amateur radio in the newspaper, then they won't think "hey,
that sounds like a neat thing to do" and then go looking for more
information.

Those kids don't even get to amateur radio to know whether or not
the tests or the code test are an impediment or actually something
neat that they can be successful at and boast to their friends.

In the old days, it was kids who got into the hobby, and then grew
up. But as that changes, it gets worse. Because the oldtimers
forget what it was like to be a kid and discover this neat hobby,
or they came to the hobby as adults and never knew it as a kid. Those
latter can't reach the kids, because they don't have a grasp on
what might be appealing about the hobby. So the entry rules get
watered down, which is often easy, instead of getting out and doing
the work to promote the hobby.

Start quizzing kids today, and likely they won't say "Amateur radio?
It's outdated and there's the internet and I've got my cellphone"
which is what the older people are saying. The kids would most likely
say "Amateur radio? What's that?" as in they've never heard of it.

Until amateur radio is well known among the youths, note I'm not
talking about interest just that it's at least better known among
the young, then nobody can really know what would or wouldn't appeal
to them to get them to take the test.

People get lost in their own interests. They get the local club's
newsletter, so they know about the upcoming code and theory classes,
the upcoming hamfests and where the club will be setting up for
Field Day. But then they mistake that for the public at large knowing
about such things. And once that happens, the rest of the world
doesn't know about these things, or amateur radio in general.

This isn't about selling something. It's about sharing something.
Either the oldtimers see something in the hobby that they want
to convey to the young, or they can never get the young to come
to the hobby. The young won't come because "it's good for you". Convince
them that code is a great thing, and that will not stop them from
seeking a license.

Michael VE2BVW