Steve Bonine wrote:
wrote:
I became a ham at age 13, mostly through what I learned from ARRL
books. The big attraction was that Radio in general and Amateur Radio
in particular looked like a lot of fun to me. And for more than 40
years, it has been.
Me too. But I do think that we have increased competition these days
from other outlets for prospective hams, and other things that "look
like a lot of fun". Computers and such gadgets are a part of daily life
for young folks these days; it's only natural that they gravitate in
that direction. I suspect that the vast majority of them have not been
exposed to ham radio at all.
You have to admit that there were always things which looked like a lot
of fun. In our day it was guitars, skateboards, stereo equipment,
photography, sports and GIRLS. Not many of us were exposed to amateur
radio in terms of percentages of young people.
I had a good buddy when I was that age who was interested in radio and
electronics, and peer pressure being what it is, I followed his lead.
Those people are fewer these days.
I had an old Zenith tabletop radio with shortwave which covered 5.5 to
18 MHz. I used it initially to listen to broadcast radio. Then I
discovered the shortwave broadcasters and finally the 40 and 20m hams
using AM. Luckily for me, I heard a ham who was in our town and he lit
the fire for me.
I think there is a sense that, back in the Old Days, there were young
hams (high school and younger) all over the place. In my experience as
a young ham (1960s-70s), however, that was not the case at all. Ham
radio was a niche thing back then, same as now, even without
computers, cell phones, etc.
Yes, I agree. I do remember more young hams back then, though. It was
mostly a hobby for older people, but I do think there were more young
hams then.
There were lots of young hams and young SWLs who were interested in
becoming hams. They read Pop'tronics and EI. Most of the Novices I
worked were in my age group. K8CFT administered Novice exams to a
number of junior high and high school aged boys. At one time, the
little town of Oak Hill, West Virginia (population 7,000) boasted seven
young Novices along with six or seven higher class radio amateurs. Of
those seven hams, five are still licensed and active. One dropped out
of amateur radio and one (who was active) died last year. The key was
that *we were interested*. No one can make someone spend his leisure
hours doing something in which he has no interest.
There were a few curmudgeons back then who had no time for young hams.
But they were only a few. And a considerable number of young hams
dropped out because equipment was expensive, antennas were huge
compared to their houses, and/or they got interested in other things.
A considerable number of old hams dropped out for similar reasons,
sometimes providing a source of equipment for the new folks.
Quite a number of those who were teenage hams dropped out because of
their interest in girls or cars or because they went off to college and
had no room for antennas and rigs or no time due to studying. Many of
them returned to amateur radio. Many got married and started families
and returned to ham radio. Most never left amateur radio but their
activity varied.
One big "hook", for me was that except for those few curmudgeons I was
not treated as an inferior - particularly on the air. A big part of
this was due to the mode I used - Morse Code. With Morse Code (and
text modes), no one knows your age or gender unless you tell them.
Operating skill, QSO content and signal quality established one's on-
air reputation, not how deep or gravelly your voice was.
This was a very important consideration for me, too. Even for the
operation that I did on phone, by and large people treated me as an
equal, and if I demonstrated skill they recognized that skill without
regard to my age. Even in traditional in-person interactions like club
meetings and Field Day operations, I was treated as an equal if I could
demonstrate that I deserved to be treated that way. Generally speaking
the local ham community was eager to reach out and teach me if it was
obvious that I needed teaching.
In my first few years there was no real ham community in my area. I
depended upon the support and largess of a number of individuals. A
move to Miami in 1966 exposed me to amateur radio clubs--some of them
quite large. I can't think of many areas where a young person can be
treated as an equal by a banker, an attorney, a doctor, the fellow who
runs the local water company or the man who operates his own gas station.
I can't think of another hobby where I could have gained access to such
a community of people who were often peers of my parents.
Exactly.
To speculate wildly, it might be that one cause for curmudgeon-ness is
the fear of what advancements/accomplishments the young folks might
actually make.
I think you give this segment of our hobby too much credit grin.
You never know when you might have a young Bill Gates visiting your
amateur radio club.
There are always going to be folks who simply have no social skills or
prefer not to deal with "kids". There will be people who enjoy building
or experimenting, but they have no desire to interact with other humans.
That's their prerogative.
Thankfully, most of them aren't hams. Ham radio is all about
interaction with other humans. I've met a few reclusive or squirrelly
or curmudgeonly radio amateurs over the years, but their number is small.
It's a shame when they make newcomers feel unwelcome, but it's going to
happen in any group. Other members in the group must compensate.
I think that in a club situation the other members see it happening and
do step in to balance things.
The core value of Amateur Radio is "radio for its own sake". Some
folks get that, most do not. The task is to spread that word to all,
publicize the wide variety of things hams do, welcome those who are
interested, and help them with what *they* find interesting.
Spreading the word is more important these days than ever before. We
can't expect people to become interested in something that they don't
know exists.
That's what I liked about the Jay Leno texting versus Morse piece of a
couple of years back. It gave exposure to amateur radio in a fun way.
Oddly enough, a lot of the young hams I have met are fascinated by
Morse Code, simply because it is unique and outside their experience.
That doesn't mean it's the only thing to show them, or that all new
hams must start out one and only one way. But it does mean we cannot
assume young hams are only interested in "new" things.
But CW is new to them. It's different. Unique.
You've got a point.
Ham radio is never going to appeal to everyone. Never has; never will.
The majority of people, young and old, tend to go with what has the
interest of the mainstream. Hams have always been somewhat "different",
and the hobby has always appealed to a segment of the population that
wasn't interested in doing whatever the fashionable thing might be at
the moment.
When I was licensed, I was living in a remote West Virginia mountain
town. Long distance telephone calls were expensive. We received three
TV stations only via cable. Listening to Bruce Bradley on WABC or Dick
Biondi on WLS meant contact with the rest of the world. Books brought
the world to my door and amateur radio meant that I could use a rather
primitive radio station in my bedroom to contact another fellow
operating from his basement in France, an outbuilding in Russia or a
from a stucco house in Chile.
Some ideas:
1) Presentations at the middle-school and even elementary-school level
- including the parents.
Getting the teachers involved would be ideal. Teachers are an
incredibly important influence on their students.
Think back: Some kids do everything the teacher tells them. Some kids
do everything except what the teacher tells them. I've had very good
teachers and I've had dreadful teachers.
2) Identify local hams who are available to be Elmers. (I suspect that
some of the curmudgeon-ness is due to the fear of being expected to be
an Elmer).
This is indeed key. It's what made the hobby so important for me as a
younger ham.
I'll assist any young person who wants to become a ham--as long as they
don't call me an "Elmer".
3) Subtle helps to prospective young hams, such as a ride to a club
meeting, Field Day or hamfest, the loan of a rig, the gift of a box of
"old wire" that happens to contain all the parts needed to build an
antenna, etc.
And the help to actually put it together.
....and the patience to demonstrate proper operation.
4) Inclusion and acceptance. This means being considered an equal, or
at least a potential equal. For example, put new hams or prospective
hams to work with FD setup, logging, etc. (That means knowing how to
do things the right way, though!)
I do think this is the most important aspect. I'm not suggesting that
we coddle people simply because they are young, or fawn over them. But
we should give them the opportunity to contribute as equals, with
appropriate encouragement and assistance. Breaking into the "old boys'
network" can be impossible if the old boys don't make an effort to be
inclusive.
I think that most do make an effort to be inclusive and to show a
newcomer the ropes. Some of it has to do with the old boys. Much has
to do with the attitude of the newcomer.
Dave K8MN