wrote:

If those people have lost interest and moved on, then they were never
really
interested in radio despite getting their licenses, were they?

Were they?

Remember, even people who have passed code exams have let their
licenses expire and moved on, so who is to say that those who passed a
no code exam really weren't interested?

Coded, or not coded, if someone lets their license lapse, I would say they
really were not interested in radio (or, lost interest over time for
whatever reason.)


Yet so many of the Extras want todays written exam to be the
equivalent of an MSEE.

Can you enumerate for me who these extras are?

They can speak for themselves.

Well you're the one claiming there are all these extras who want the Extra
exam to be the equivalent of an MSEE. Perhaps you could provide an example
of a few? 2 or 3 perhaps? Certainly 2 or 3 should be easy out of the "so
many" that are out there.

wrote:

well I saw 3 of those fellows at AES yesterday taking general exams
with expired tech licnes still in the grace period

Which means nothing. Their tech licenses may have expired for any number of
reasons.

wrote:

Not for most people. To most, it's a means
to an end, not an end in itself. Hams are
the exception.

I think it's *the* major factor. I have met far too
many people who, before they met me, had all
sorts of inaccurate ideas about amateur radio.

Frankly, most people I meet have no idea what amateur radio is, period. The
few that do associate us with the ugly radio towers and huge antennas that
reduce their property values, or the neighbor who ruins their nightly
episode of CSI by coming thru their "expensive home entertainment system".

Rather, most people just aren't interested
in "radio for its own sake".

Exactly what I run into as well.


How many active cbers are there now?

What percentage of those who were cbers
in the '70s are still active cbers now?

What percentage of those who were hams
in the '70s are still active hams now?

Good questions which I couldn't answer.

My guess would be more hams, because the ham license requires more effort,
and people generally tend to hold more value in something they have to work
harder to obtain.


It could be done in a way that would emphasize
the things which make Amateur Radio unique.

I'm not sure how that would be done.


Heck, way back 40 years ago, when I was first
licensed, what was the big deal to work a ham
across the continent? Long distance telephones
weren't new in 1967.

No, but long-distance phone calls were expensive. And the technology was
mysterious and unknown to many people.

wrote:

realy it means they cared enough to show up NOW but enough to renew
there license in one case about 18 months ago Somehow I suspect code
testing has something to do with it

They also could have renewed via the mail. The VE session and free upgrade
just added frosting to the cake.

On Feb 25, 6:47 pm, "KH6HZ" wrote:
wrote:
well I saw 3 of those fellows at AES yesterday taking general exams
with expired tech licnes still in the grace period

Which means nothing. Their tech licenses may have expired for any number of
reasons.

I'll bet the overwhelming reason was the date.