Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
How to attract people to the Amateur Radio Service
I've been here a few years now, and listened to a lot that has been
said and done. I've come up with some ideas about how we might attract people to the ARS. What I think will work, and what won't work. What won't work: Bitch, Bitch, Bitch! There are a number of hams that have an amazing, big chip on their shoulders. Everything is going to be the downfall of Amateur radio. We eliminate Element one, and pretty soon we're all worshiping Satan and registered Democrats. Yeah, that's a way to attract new people! If your that unhappy, turn your license in and then you'll finally be satisfied. But it's kind of like Abe Lincon said "people are just about as happy as they make up their minds to be". Your anger is your addiction. If we can only make it simple enough! Want to attract kids? Make the tests so simple that anyone can pass them. Well this worked well with the Citizens band didn't it? The world is full of examples of things that have been improved by making them really easy, isn't it? Want to see a kid get rid of a video game? Give him or her one that is real easy to beat. It will be traded in in no time. A game that is just difficult enough will keep 'em busy for a long time. If there is no intellectual investment in the hobby, then there is no intellectual investment in the hobby. A challenge is not a bad thing. The Freakin' Sky is Fallin' Man! Get the wagons in a circle, and man the phasers! Mixed metaphors on purpose. If a prospective ham looks into the hobby, and they see a multitude of ARRL and others crying wolf, they just might decide they want to spend their time on an avocation that has a future. I'm glad I didn't see the "overwhelming band threats" when I was getting started. That there are threats, inadvertent and purposeful is not the issue. The stridency and panic factor is. I am the Great TEchNoDwEEb!!!! I remember when I was a rank General, I almost gave up on ever putting together a station because I was pretty well convinced it was impossible. After all, Those dipoles suck they don't work DX and you have to have them up a hundred feet in the air the Verticals suck because they aren't efficient and you have to be crazy to put in a ground rod because radials are the only way to go and you have to dig up your whole yard to put in radials and if you don't have at least 120 of the darn things at a quarter wavelength the antenna won't work for a darn and you have to use coax because ladderline is sensitive to moisture and you'll lose all your power in the tuner and besides it's so old school but the coax sucks because you have to make an antenna for the specific band but traps suck because they don't use all the wire in an antennas and who the heck ever thought you could put a stinkin' hf antenna on a car and ever hope to work anyone with it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh..... G5RV's suck and are great too! Now what I think will work. I have to say think, because I haven't seen much of it lately. Show a newbie that it is fun. Let them make a DX contact with you as a control op. If they are shy to talk, maybe that keyboard and PSK31 might be a catalyst! Hmm, PSK31? Let them see that the ARS is involved with computers. Not just logging and antenna design programs, but they can work the world with 'em! Show them the multitude of modes available, but not everything. You want them to be able to discover some stuff by themselves. Give 'em a few links to good websites that have Show them you're proud of being an amateur. Let them get a sense of the excitement of talking around the world on a few watts, or even the joy of putting out a big signal with that linear and the glowing tubes in it. Maybe they have a competitive streak. Let them work in a contest if you can. One of the greatest things done for me as a neophyte was for the club I belong to to let me do a lot of operating in a contest or two when I was still a technician. It took me a while to realize that the control op was a lot better than me, and I was dragging the scoring down a bit, but I was hooked, and now am reasonably proficient as well as having gone for the higher level licenses. That is one reason why I am happy to spend the daytime operating at field day as the control op for the GOTA station. I want to repay the kindness. But most importantly, they need you to let them know how much fun it is, and to not belabor them with the complaining that we so often fall into "Those darn people that want to eliminate the Morse code test will be the downfall of Amateur radio" is not something the prospective ham wants to hear, as well as " We're going to get rid of that stupid code test, and those old fuddy duddies are just going to have to live with it" isn't going to help either. Be enthusiastic, friendly and do good work. - Mike KB3EIA - |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
|