[CQ-Contest] Important Issues

[Kenneth E. Harker]

On Tue, Oct 25, 2005 at 01:45:25PM -0500, Bob Naumann - W5OV wrote:

> We need some creative thinking.  I am very serious when I say that I am 
> afraid that ham radio is going to die off as we get older unless we do 
> something about it.  It's happening now.  We need to fix it.

This very topic came up recently on the CTDXCC reflector.  As someone 
whose been licensed for 12 years but is still only 33, here's my perspective.

Let's say hams die off at an average age of 80.  If the average ham joined 
the service at age 50, then the average age of hams would be 65 and that 
looks pretty old and grim.  But, so long as there as many hams joining 
the service at age 50 as there are who are dying off at age 80, it's 
sustainable, and that's more or less what's happening.  Ham radio is most
attractive to men who have achieved a point in their lives where they 
have the disposable income to pursue a hobby like radio, and where their 
family commitments (raising children) are waning and need to be replaced
with something else interesting and challenging.

Why younger people in general are not interesting in ham radio seems 
rather obvious to me, for all sorts of reasons many have already stated.
What I rarely hear is why ham radio seems to be so unattractive to women 
in the 50-80 year old age brackets.  I'm certain that less than 2% of those
making contest contacts are women, and yet women in the 50-80 year old 
age bracket should have all the same life circumstances as the men that 
are attracted to radio at that age.  Fundamentally, I don't see why women of
that age couldn't have as much fun in ham radio as at bridge tournaments or
cook-offs or any of a number of other competitive activities.

I think attracting women to radio and contesting would be a more effective 
way to increase the ranks than trying to appeal to kids who generally 
cannot afford the expense of the hobby.

-- 
Kenneth E. Harker WM5R
kenharker at kenharker.com
http://www.kenharker.com/