[CQ-Contest] Why Are European Contesters Younger?

[RT Clay]

The fewer number of younger hams in the USA is not due to lack of club stations to operate from, at least for college-aged hams. Since 1989 I have studied/worked at a series of universities with club stations. Some have pretty nice HF antennas. In each case, the number of student hams actually using the club stations was tiny (1 or 2 if any), they mostly sat empty. Take a look at the number of "S" entries in the ARRL Sweepstakes for example.

For younger hams in the USA (before college), there aren't typically any available club stations. Most local US ham clubs are based around no-code/VHF repeaters. Contest clubs in the US are organized on larger scales (ARRL/CQ "circles"), usually don't do much on a local level, and don't have club stations.

Tor
N4OGW/5


--- On Mon, 8/24/09, Felipe J Hernandez <fhdez at islandnetjm.com> wrote:

> From: Felipe J Hernandez <fhdez at islandnetjm.com>
> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Why Are European Contesters Younger?
> To: ly8o at ot.lt, cq-contest at contesting.com
> Date: Monday, August 24, 2009, 8:25 AM
> Remi,
> 
> Thats what I imagined, I remember well those days, got my
> ham license also
> 29 yrs ago and now 44 yrs young..I remember well the soviet
> union's calls and 
> great activity from those days.
> 
> I think we are struggling everywhere with Ham population,
> but somehow still
> comes to my mind that "clubhouses" were important to
> attract people like in the old days.