[CQ-Contest] CQWW Survey

[W0MU Mike Fatchett]

Good post!

My youngest just turned 18.  He got his general two or three years ago 
when we were traveling a bunch to Montana.  I enjoyed handing out 
counties and he got involved.  He got quite turned off when he stumbled 
across a similar medium as CQ-Contest and read all the bickering and 
complaining that "old farts" seem to want to do and got quite turned off 
on radio.  We tried a few VHF contests from MT but the conditions were 
never very good to keep his interest.

He can turn his computer or Xbox on and find competition almost 
instantly in a myriad of online games.  No waiting and no old farts.

I don't know if he will ever get more involved in radio or not.  I hope 
so and will keep inviting him to do things with me.

I am sorry to see this list devolve into an old farts home owners 
association where people with nothing to do create ways to make their 
neighbors miserable along with themselves.

Mike W0MU

On 3/19/2013 2:24 PM, kenke3x at gmail.com wrote:
> N6TJ wrote:
>
> "So very sadly, today's Generation X has no clue on how to operate, 
> and it shows.... But hey, look at all the new "operators" we've 
> brought into contesting. Oh boy.............. >
>
> Then NY7N wrote:
>
> "As a member of "Generation X" at 34 (in fact, one year removed from 
> Generation Y), I'm not going to just sit here and take this sort of 
> feces flinging....
>
> With attitude like this towards younger (younger? I have a kid old 
> enough to be a ham, for Marconi's sake) hams, it's amazing any new 
> blood comes into amateur radio - especially into contesting."
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------
>
> Well I am happy to report my General Class licensed son Patrick K3PAL 
> (Generation Y, 18 years old) stayed up all night Saturday night 
> keeping me company during Russian DX.   He had a great time matching 
> his skills against top competitors around the world.
>
> But he was NOT in a radio contest.
>
> He was playing DC Universe Online after being recruited onto a global 
> interactive 8-man team with players from Europe to Silicon Valley.   
> He's ranked in the top 100 globally (out of a million players) and is 
> just as passionate about DCUO as I am about 'Unassisted Radio 
> Contesting'.
>
> So I suggest you try explaining to a 'Generation Y' kid that you can't 
> use the internet during a radio contest, and let me know how that 
> conversation goes.
>
> I have other sons who are showing limited interest in ham radio, but 
> they are doing it because they value their time with Dad, not because 
> traditional radio contesting can compete with the 'adrenaline factor' 
> of online gaming.  It simply cannot.
>
> 73,
>
> Ken KE3X
>
>
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