[CQ-Contest] Will there be anyone to work in 20 years?

[David Gilbert]

Ham radio had that kind of appeal fifty years ago because for most of us 
it was the best way to get something done (i.e., communicate around the 
world).  That no longer is even close to being true, and ham radio now 
falls into the category of a niche hobby like model boat building, fly 
tying, crossword puzzles, bird watching, quilting, guitar playing, or 
fishing.  The problem is that thousands of those exist and most even 
offer competition in one form or another.  Your description is 
completely accurate for most of us, but it is not just "dated" ... it's 
ancient history and your premise that it offers appeal for newer 
generations doesn't hold at all.  It would be like somebody telling us 
we should use oiled paper for windows because it lets in so much more 
light than does a solid wall, and how "magic" it is when the light is 
right so that we can actually make out the landscape outside ... when 
glass gets the job done so much better in almost all conditions.  People 
who want to communicate want to communicate, not put in a lot of effort 
and pay a lot of money for the meager possibility to do it poorly.

I think that's where a lot of hams go wrong ... they don't realize that 
the majority of the younger generations actually want to communicate and 
interact in depth and couldn't care less about the mechanism of doing so.

In all reality, that probably is more the case with us than we tend to 
recognize.  I will bet that the average amateur radio operator spends 
far more time communicating via other means (cell phone, texting, email, 
etc) than they do by ham radio, and I'll even bet that the average 
subscriber to this reflector spends more aggregate hours each year 
reading and responding to these posts than they do actually operating in 
a contest.  A wisp of a signal emerging from the background noise is 
magic to us, but other media that allow simultaneous sharing of voice, 
pictures, and music in real time in conversational quality with anyone 
in the world are going to win out every time.  And when you consider the 
relative depth, visual environment, richness of competition, and cost of 
participation for video games versus a ham radio contest, there is 
simply no comparison.

I truly love radiosport, but at least I recognize that it is a legacy 
infliction that wouldn't even exist if I were a generation or two 
younger.  When I was a teen, nobody had to recruit me to ham radio.  I 
was technically inclined and fascinated by the possibility to 
communicate with the world.  For us to think that today's teens ... with 
the mountains of information available to them ... are too lazy, 
ignorant, or ill informed to make similar choices just seems illogical 
to me.  We may acquire a few converts, but they're going to be in the 
same category as those drawn to clock making or classic car restoring.

73,
Dave   AB7E



On 5/28/2013 2:42 PM, Radio K0HB wrote:
> Here is something that I wrote a couple decades back --- it's a tad "dated"
> now, but I think the central premise holds...
>
> Dit dit,
>
> Hans, K0HB
>
> -------------------------------------------------------11
>
>
> What is Ham Radio, and How do I get started?
>
> - A short introduction by Hans Brakob, K0HB
>
> (I have to explain something you might not have realized. In doing so, I'm
> going to paraphrase something written by Steve Ford, WB8IMY, in his
> introduction to a book entitled "The ARRL Operating Manual".)
>
> In case you didn't know, belief in magic is a necessary requirement for all
> Amateur Radio operators. Of course, you won't see a question concerning
> magic or metaphysics on the test you take to obtain your license, but in
> your heart you will come to believe in that powerful, intangible force.
<snip>