[CQ-Contest] K5GO speaks out for youth in contesting

[Chuck Dietz]

Boy Scouts too

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

From: Taylor Kelly
Sent: Sunday, March 27, 2016 8:06 PM
To: ScottW3TX
Cc: <cq-contest at contesting.com>; Jim George
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] K5GO speaks out for youth in contesting


> On Mar 27, 2016, at 7:30 PM, ScottW3TX <scottw3tx at verizon.net> wrote:
> 
> Jim makes some excellent points.
> 
> Let me expand on one point, plus add a bit more editorial
> 
> As a parent of three school age children, one each in grade, middle, and
> high school, I can tell you that school security is paramount.
> 
> If one or a group of older guys approaches a school to demonstrate radio
> science then invite the students to his/their homes to operate a radio
> station then alarm bells will go off full force.
> 
> In our school district it is impossible to be involved as a parent with
> any school activity unless one has state security clearances. The
> background check and clearances are easy to apply for but take a while.
> Also be prepared to be TB tested and have all your vaccinations.  Inviting
> students to ones home to demonstrate radio would get one immediately shut
> down as a basic safety concern.
> 

This is terribly sad. How did we let society get this bad?

> My recollection is that ARRL and The Radio Club of America (RCA) have
> developed programs for schools to introduce Amateur Radio.  This may be
> the best place to start rather than re-inventing the wheel.
> 
> Ideally the students would have a "school station" to use on-site and via
> remote control.  What a great way to bring together science, geography,
> math, and social skills. A big challenge is having a teacher that is
> licensed and motivated to keep the station going, and having a school
> board that will support an Amateur Radio class so that many students can
> experience the avocation.
> 
> 73, Scott W3TX
> 
> 
> 
> On 3/27/16 4:36 PM, "Jim George" <n3bb at mindspring.com> wrote:
> 
>> Seems to me that if no one hears about ham radio any more, the chances
>> are 
>> dim that there will be enough new people in the hobby to keep it viable.
>> I 
>> recall when any day, the 40 meter novice band was a beehive of activity.
>> That's no longer the case. Certainly, radio clubs in schools are a great
>> way to encourage that exposure. Others include Boy Scout merit badges and
>> visits to local ham radio stations. Another historically good "exposure"
>> is 
>> Field Day, since that includes both the hobby in general as well as a
>> very 
>> spirited operating environment with contacts coming lickety-spit. There
>> are 
>> a lot of other "killer apps" for ham radio, including the electronics
>> (kit 
>> building projects) and operating (DXing, radiosporting, IOTA, SOTA, QRP).
>> Several of these involve travel (IOTA?) and hiking/climbing (SOTA).
>> 
>> I spoke with the new ARRL president at Orlando's HamCation about radio
>> clubs in schools and he cautioned me that security in public schools is
>> so 
>> critical, in addition to the cost matter, that private/charter schools
>> might be easier for getting club stations installed and mentored. I'm
>> less 
>> concerned about radiosporting, per se, than the more fundamental matter
>> of 
>> the hobby overall, and especially with the younger people. Radiosporting
>> and DXing will be with us always, if there are people to talk with.
>> 
>> Jim N3BB
>> 
>> At 09:22 AM 3/27/2016 -0500, Kelly Taylor wrote:
>>> Paul is right: what he says is what attracted us and continues to
>>> attract us.
>>> 
>>> That's not the relevant question, however.
>>> 
>>> He's also right to say apples and oranges. But the problem is the kids
>>> like oranges and aren't even trying our apples.
>>> 
>>> We can't continue trying to market ham radio the same way it was
>>> marketed 
>>> to us. When I got my licence, my friends were blown away by my ability
>>> to 
>>> work Europe. Today, kids see that and go 'meh.'
>>> 
>>> "But why can't you see their faces? And what's that weird beeping noise?"
>>> 
>>> Competition will attract some, but to slaughter an old saw from Alfred
>>> P. 
>>> Sloan, you can sell an old man a young man's hobby, but you can't sell a
>>> young man an old man's hobby.
>>> 
>>> So, how do we sell it as a young man's hobby? By showing young people
>>> enjoying it. I've seen photos of some mall displays, Field Days, etc.,
>>> where the average age of presenters was between 60 and 70.
>>> 
>>> Bless them for trying, but the image is of a hobby that's dying.
>>> 
>>> The nerd factor also cuts both ways: jocks won't get it, but the kid who
>>> revels in his electronics class will love it.
>>> 
>>> 73, kelly, ve4xt
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
>>>>> On Mar 25, 2016, at 3:46 PM, Paul O'Kane <pokane at ei5di.com> wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>> On 23/03/2016 21:01, David Gilbert wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> I enjoy contesting, but it's a legacy that isn't going to
>>> successfully 
>>> compete for attention among anything beyond a very small percentage of
>>> today's youth.  Most of the young ops at Field Day or contest stations
>>> are only there because of some family connection, and most of those
>>> don't 
>>> last.  Even the great majority of new hams the ARRL likes to tout as
>>> evidence of a growing base don't stick with the hobby ... if they did,
>>> we 
>>> wouldn't be having these discussions.  I do think that contesting is
>>> drawing a growing percentage of hams, but the base is getting old fast,
>>> and from my perspective here are some of the reasons:
>>>> 
>>>> David is right, but also wrong - especially when he compares
>>>> ham radio to the internet - that's an apples and oranges
>>>> comparison.
>>>> 
>>>>> 1.  Ham radio is expensive, especially of you actually want to be
>>> competitive instead of just participating.  Rigs and antennas cost far
>>> more than a decent computer or smart phone, both of which offer far
>>> more 
>>> effective communication and opportunities for competition.
>>>> 
>>>> "Expensive" applies to all competitive activities when you
>>>> want to be competitive - to include time and money spent
>>>> on diets, training, equipment, travelling and expenses.
>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 2.  Ham radio requires antennas.  Theey are physically obtrusive and
>>> often create conflict with neighbors.  Hardly anybody has to fight to
>>> get 
>>> connected to the internet.
>>>> 
>>>> Apples and oranges.
>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 3.  Ham radio is real time and unreliable, subject to the vagaries
>>> of 
>>> propagation and activity on the other end.
>>>> 
>>>> That's precisely what attracts us, and what distinguishes
>>>> amateur radio from most other forms of communication.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Why do some people still compete in sailboat racing,
>>>> subject to the vagaries of wind, waves, tides and
>>>> currents?  Because it's hard and they enjoy it - it's
>>>> what gives the activity its name, sailboat racing.
>>>> 
>>>>> Applications like Twitter, Facebook, and online forums (like this
>>> one) 
>>> are precise, dependable, and "sticky" (you can read and answer at your
>>> convenience).  Online game competition against real opponents from
>>> around 
>>> the world is available around the clock every day with virtually no
>>> waiting.
>>>> 
>>>> All hosted on the internet, a public worldwide communications
>>>> utility and, for all intents and purposes, free.
>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 4.  Ham radio requires a license, one which many of us perceive as
>>> relatively easy to get but which isn't needed at all for any other
>>> pursuit.  It's a roadblock with no particular advantage to the user ...
>>> it's not like it keeps LIDs off the air.
>>>> 
>>>> Licences are required for many competitive pursuits,
>>>> including some motor sports (on land, sea and air), and
>>>> competition licences are required for some athletics
>>>> events.
>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 5.  Almost any video game out there is more immediate with more
>>> intense real time competition than ham radio contesting has.
>>>> 
>>>> Apples and oranges - powerboat racing can be a lot more
>>>> immediate and intense than sailboat racing.
>>>> 
>>>>> I honestly hope that radiosport hangs around for a while ...
>>>> 
>>>>> I do too - it's fun for me and I have a lot of money invested in
>>> it.  But it needs to change if it's actually going to draw new people
>>> to 
>>> the game.
>>>> 
>>>> Does sailboat racing have to change?  If not, why not?
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>>> I've tried to come up with the idea of a contest format that would
>>> capture some of the real time features of a video game, particularly
>>> the 
>>> ability to directly and immediately counter (either by action or by
>>> score) the actions of another contester,
>>>> 
>>>> Don't golfers (other than in matchplay) compete in
>>>> isolation?  The all have access to real-time scoreboards,
>>>> and we could have them too, although some contesters
>>>> prefer others not to let others know how they're doing.
>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> Ham radio simply doesn't have the fascination for anybody today that
>>> it did for us ... and if we were young again in today's world it
>>> wouldn't 
>>> for us either.
>>>> 
>>>> Why then, some two hundred years after the introduction
>>>> of mechanical propulsion, do some people insist on
>>>> racing without it?  The answer is they do it for its
>>>> own sake.
>>>> 
>>>>> If we want to change the demographics of our hobby, our hobby is
>>> going 
>>> to have to change.  It's as simple as that.
>>>> 
>>>> Sure - change is good so long as our hobby, amateur radio,
>>>> doesn't change into another hobby.
>>>> 
>>>> 73,
>>>> Paul EI5DI
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
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