[UK-CONTEST] encouraging youngsters

[Jiri Culak]

Hello again..

Regarding JOTA, we ran JOTA last year and year before from Harlow ARS
and had just about 5-7 young members of scout group showing up but we
did have some fun. It will be difficult and it is difficult to encourage
young people....I do know from my experience that every time (or most of
the time)  I do mention what I do and why I am being met with weird
looks saying if it's some kind of childish walkie talkie or CB radio
think.  Most of my age friends can not understand why I want to be
outside in a wind, rain, hanging off the towers with soldering iron and
tons of cable, following  by sitting on my .... for day or two and
loosing my voice. I started on CB in Czech rep. with little walkie
talkie + 5m of wire as aerial + 100mW working 30km and I wass thrilled.
Then Working east Ukraine on 20 CW with some 2W from ex shoe box full of
wires..... it was excitement they can't just understand and justify.
Why would they do that when they can go to pub or club, have a laugh
whole night and then catch up on Facebook. I do understand that but even
technology goes further, people becoming more lazy.

Again from my experience, usual population of radio club is old veterans
who moans about stuff not working and therefore moving away or those
with no interest. I am glad we got new guy who is fresh M3 who is
committed and actually is calling me asking when I am coming back to
Harlow to take beams off, service them, change feeds etc. It's nice and
motivating. 

Anyway, I can't think of anything which would dramatically change way of
people becoming interested in Amateur Radio. I think that there is a
trend too of currently licensed guys just loosing the interest in hobby
or just not having enough time to do it..  (I have got my YL now over
here and I need to be  careful in how much I put towards radio and her
:-) )

How about local clubs and societies having posters/ leaflets in chops
like Maplin ??

Anyway, just a comment. For me for sure Amateur Radios is hobby for life
and even still relatively young I still find it still exciting and may
be even more challenging.

73

Jiri

-----Original Message-----
From: uk-contest-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:uk-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Dave Lawley
Sent: 21 November 2008 08:45
To: UK Contest Reflector
Subject: Re: [UK-CONTEST] encouraging youngsters

> Callum, I offered to put a station on at my local Scout troop...., 1st

> question, `have you been CRB checked?', end ot topic....
> I have no problem in having it done but it can take 6 months around
here..
> 
> The days of being able to show kids around the shack and putting a 
> station on in a sout hut have been killed by `Daily Mail reading..,
all 
> men are rapist brigade'
> 
> Rant over
> 
> Tim M0AFJ

It varies from place to place. Cray Valley ran its most successful ever 
JOTA last month, lots of scouts, tons of interest, no concerns about CRB

checks as the Scout leaders were present all the time.

We always find whenever we put on a special station - big one like GB50,

or a small one in a school hall - that kids are fascinated by Morse keys

and the sounds they make. M0BGR has run a 'learn Morse in 5 minutes' 
session, you don't 'learn Morse' and it takes longer than five minutes 
but it's fun and the kids love it. Equally, they get a kick from hearing

someone in Nevada, or Moscow, or Tenerife, talk to them over the radio 
and address them by name. This is true even in these days of mobile 
phones. They can appreciate the difference.

On the other hand, four or five years ago G3GVV who ran a school radio 
club asked me to go along and demonstrate data modes, as he felt the 
boys would relate more to PC communications and wouldn't have problems 
with being mic shy. So I set it all up and we had a couple of RTTY QSOs 
but their universal reaction was that this wasn't 'proper' radio and 
they much preferred hearing someone's voice coming over the radio. They 
just saw RTTY as a very poor, clunky version of a chat room whereas 
voice radio still held some magic.

Dave G4BUO
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