ARRL says: "First Half of 2010 Sees Upswing in New Amateur Radio Licenses"

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Always great news.
From the ARRL web site dated 7/13/10:
"With more than 18,000 new Amateur Radio licenses issued in the first half of this year -- 18, 270 to be exact -- 2010 is shaping up to be a banner year for Amateur Radio..."
For more of the report, go here: http://www.arrl.org/news/first-half-of-2010-sees-upswing-in-new-amateur-radio-licenses

[Opcom]

There are so many facets of the hobby, it is more attractive to the cross-section today.

Digital must be attracting people.

I think the emphasis on including it in outdoors activities , or having it -be- the reason for some otherwise odious outdoors activity, attracts more sportsmen and fitness geeks.

What is it called? radiosport?

haha there IS a 6M FM rig (PRC-77) on my ATV. But don't ask me to hike with that rig.

[k4kyv]

There are so many facets of the hobby, it is more attractive to the cross-section today.

Digital must be attracting people.

Must be. Phone and CW activity on HF is way down compared to a generation ago. Not that I am exactly complaining about that, but still, somebody has to replace the gall bladder/colonoscopy crowd once they take the big dirt nap.

[KX5JT]

Lately there has been a push by ARRL for EMCOMMs (Emergency Comms).  I'm pretty sure this surge in new licensees are coming in from this demographic.  Amateur radio clubs (what Don calls the shack-on-a-belt type operators) are cooridinating with local governments, hospitals, The Red Cross etc..  I've noticed more testing going on in our club (although I haven't made a meeting in a few months due to work schedule) and these people are mostly interested in the emergency comms.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Must be. Phone and CW activity on HF is way down compared to a generation ago. Not that I am exactly complaining about that, but still, somebody has to replace the gall bladder/colonoscopy crowd once they take the big dirt nap.

There's a lot more modes now then there was back in the "good old days".  A lot of those strange sounding signals you hear on the HF bands could actually amateurs in contact with each other. Not all hams embrace the traditional phone and CW type of operating.

[K5WLF]

I agree with John and think a lot of the numbers are from the hospital type folks and their "get your license in a day" classes. Most of these you'll never hear on the air until the oocumpuckie impacts with the turbine and then, since they've never been in a QSO before, they won't really be of much help. We had one of those in our club for a while and he was the square root of worthless. Had no clue how to carry on a radio contact and didn't seem able (or inclined) to learn.

Our VE team has made just over a hundred new hams in the last four years or so, and many of them were inspired by the public service/emcomms aspect of ham radio. Which doesn't make them bad hams. But there are exceptions.

I'm working with three undergrads this summer building three of the radio-telescope units that were described in QST last July. Two of them tested for their Tech last Tuesday and passed. One of those asked me on Wednesday for the info for the General test and said his goal is to build his own transmitter -- tube type. These guys are really sharp Engineering Physics majors, not your usual run-of-the-mill folks. But there are definitely those out there who will perpetuate the old ways of our hobby. We need to find them and cultivate their interests.

ldb
K5WLF

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Lately there has been a push by ARRL for EMCOMMs (Emergency Comms).  I'm pretty sure this surge in new licensees are coming in from this demographic.  Amateur radio clubs (what Don calls the shack-on-a-belt type operators) are cooridinating with local governments, hospitals, The Red Cross etc..  I've noticed more testing going on in our club (although I haven't made a meeting in a few months due to work schedule) and these people are mostly interested in the emergency comms.

If that's their motivation, and they're good at it, I have no problem with that. New hams have to start somewhere. If the interest continues and grows, that's even better. Not all new hams come into the fold with hot soldering irons in their hands or wire dangling from their pockets. Not everyone needs or wants high technical aspirations in the amateur radio hobby.

[K5WLF]

If that's their motivation, and they're good at it, I have no problem with that. New hams have to start somewhere. If the interest continues and grows, that's even better. Not all new hams come into the fold with hot soldering irons in their hands or wire dangling from their pockets. Not everyone needs or wants high technical aspirations in the amateur radio hobby.

Pete, I agree with you entirely. I have no grumble with those who are intially motivated by emcomms or public service to come into our hobby, and who then participate in it. I'm very heavily involved with emcomms myself, to the point of being a member of our county Emergency Management team and also on the EM team at the university I work at. My gripe is with those who get their license and then wait, never making a contact, until somebody tells them they're needed. With no on-air experience, they won't be much help because they simply won't know how to communicate within the structured framework of an emergency net.

And there ain't much time to train them when half a town has been burned or a city has a swath of destruction from an EF4. All I'm asking is for the one-day-wonders who claim to have gotten involved to provide public service, is to participate in a SET or come out and help with the comms for a bike race. That way they'll at least have a clue of how a net operates and can provide the service they intend to. If they're sincere and really want to help, I don't think that's too much to ask.

ldb
K5WLF