09-12-2012, 02:25 PM
My 'take' on all of this is as follows.
Fact 1: Amateur Radio does not have the appeal to youngsters that it did in the 1960's and prior to that. This was recognised many years ago when the sparsely-occupied VHF / UHF bands were opened up to aspiring Radio Amateurs, resulting in the Class-B licence. Moreover, at a later date, Class-B licensees were granted the use of all the AmRad bands, since an ability with Morse was deemed to be no longer a 'technical requirement'.
Fact 2: The strength - and the very existence - of Amateur Radio is largely determined by the size of its population.
Fact 3: Many young hopefuls now use the Internet and mobile phones for their personal 'communications requirements'.
Conclusion: Put those three facts together and you come to one obvious conclusion: more young people must be encouraged to become Amateur Radio members.
Caveats: Obviously, a method of assessing such hopefuls' ability to use and control their transmitting and receiving equipment is an absolute necessity: hence, a form of testing is required, prior to granting a licence. But if such a 'test' is set at too high a level, it will become self-defeating - and Amateur Radio will suffer as a consequence. Hence, the validity is having a series of steps - with 'rewards' for progressing to a higher level.
Just my considered opinion.
Al. (G8DLH)
Fact 1: Amateur Radio does not have the appeal to youngsters that it did in the 1960's and prior to that. This was recognised many years ago when the sparsely-occupied VHF / UHF bands were opened up to aspiring Radio Amateurs, resulting in the Class-B licence. Moreover, at a later date, Class-B licensees were granted the use of all the AmRad bands, since an ability with Morse was deemed to be no longer a 'technical requirement'.
Fact 2: The strength - and the very existence - of Amateur Radio is largely determined by the size of its population.
Fact 3: Many young hopefuls now use the Internet and mobile phones for their personal 'communications requirements'.
Conclusion: Put those three facts together and you come to one obvious conclusion: more young people must be encouraged to become Amateur Radio members.
Caveats: Obviously, a method of assessing such hopefuls' ability to use and control their transmitting and receiving equipment is an absolute necessity: hence, a form of testing is required, prior to granting a licence. But if such a 'test' is set at too high a level, it will become self-defeating - and Amateur Radio will suffer as a consequence. Hence, the validity is having a series of steps - with 'rewards' for progressing to a higher level.
Just my considered opinion.
Al. (G8DLH)
