Ham Radio didn't start with Appliance Boxes! It started with a Spark.
Not an electrical Spark, but a Spark of an idea.
Something caused today's current crop of hams to want to become hams. In the formation of my personal desire to become a ham, it was like the iPhone of the late 1940's. Without a direct wire connection, it was possible to span great physical distances with information. Yes, our "internet social media forum" was the AM or Shortwave Radio".
But for most it was one-way communications, with someone sending and the masses receiving. However, if you had ham ticket you could be both a sender and receiver of information. What a buzz to be able to do something very few could do. But today modern technology now enables anyone to be both a sender and a receiver worldwide -- instantly with a push of a send button on your smart phone. Today with Skype and Zoom -- it is not just audio but real time video. Thus, the competition: iPhone vs Ham Radio.
In the US, there are about 770,000 licensed hams. The orb of activity is the Left Coast State of California with about 1/7 (101K) of the total ham population. This is where Texas can only claim about 1/14 of the total ham population (50K). If you live on Guam that number shrinks to about 250 licensed hams. (Yes, Guam is a US Territory.) BTW 60% and 50% respectively for California and Texas are Tech Class Licenses [ARRL Published this info, and it didn't come from thin air.]
Now wait for it -- 388K (50%) of that 770K are Technician Licenses. The concept of the establishment of the Technician License was to afford an opportunity for hams to experiment with various technologies in portions of the bands not "clogged" with routine communications. You know VHF, UHF, SHF.
These were the guys that had technical skills and did the EME (For the BTE's, Earth Moon Earth) and Microwave stuff. The thrust of this class of license was Technical and only required the 5 WPM code test but the General Class Theory.
Today there is no code test, a minimalist Technical Examination and with about $45 invested, a Technician Class ham can use the Baofeng UV5. The ARRL in another attempt to sell ham gear lobbied to get Technicians 10 Meter privileges. With Cycle 25 Blooming -- worldwide DX with minimal effort and essentially no technical skills. Is there an ARRL plan to get Technicians FT-8 privileges on all bands -- watch this space.
So, a spark of an idea. Focus on the long game and not just the selling of $5000 radios to the soon to be retired millennials. Attack the problem at the early stages and focus on the younger generation with enticements such as space communications with equipment they built.
I personally know of such an incubator project sponsored by a ham club in Virginia in concert with a local Technical High School. Recently 30 students took and passed the Technician Class License and in January the class will start construction of Direct Conversion Receivers. A Companion DSB transmitter is in the prototype stage. Longer term is the construction of a SSB Transceiver that can be used on 10 Meters. Initially it will be the Glue Stick PTO (so they get to build one) and then a shift to Arduino/Si5351 for the SSB transceiver.
So, get the drift, the focus should be young people and the Tech Class license. With 50% of the hams in the US Being Tech Class, no wonder the ARRL would push for FT-8 for all bands for the Tech Class License. It SELLS more radios.
But I see it differently -- that same Technical High School has placed a CubeSat in orbit. Their ham license will enable communication with their satellite. This indeed will be how we upgrade the ranks of the greater ham population. Imagine what would happen over all to the US ham community, if this same spark was applied by other ham clubs/schools across the USA. A simple DCR may be the spark that is needed
Another thrust --upgrade the test requirements for the Technician Class License. You want to be a ham -- then it is more than just memorizing 20 questions.
