ke4pymPremium
join:2004-07-24
Charlotte, NC | 700,000 licenses strong! »www.arrl.org/news/us-amateurs-no···0-strong |
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 KCrimsonPremium
join:2001-02-25
Brooklyn, NY
kudos:1
 ·Verizon FiOS
| Those numbers on first glance don't look all that impressive. The number of NEW amateurs isn't really tracked independently, and a graph of the total # of hams would appear pretty flat for the 11 year period, changing by mere percentage points overall. The one good thing I'm deducting however is that having flat "growth" must be good when you consider the number of now silent keys of the generations that have traditionally been associated with the hobby. |
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| reply to ke4pym
I'm glad the "numbers" are up, but I am wondering how many are:
Hospital emcomm only hams
WinLinkers
Hams on paper
Also, a silent key never drops off the rolls unless somebody notifies the FCC (usually because they want the callsign) or the license expires which may take up to 10 years. |
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 burner50Helping Darwin WINPremium,VIP
join:2002-06-05
Cowtown
kudos:1
1 edit | reply to ke4pym
I question the validity of any data that comes from that propaganda machine.
I'm now a "paper ham".
Haven't been on a repeater since I moved. Recently sold my ham gear. |
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| reply to fifty nine
We have a similar issue up here in VE-land. Ever since Industry Canada stopped requiring an annual license fee, the data on the number of active hams has become more unreliable.
At least before if you didn't pay you were either SK or had dropped out of the hobby.
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"It's all coming down!!" - Mike Holmes |
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 n2jtx
join:2001-01-13
Glen Head, NY
 ·Optimum Online
| reply to fifty nine
said by fifty nine:I'm glad the "numbers" are up, but I am wondering how many are:
Hospital emcomm only hams
WinLinkers
Hams on paper
Also, a silent key never drops off the rolls unless somebody notifies the FCC (usually because they want the callsign) or the license expires which may take up to 10 years.
I am in CERT on Long Island and a lot of our members have gotten their licenses so they can use amateur radio for emergency communications instead of FRS. I see nothing wrong with that at all and I am glad to have them on board. Some may take up interest in tinkering but for the most part, their activity will probably be limited to 2M and communicating with OEM. Besides amateur radio, we use FRS and the county's EDACS trunking system.
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I support the right to keep and arm bears. |
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| said by n2jtx:said by fifty nine:I'm glad the "numbers" are up, but I am wondering how many are:
Hospital emcomm only hams
WinLinkers
Hams on paper
Also, a silent key never drops off the rolls unless somebody notifies the FCC (usually because they want the callsign) or the license expires which may take up to 10 years.
I am in CERT on Long Island and a lot of our members have gotten their licenses so they can use amateur radio for emergency communications instead of FRS. I see nothing wrong with that at all and I am glad to have them on board. Some may take up interest in tinkering but for the most part, their activity will probably be limited to 2M and communicating with OEM. Besides amateur radio, we use FRS and the county's EDACS trunking system. I have no problem with CERT teams as they are volunteer organizations designed to serve a community. In fact, I have always advocated that ARES/RACES be part of a CERT team.
What I do have a problem with is commercial entities such as hospitals using ham radio as their backup plan. Commercial entities should not be using amateur radio to run their business. That is what part 90 equipment is for. |
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burner50Helping Darwin WINPremium,VIP
join:2002-06-05
Cowtown
kudos:1 Reviews:
 ·inmotionhosting
| said by fifty nine:I have no problem with CERT teams as they are volunteer organizations designed to serve a community. In fact, I have always advocated that ARES/RACES be part of a CERT team.
In a perfect world ARES/RACES would be a "Part" of CERT, but in a world where volunteerism is dwindling, many times there is a need for volunteers who will do more than talk on a radio.
That is one problem I had when I was involved. It was great to have ARES and their communications resources, but they only wanted to operate a radio... Nothing else. Just operate a radio.
It aggravated me that I had two people doing one person's job because one had a radio and the other didn't.
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I'm tired of killing stupid people just trying to do my job and go home! |
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| said by burner50:said by fifty nine:I have no problem with CERT teams as they are volunteer organizations designed to serve a community. In fact, I have always advocated that ARES/RACES be part of a CERT team.
In a perfect world ARES/RACES would be a "Part" of CERT, but in a world where volunteerism is dwindling, many times there is a need for volunteers who will do more than talk on a radio. That is one problem I had when I was involved. It was great to have ARES and their communications resources, but they only wanted to operate a radio... Nothing else. Just operate a radio. It aggravated me that I had two people doing one person's job because one had a radio and the other didn't. You can't just put people whose expectation that they're operating a radio and nothing more to do more menial chores. You want quality, not quantity.
If you get a bunch of guys who think that all they're going to do during a disaster and drills is operate radios, then make them direct traffic and run chainsaws they're going to leave because that's bait and switch.
Set the expectation right from the start. Form a CERT team and then have a communications team within the CERT team. |
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burner50Helping Darwin WINPremium,VIP
join:2002-06-05
Cowtown
kudos:1 Reviews:
·inmotionhosting
| said by fifty nine:said by burner50:said by fifty nine:I have no problem with CERT teams as they are volunteer organizations designed to serve a community. In fact, I have always advocated that ARES/RACES be part of a CERT team.
In a perfect world ARES/RACES would be a "Part" of CERT, but in a world where volunteerism is dwindling, many times there is a need for volunteers who will do more than talk on a radio. That is one problem I had when I was involved. It was great to have ARES and their communications resources, but they only wanted to operate a radio... Nothing else. Just operate a radio. It aggravated me that I had two people doing one person's job because one had a radio and the other didn't. You can't just put people whose expectation that they're operating a radio and nothing more to do more menial chores. You want quality, not quantity. If you get a bunch of guys who think that all they're going to do during a disaster and drills is operate radios, then make them direct traffic and run chainsaws they're going to leave because that's bait and switch. Set the expectation right from the start. Form a CERT team and then have a communications team within the CERT team. Thats my point... They refused to take training to do anything else. I never tried a "Bait and Switch", but ARES never showed up to any CERT Training or any planning meetings. They refused to obtain even the most basic qualifications such as obtaining a county identification card. They would show up the day of the drill... Then they got all offended when they weren't let in. The local law enforcement told them they could take their toys and go home.
Lets face it. The need for a radio operator is dwindling. Back in the day when public safety used call boxes and had very fragile communications infrastructure, it was necessary. Now the "Served Agencies" have hardened systems with backup systems. ARES/RACES are quickly falling to the wayside because they refuse to adapt to what is needed of volunteers.
Sure there will ALWAYS be a need for trained radio operators with standalone HF stations that are able to run off the grid, but it is time for people to adapt and get rid of this rigid mentality that they are solely a radio operator because that is rarely what is needed.
As far as "menial" chores, how menial is it to stand next to somebody while they direct traffic to parrot information over a radio when the person directing the traffic could just as easily use the radio themselves.
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I'm tired of killing stupid people just trying to do my job and go home! |
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 Subaru1-3-2-4Premium
join:2001-05-31
Greenwich, CT | reply to ke4pym
I haven't been on the air since a friend stole my 2m and a buch of other stuff..
Not so much a friend anymore.. |
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 drjimPremium,MVM
join:2000-06-13
Long Beach, CA
kudos:3 | Bummer!
He swiped that HT you had? |
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Subaru1-3-2-4Premium
join:2001-05-31
Greenwich, CT Reviews:
 ·Packet8
 ·Verizon Online DSL
·AT&T Yahoo
·Optimum Online
·STANAPHONE
| yep... my yeasu-VX170 I had.. I had my Diamond RH-771 antenna on it as well.. I guess he thought he could track the police on it....
A few months later he stole a women's car and now is behind bars... but he stole a lot more then just my radio and a friend's laptop....
I still want another HT but right now I haven't had the time or extra money to look for one. |
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| reply to ke4pym
After I saw that article I am also wondering: Where are all these hams?
On both HF and VHF there seem to be less and less activity. My local check-in nets (NTS, tech-nets etc.) get very few regulars. One net that used to have 15 to 20 nightly check-ins a few years back is dying now. One evening it was the control op and myself. If I had skived off, he would have been alone.
There are a few HF groups (40M especially) on weekday evenings but much less ragchewing. Weekends are all contesters and fewer of them. Occasionally I hear a true pileup but not as often.
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Jim, N2RBJ |
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 GbcueAlmost P.E.Premium
join:2001-09-30
Santa Rosa, CA
kudos:8 | That stuff is expensive.
In this economy, I'm surprised to see people on 70cm. Everybody uses 2m.
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My Blog 2.2 |
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Subaru1-3-2-4Premium
join:2001-05-31
Greenwich, CT | reply to ke4pym
I would to try that stuff but hard to do from a apartment.. |
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 joshbDon't sweat the small stuff.Premium
join:2006-03-04
Calgary, AB
·TELUS
·Shaw
·GoDaddy Hosting
| reply to ke4pym
What I've learned the hard way a number of times is it's not the total number license's issued. It's the number of active HAM's actually TX/RX'ing on the air that matters....
regards,
joshb
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Middle Age: The time between I don't care and medicare |
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| reply to burner50
said by burner50:Thats my point... They refused to take training to do anything else. I never tried a "Bait and Switch", but ARES never showed up to any CERT Training or any planning meetings. They refused to obtain even the most basic qualifications such as obtaining a county identification card. That is bizzarre. The whacker factor usually goes way up when a whacker is given an ID issued by an official agency. You'd think they'd jump at the chance.
Lets face it. The need for a radio operator is dwindling. Back in the day when public safety used call boxes and had very fragile communications infrastructure, it was necessary. Now the "Served Agencies" have hardened systems with backup systems. ARES/RACES are quickly falling to the wayside because they refuse to adapt to what is needed of volunteers.
Sure there will ALWAYS be a need for trained radio operators with standalone HF stations that are able to run off the grid, but it is time for people to adapt and get rid of this rigid mentality that they are solely a radio operator because that is rarely what is needed.
As far as "menial" chores, how menial is it to stand next to somebody while they direct traffic to parrot information over a radio when the person directing the traffic could just as easily use the radio themselves.
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 John GaltForward, MarchPremium
join:2004-09-30
Happy Camp
kudos:3 | reply to burner50
said by burner50:Thats my point... They refused to take training to do anything else. I never tried a "Bait and Switch", but ARES never showed up to any CERT Training or any planning meetings. They refused to obtain even the most basic qualifications such as obtaining a county identification card. They would show up the day of the drill... Then they got all offended when they weren't let in. The local law enforcement told them they could take their toys and go home.
I was the Red Cross Communications Supervisor for the 1991 Oakland Hills Firestorm for the first 30 hours of the incident. In addition to the normal Red Cross communications, I managed the Amateur Radio portion of the response.
»en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oakland_Fi···_of_1991
Your description is exactly correct...hams have a tendency to NOT get training and then show up when the incident occurs. When the SHTF, you really don't have the option to to send them packing...you need all the manpower you can get.
I had ~200 hams show up in the first few hours because the incident was splashed all over the news, and they responded. The question was how to deal with the 'untrained'. I had been training apprentice electricians for many years at that point, so I am used to dealing with the untrained and getting some useful work out of them at the same time. The same applied here in this incident.
As a result of that incident, I shortly thereafter wrote the "Instant Trainer©". I figured that I needed some training materials and there is always some time where the hams are 'standing around' during the registration process (mandatory) so they had some time to blaze through and get a clue. The issue is not so much the radio operation, but the getting them up-to-speed on the established protocols for the served agencies.
The Instant Trainer© has been made available to ARES/RACES and distributed throughout the U.S., modified by each group to include their local information.
Failure to adapt to the existing conditions will lead to failure in achieving the operational objectives...therefore, have a plan to use the untrained.
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»www.archive.org/details/Meatpies_1984
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John GaltForward, MarchPremium
join:2004-09-30
Happy Camp
kudos:3 | reply to ke4pym
There is also a large influx of new hams from the 'prepper' community. |
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