And for you "new" hams, $150 today was worth $35.02 in 1970.  I did a
presentation that included what is available today and what was available 20
years ago along with real Dollar comparisons.  Most (old--you define that)
hams rarely consider inflation in their assumptions, much less what "young"
people spend on hobbies.

Worse yet, most hams (those who have been licensed less than 10 years) have
no idea about the demographics of those licensed under 10 years.  The ARRL
paid big bucks to study this and our slowly declining membership.  If you
pay attention to Howard Mickel's columns, QST's content, and even the ARRL
web site, you can see the difference.  Informed members know ARRL will
publish a new magazine beginning next month.  It's directed to the less than
10 years-licensed hams who are ill-served by most ham radio clubs today.

Effective and more wide-spread mentoring, more welcoming clubs, and related
approaches that get the under 10 years-licensed hams engaged in the hobby
(on-the-air, especially on HF) is what's needed.  For most of us, the
biggest challenge we face related to our hobby's future is easy to find. 
It's reflected in the mirrors in front of us.

If I have insulted you because you're meeting the needs of the under 10
years-licensed cohorts, great!  That means you are among the few who are
helping others and not yourselves.  Although, I get great enjoyment out of
sharing the joy of this hobby with others, regardless of age, time in the
hobby, and experience.

Our (Duke City Hamfest in Albuquerque) approach to this challenge was to
launch HF University nearly four years ago.  Intended for the new General or
Tech, the majority of participants have been Extra Class licensees, many of
whom have had little HF experience.  The only thing that tires them,
especially those who return each year, is my Elecraft Kool-Aid.  Sorry, but
I can't help that.

Good DX, Good Luck in the Contest, Merry Christmas, etc.
73, Bill Mader, K8TE
W6H NM Coordinator, Route 66 On-the-Air 4-13 Sep 2020
ARRL New Mexico Section Manager
ARRL - The national association for Amateur Radio™
Duke City Hamfest BoD Vice-Chairman www.dukecityhamfest.org 18-20 Sep 2020
Secretary and Past President, Albuquerque DX Association 




--
Sent from: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/
______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net

This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com 

Reply via email to