Stop exposing ham operator’s full name and address to google from just their callsign
@Sendpicsofsandwiches @emilvolk 100% yeah. Not being doxx’d asap would be great. Zero interest in the meantime.
Too bad WHOIS privacy/protection never came to HAM?
That’s literally the only thing keeping me out of Ham Radio, and I’m surprised that there’s not more pushback about it
@Sendpicsofsandwiches @colinstu the dominant Ham demographic is one that has traditionally not needed to be concerned much about their information being publicized, and doesn’t see why anyone else should care. (I was reluctant to get licensed until I learned I could use a PO Box as the address.)
Embrace digital modes.
I love the idea of using it, but between getting married, looking for better jobs, and maintaining friendships, I haven’t found the time to study for the amateur radio exam, which appears to be considerable.
GMRS is $35 and a license so that I can use a radio with my family, husband, and licensed friends while skiing or mountain biking, making localized communication easy, while the cert process was mostly friction free (looking at you, ancient FCC website and the guides needed to figure out licensing- something less dedicated people forgo, hint hint). The friction for getting ham licensed makes it difficult for young people who don’t have much time for additional hobbies.
I do hope it’s around when I’m older and (hopefully) have more free time!
Get them interested in LoRa. Ham radio might follow after that. LoRa is the new ham radio anyways.
I’ve been really interested in the LoRa stuff especially as the state of communication infrastructure (and the electrical infrastructure behind it) is always at the brink of collapse where I am. The only problem is that there is zero chance I can even buy the parts for this “strange encrypted radio” without being arrested under accusation of espionage. If not by the government then by the other guys.
As a backup emergency messaging system we really need it but I really need to not rot in a jail cell that smells of death 20 meters under Beirut street level and need both of my kneecaps.
Give them a reason. I got my license for giggles. It expired because I had no reason to use it or means to get equipment. Honestly if you (whoever cares to push it) can’t find niches it complements or fits in… Why even? You can talk across the planet with <$50 in electronics via used PCs, tablets, raspberryPi, etc… unlicensed and near anonymously.
Plus… Ham Is what? A voice call? Ick. You’d have a better chance at brining back Cybikos.
At the end of the day all you need are dank memes.
This is very one sided. There’s SO much more to ham radio than voice.
Maybe the question is “How do we get people to think that ham radio is more than just a voice call?”
Yes. I got my ham tech in ~08 and that’s all I really know it does.
Allow encryption.
I don’t want to talk on open air with anyone and everyone able to listen in.
If this is allowed, then the bands will become so busy they will be unusable.
Not with consumer traffic, mind, but illegal commercial traffic.
These bands are extremely valuable, and corporations, especially stock traders are literally chomping at the bit to get access to it.
I hear you, encryption would be nice, but it would literally destroy the hobby. Probably for more reasons than just the one I listed. Talking in the open air isn’t that bad, you get used to it 🤷♂️ it’s a hobby after all.
Meshtastic. It’s cheap and the UI is familiar and it’s fun to share.
Yep. Super cheap and also, I think, more interesting technically.
I’ve got a few pocket nodes, got a solar node on my roof and just outside the range to transmit into a massive mesh we have around the city. But i hear all the chatter.
Honestly its far more boring than anything I’ve done with ham radio. No one is having conversations, there are no nets, no socializing using the technology. Just people pinging from random locations.
Where as with my ham license I have local repeaters where we have nets on different topics, including one at midnight for anyone who is up. I chat with people using DMR, EchoLink and Allstar to get out to places all over thw world with just an HT. I do HF work for contests, rag chewing SSB, CW and digital modes. I build hardware and antenna, work from parks, collect QSL cards.
And i also bought a $30 meahtastic radio that i occasionally get a “Ping from downtown, anyone hear me?”
I think it’s pretty screwed. What is ham radio? The name means nothing to today’s youth, it’s just confusing and they’ll move on to something else. Our attention is so fractioned these days that no one will stick around to find out more, we’re never bored. And you need boredom to get into this type of thing.
What can you do with ham radio? Talk to strangers? You can do that online with milliohms of resistance whereas getting on ham radio is megaohms of resistance in comparison. What I’m saying with this resistance analogy is that ham radio has a big learning curve and friction. You’re competing with the internet, social media, games. Ham radio simply doesn’t have a good hook, it doesn’t have a good incentive.
Make clubs accessible for younger people again. Lots of clubs became old man’s clubs that aren’t where kids want to hang out. Clubs are a great way to get access to gear without having to buy it and be able to use it via the club license(s).
I think showing the different types of communications available, including sat coms is helpful. Not everyone wants to ragchew with old men.
Make it easier to get into? I’ve wanted to for years but when I looked into studying for the test (which can only be taken in another city in my state and only a few times a year), I found a like 4 hour long video and when I tried watching it it was like someone speaking a foreign language. I don’t have a ton of free time to study for the test and it seems like I need to already be a master electrician to even study for the test.
So yeah, maybe don’t make it so difficult and more people might want to get into it?
I found the most effective way to get a nerd into ham is: mention that ham radio is in the criteria to become an astronaut. Suddenly they’re doing the study courses all on their own. Granted, they have to already be a nerd. ;)
For the non nerds, the prepper angle seems to work with some.
The thing you have to deliver is the “why”, not the how. If they’ve decided they want to learn it, they will.
I’m not on it myself because permits. I am on meshtastic and helping to grow the mesh, because no permits. I’ll end up getting GMRS (instead of continuing to use it illegally) because no test, but haven’t yet because permit. “No encryption” is also pretty lame.
I don’t even mind that if I could use it, all there is in my area are geezers talking about their lawnmower and what they’re grilling today, that’s kinda nice actually, but I have to learn 433 questions because you never know what’ll be on the test and my ADHD respectfully declines.
That’s just me, I’m sure others have other reasons.
Make it affordable isn’t a reasonable request…
How about don’t trash talk inexpensive equipment. “This $4k radio is what you need, not that Chinese junk.” Watch the majority of people will just walk away.
My unused general license is a perfect example. The multiple free HF antennas and free LMR400 run to my free 30’ antenna mast I was given didn’t even put a dent in offsetting the cost of a radio to use the equipment I have rotting away.
I’ll keep my dual band tyt and my 2m Kenwood. If there’s an emergency where it is useful, I’ll use it.
The problem is that cheap equipment literally performs worse, for you. And can make the frequencies around you worse, because of poor filtering or bad circuit design.
I’m not saying $4000 needs to be spent. You can get all the radio you’ll ever need, for $800-900, with an icom 7300. Now that’s not cheap, but it’s definitely in the realm of feasibility. People pay more for cell phones in some cases.
But, if you want a more manual experience, and save some money, you can get older Kenwood hybrids for $500-600. Heck I bought my ts530s for $300 when I first started, it had an issue where it was partially broken, but I was able to fix it just by cleaning a few switches with deoxit.
But baofengs, while they can work, and heck I own them. Some of them are pretty poorly built. I definitely experienced issues with mine, adding more antenna started making my signal reception worse! I later learned it was front end overload, from cheap filtering. But that’s besides the point.
I’m sorry your experience was so bad, and that people were rude to you. And it’s a shame you never got to put that donated equipment to use. It really is a fun hobby if you can get into it.
But all it gets you for $900 is to…do a worse version of what your phone does, in public? I don’t get it.
To answer op you have to give people a reason why. Learning the technology seems valid but not at that price point.
I mean, if you look at it that way, yeah. But to me the science is cool, and there’s a few other aspects that I enjoy as well. I outlined it here.
You can learn the technology for significantly less if you’re motivated, and handy. $100 for a 5w HF radio. That’s half the fun is learning.
But also, if that’s not enticing, then maybe it’s just not for you, and that’s ok 🤷♂️
Those inexpensive, although less traditional means is the answer to the question that started this thread.
They need to be promoted and advertised above all else. Once someone is interested then you can add in the expensive things.
Example, I race RCs. Just the chassis of some of the cars is well above $500(I use $100 3racing Chinese knock offs and extremely very competitive with them btw). These cars are raced on perfectly flat and prepared asphalt so it’s very niche. The club wants members to race… We don’t tell people that come to watch that they should buy the $1500 car&radio, nobody will join. We have several classes that are “starters”. The cost of the cars is $100-200 ready to race. It’s not fast at all but it’s cheap enough to see if you want it. It’s also cheap and easy to maintain. Most people enjoy the inexpensive racing that fills the majority of the day.
The hobby needs to adapt to the complaints/requests of people not actively involved but willing to give it a try.
That’s fair, yeah important to make it clear what’s available and what will do the job.
A lot of people have a buy once cry once mentality, which I do agree with in a lot of ways, but that’s a hard sell.
RC cars is probably worse, because your equipment takes a literal beating. That’s how it was in the fpv drone world, 100mph into a tree and you’re done for the day, probably a hundred or two in damage, if you’re lucky. So n in that world too I flew cheaper stuff, still fun, but still hurts to take a crash and destroy a $50 camera it vtx, etc.
That’s where loaning equipment out comes into play. I loaned out drone stuff, to be used with me present and teaching. And that’s what I try to do with ham radio, come hang out, we’ll do a POTA or chase some DX. But I feel like a lot more people these days are losing social skills and don’t want to hang out, or as evidenced in this thread they don’t even want to use their voice to talk on the radio. There are digital options, but this complicates the lending/teaching/social aspect 🤷♂️
Again, I don’t have the answers, it’s a complicated problem in a changing world. But there sure are a lot of black and white opinions in here.
This really showcases how out of touch most hams are. $800 just to get your foot in the door is completely unreasonable. OR you could buy a broken piece of junk for $300 that you have to fix yourself? Good god.
That’s a misrepresentation.
800 for the last radio you’ll ever need. I didn’t say start with it.
4 to 500 for a middle ground radio.
300 if you want to learn to fix it, it’s a feature not a bug. And it’s not for everyone, I never said it was.
You can get a 5w HF radio for $100, plenty to learn on, but can be frustrating if the solar cycle is down.
If you really want to get your foot in the door, get your foot out the door and over to your local club, they lend you gear, or even give it to you and has happened to me a time or two when I was starting. Or you can use their club station, or go out and do a POTA with someone. That’s what I do with my buddies kids, and they love it 🤷♂️
There’s plenty to do, nobody is trying to gate keep here. It’s just a hobby with a very high cost ceiling, and a lot of people who’ve been doing it for decades and built up equipment stores. It’s a lot to come into, and yes we do need to be more welcoming.
ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS.
Do you think people are made of money? I’m not spending $100 on a hobby I don’t even know if I’ll like yet. Out of touch indeed. My dude if I can manage to put $50 in my savings account on any random month, that is a fantastic month for me.
One dude in the article spent $25,000 on his gear, that’s more than twice what I spent on my car!
My budget is $20 max to start. If and only if I enjoy it will I possibly consider spending months and months of savings to buy better gear. You want more hams, start here.
And all of this is just for the transceiver! None of your costs account for antenna, wiring, coax, antenna tuners, etc. etc. and it assumes you have SPACE for these giant antennas in the first place, which I do not.
Kind reminder that words have meaning, and your tone, to me at least, is coming across very combative. I’m just trying to have a conversation 🤷♂️
I’m sorry that $100 is out of your reach. The economy isn’t getting any better, it seems.
Truly it seems to me that based on your requirements for hobbies, this is one you may have to pass up. Which stinks, but sometimes that’s how it goes.
For a lot of people, $100 is still a lot of money, but not out of the realm of possibility for a hobby startup. If they were interested, that is.
All that said, going to a club and hanging out with people who have the equipment and would love to share and teach you, is completely free, and a valid option. My club’s radio room is open every Saturday for anyone who wants to warm some clouds with RF. If you’re not licensed, someone will sit with you so you can use their callsign.
There are some crusty old curmudgeony farts in this hobby, sure. But if you only ever look at the negative, you’ll never see the positive. Lot of chill people, some normal, some weird, all harmless, who want to help you 🤷♂️
