And the mystifying inabillity to progress beyond the
level of exams set for 6-year-olds.

"Walt Davidson" wrote in message
...

Also, much of the "new blood" of which you
speak actually consists of people aged in their 50s, 60s and 70s ...
not youngsters in the first flush of youth. These people have a high
disposable income and plenty of time on their hands.

Bob wrote:

While I agree with some of what you say about slipping standards,
nevertheless numbers are shrinking and new blood must be encouraged into
the hobby/pastime/service/pursuit, etc,

Why do people continue to propagate this myth? The Amateur Service is
not dying, and never has been, and the numbers are not falling. Even
the IARU quite clearly state this in their document "SPECTRUM
REQUIREMENTS OF THE AMATEUR AND
AMATEUR-SATELLITE SERVICES Revised August 2006" at
http://www.iaru.org/ac-spec06.html

When referring to the 7MHz allocation, the IARU say "The amateur service
requirement continues to be for at least a 300-kHz allocation. This
requirement is even greater today than in the past, owing to the
increasing number of amateur stations and the expanding diversity of
modes of emission used in the amateur service". Note the phrase
"increasing number of amateur stations"!

When referring to the 14MHz allocation, the IARU say "The growth of the
amateur service and its heavy dependence on this band for international
communication....". Note the phrase "the growth of the amateur service".

This doesn't sound like anything that is dying.

The only people who try to propagate the myth that the Amateur Service
is dying are those who have a financial interest (national societies
through membership numbers and equipment manufacturers/retailers).
Don't listen to them. Instead, turn on your radio and listen to that
instead.... you will find it is busier than ever!

The latest data available on the IARU website at
http://www.iaru.org/statsum00.html (bottom of the page) shows the number
of licensed amateurs from 1965-2000. In 2000 the number was at the
highest ever, so where is the evidence to back up the 'dying' theory?
However, the number of licensed amateurs who were also members of their
national society was at the LOWEST number ever (19.6% in 2000 compared
to 38.6% in 1965).

There are too many people with no real interest in amateur radio who are
continually pushing to have the standards lowered so that they can gain
financially from it. They do this by lying through their teeth that
amateur radio is dying and use scare tactics that we will lose
allocations. It is time to put a stop to this!

--
ARRL membership = $39 (~£20)
RSGB membership = £44

Don't let them rip you off any more.
Do the right thing, resign from the RSGB today.

The RSGB said Radio Amateurs were a threat to national security!
Is this the type of organisation you want to represent you?

Walt Davidson wrote:

The fact that the amateur radio population is ageing has actually
*increased* band occupancy, because many radio amateurs nowadays are
retired and are now able to spend many more hours on the air,
especially on weekdays. Also, much of the "new blood" of which you
speak actually consists of people aged in their 50s, 60s and 70s ...
not youngsters in the first flush of youth. These people have a high
disposable income and plenty of time on their hands.

The amount of AM being used on 80m is also a very encouraging sign;
seemingly contacts can be had at almost any time, and on any
phone-section frequency. Special nets need not be used to get
contacts, if the onservations of my tuning around are typical.
--
from
Aero Spike

"Spike" wrote in message
...

The amount of AM being used on 80m is also a very encouraging sign;
seemingly contacts can be had at almost any time, and on any
phone-section frequency. Special nets need not be used to get
contacts, if the onservations of my tuning around are typical.

Where do these occur? I'd like to listen in- or maybe even join in.

I do join an AM net on 160m from time to time (school holidays, it may get
noticed if I set up a shack in the back of the class room- although I know
of one teacher who did just that!).


--
73
Brian, G8OSN
www.g8osn.org.uk

Now your amateur licence is free, why not send at least £15 per year to
support the
Radio Communications Foundation or STELAR?

Brian Reay wrote:


"Spike" wrote in message
.. .

The amount of AM being used on 80m is also a very encouraging sign;
seemingly contacts can be had at almost any time, and on any
phone-section frequency. Special nets need not be used to get
contacts, if the onservations of my tuning around are typical.

Where do these occur? I'd like to listen in- or maybe even join in.

Try 3615 kc/s (UK) and 3705 kc/s (Dutch); both are monitored even when
no activity is apparent. Also look at 3610 - 3640 kc/s.

Other UK nets can be heard in the 3660 - 3690 kc/s section; but AM can
pop up anywhere in the phone section, as people do not necessarily
limit themselves to the regular nets.

The sound of AM rigs is much different to those of SSB equipment even
when the latter operate a form of AM, and military and homebrew gear
have a cachet that modern radios just can't recreate.

Although before your time, it's rather like the situation with 2m
after the war - Monday night was Activity Night, to encourage activity
and increase band usage. That became a success, necessitating
abandonment of the regional sections of the band in favour of a
national system.

I do join an AM net on 160m from time to time (school holidays, it may get
noticed if I set up a shack in the back of the class room- although I know
of one teacher who did just that!).

I'm sure ex-SOE and certain other people could advise you on stealth
rigs and stealth aerials.....unless they are stealth operators.....;-)
--
from
Aero Spike

"Spike" wrote in message
...

Where do these occur? I'd like to listen in- or maybe even join in.

Try 3615 kc/s (UK) and 3705 kc/s (Dutch); both are monitored even when
no activity is apparent. Also look at 3610 - 3640 kc/s.

Will do, in fact, the 756 will be on 3615 the rest of the evening.


Other UK nets can be heard in the 3660 - 3690 kc/s section; but AM can
pop up anywhere in the phone section, as people do not necessarily
limit themselves to the regular nets.

The sound of AM rigs is much different to those of SSB equipment even
when the latter operate a form of AM, and military and homebrew gear
have a cachet that modern radios just can't recreate.

Oh I know, we've a few "AM addicts" around here- and more power to their
elbow (or perhaps PA).

I do join an AM net on 160m from time to time (school holidays, it may
get
noticed if I set up a shack in the back of the class room- although I
know
of one teacher who did just that!).

I'm sure ex-SOE and certain other people could advise you on stealth
rigs and stealth aerials.....unless they are stealth operators.....;-)

There is a thought. We've not got permanent antennas at school yet (although
permission has been obtained and a local has donated materials and effort
for erection there of). At the moment, I use a simple indoor beast for 2m
practice QSOs and an HF inverted V I "throw up" on an ex-MOD mast I have.

The permanent set up isn't in my classroom- the Technology department have
provided the shack space and the roof space for the antennas. The maths
building is a new(ish) specialist block that isn't was tall as the Tech
block- although it probably is better placed for HF antennas.

The pupils respond well to the hobby- I stir some "real world" problems to
maths lessons (eg formulae transposition at the lower end and some of the
higher maths at A level). I've plans for some "code breaking" lessons for
extra maths later this year, they will cover the maths in error correcting
codes etc.

--
73
Brian, G8OSN
www.g8osn.org.uk

Now your amateur licence is free, why not send at least £15 per year to
support the
Radio Communications Foundation or STELAR?

Walt Davidson wrote:
On Mon, 26 Mar 2007 10:59:07 +0100, Bob wrote:

While I agree with some of what you say about slipping standards,
nevertheless numbers are shrinking and new blood must be encouraged into
the hobby/pastime/service/pursuit, etc, else we will be gradually
whittled away like the dodo until the bands are so empty that
governments will gleefully sell off our slices of the RF spectrum.

What rubbish. The bands have never been more crowded. I have been
active on the HF bands for 47 years and I have never known such a high
level of activity as there is now. You have been taken in by the
alarmist propaganda of the RSCB, the CB lobby, and their apologists.

Hear hear, Walt! (pun intended too)

I occasionally read notes from some Hams writing about the "empty
bands". I suspect that they mustn't have much in the way of an antenna. ;^)

Perhaps that is okay though, as there appears to be some kind of
correlation between those Hams who can't put up a good antenna, and a
poisonous attitude.



The fact that the amateur radio population is ageing has actually
*increased* band occupancy, because many radio amateurs nowadays are
retired and are now able to spend many more hours on the air,
especially on weekdays. Also, much of the "new blood" of which you
speak actually consists of people aged in their 50s, 60s and 70s ...
not youngsters in the first flush of youth. These people have a high
disposable income and plenty of time on their hands.


The demographics have changed. The idea of the Ham who has been
licensed since they were 7 years old and has been in the hobby for 50
years is gone - and there weren't that many of them to begin with.

What we have now is the Ham who waited till their children were out of
the house, or the Ham who decided to get their license after retirement.
I got my license at 45. Big deal. What is needed is enthusiastic NEW
Hams. And you can be any age for that.

And yeah, I love Homebrewing. Our club is holding classes in basic
homebrewing to see how many of the newbies we can infect with SSA
(solder smoke addiction) ;^)

- 73 de Mike KB3EIA -

know code wrote:

This doesn't sound like anything that is dying.

The only people who try to propagate the myth that the Amateur Service
is dying are those who have a financial interest (national societies
through membership numbers and equipment manufacturers/retailers). Don't
listen to them. Instead, turn on your radio and listen to that
instead.... you will find it is busier than ever!


That's one good reason, but don't forget those Hams who are tired and
bitter and just want to complain.

Especially the ones who can't put up a decent antenna, and think the
lack of signals means that no one is on the air! ;^)

- 73 de Mike KB3EIA -

NO! NO! NO!

There is no such "need".

Radio Hammery licenses are at an all-time high.

"Michael Coslo" wrote in message
...
What is needed is enthusiastic NEW Hams. And you can be any age for that.

M3OSN gets everywhere!

"Michael Coslo" wrote in message
...

That's one good reason, but don't forget those Hams who are tired and
bitter and just want to complain.