Today's Hams Must Nurture Newcomers, Haynie Tells Dayton ARRL Forum

NEWINGTON, CT, May 22, 2004--It's up to today's Amateur Radio veterans to cultivate ham radio's younger generation, ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, told the ARRL Forum at Dayton Hamvention 2004. Calling the statistic "shocking," Haynie cited ARRL survey data showing that more than one-fifth of new amateur licensees never get on the air. He suggested that too few experienced amateurs take new licensees under their wing to help them get started.

ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, addresses the ARRL Forum at Dayton Hamvention 2004.

"One of the things that we need to do is open up our hearts and open up our minds a little bit about the new generation coming along," he said. The addition of another half-dozen ARRL Education and Technology Program (ETP) pilot schools has raised the total to 81, Haynie pointed out. In addition to its primary goal of using Amateur Radio to educate youngsters about wireless technology, the ETP has resulted in thousands of new hams--teenagers and younger.

"What makes these programs successful, of course, is the local hams, the local clubs getting behind the program and teaching these kids the kinds of things we all know," Haynie said, adding that nothing is too basic or simple. "I didn't know how to put on a PL-259 when I got my General," Haynie admitted, recalling that he'd more than once forgotten to slip the connector's shell over the end of the cable before soldering the plug.

Haynie suggested that today's older hams also need to consider that technology is changing, and the questions appearing on the ham radio examinations of tomorrow will be ones "that haven't been thought of yet." In 1972 when he took his General, he said, his test included questions on Hartley and Colpitts oscillators. In contrast, today's examinations cover topics such as phase-locked loops, satellite operation and digital technology.

The ARRL president asserted that many Amateur Extra class licensees couldn't pass today's Element 4 examination if they had to do. Haynie said that if and when the FCC changes Amateur Radio licensing requirements in response to various petitions for rule making--including one from the League--it will not be a matter of "dumbing down" Amateur Radio. "It's not that Amateur Radio is dumbed down," he said. "People like me have failed to keep up, and if you look in your heart, you're going to say the same thing."

"Amateur Radio is what you make of it once you get your license," Haynie continued. Getting a ham ticket doesn't make anyone more intelligent, and learning the ropes usually begins after someone already has a license in hand. "You learn by doing," he said. "Just because you passed the exam does not make you an MIT grad. If you want the tests harder--if you want people to come out of that examination room in here to be able to design circuits--you're in the wrong hobby."

Haynie told the Hamvention forum that he learns something new every day, even though he's been licensed for more than 30 years now. "I love the nuts and bolts of Amateur Radio, but I'll never be an engineer," he said.

Haynie said the ARRL Board did not take lightly its latest restructuring proposal, and he acknowledged that the League's petition has not won universal praise. "It was not an overnight decision," he said, adding that the Board wanted to take a fair and evenhanded approach to restructuring.

"I said, if we come down on the side of code, we're going to make the no-code people mad, and if we come down on the side of the no-code, we're going to make the code people mad, so the best thing for us to do is be evenhanded, and make everybody mad," Haynie said, tongue-in-cheek. "And I think we're doing a good job of it."

President Haynie greets a visitor to the ARRL booth at Dayton Hamvention 2004. [Richard Lawrence, KB1DMX, Photo]

How the FCC will act on the Morse code requirement and restructuring "is anyone's guess," Haynie said, but he predicted that the Commission will never reinstate higher code speed requirements as some have requested.

"The FCC is not going to go back to 13 and 20 words per minute, and you can take that to the bank," he predicted. "It's not going to happen." The Commission went with the single 5 WPM requirement because it was "sick and tired" of dealing with medical waivers, he said.

"Whatever you enjoy about Amateur Radio, it's not going to change" as a result of any restructuring Haynie said. While the FCC might take "the path of least resistance," he believes it's more likely to take bits and pieces of the various petitions to come up with something that's would be workable and "give Amateur Radio a shot in the arm."

"We need that," Haynie said.

Whether newcomers stay with Amateur Radio is not totally the point, because the younger licensees will be the leaders of the future, assuming positions of responsibility in business and government.

"We don't have a Barry Goldwater today," he said, referring to the late Arizona senator who was K7UGA. "And maybe that's our fault."

Given the pressure on amateur spectrum today--which he called "the greatest I've ever seen"--he also urged amateurs to take the time to visit their congressperson. "They love to see the voters," he said.

Despite good progress on several fronts, "we can't do this ourselves," Haynie concluded. "We've got to have grassroots support." He also strongly encouraged amateurs to spread Amateur Radio's message to the news media and within their communities.

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