Try this exercise: Do a Google search for “Amateur Radio” and click on “Images.” What do you see? A lot of old fashioned radio equipment and mostly old men.  Now do a Google search for “Maker Faire.” Now you’ll see the complete opposite — modern, cool technology and thousands of young faces. The Maker Faire movement now fills the void once held by Amateur Radio for attracting young people to electronics and science. 

Next, I want you to flip through the pages of of the current (July 2022) issue of QST.  Do a quick scan of the photos.  The cover photo: Everyone over 40.  Like the Google Search for “Amateur Radio” you’ll see a lot of gear but few images of people, and almost no people socializing.  Exploring further, even the look and feel of QST seems quite dated — a throwback to graphic design from the 1960s compared to the exciting, modern look of Make Magazine (see attached cover samples).

I have no doubt that there are people under 30 engaged in Amateur Radio, but we need to make more of an effort to put those images front and center. Now, let me say that I’m against ageism, so I don’t advocate we show only young people hanging out with same-age friends. It’s fine to show a senior with a 25-year-old, although I would add that not all seniors are white haired and sitting in a wheel chair, as the media usually presents us.  

Next, I want to urge ARRL to bring in a new art director with a more contemporary sense of design.  QST and other ARRL Publications need to look forward and not wallow in the nostalgia of a bygone era. Features like, “A Look Back” may be fine once a year, but we don’t need to reminisce over QST covers from 1922 every month. QST should be engaged with every ARRL-recognized ham club PIO to look for events and images that feature more under 30s hams.

Another handicap Amateur Radio faces today is the rather old fashioned equipment still on offer. They may now sport LiON batteries and bluetooth, but they still look like relics from the 1970s. True, there are some newer digital offerings like D-Star and DMR, but these haven’t found wide use. At the same time, almost all of the majors have abandoned making 220 radios. We’re going to lose this band through disuse. Maybe the ARRL needs to work with the leading manufacturers to paint a roadmap for the future of the hobby?  This should include remote controlled toys on 6 Meters.

Failing that, I think ARRL needs to step back from the old fashioned hardware and focus more on public service. The low-hanging fruit for the next generation of Amateur Radio operators is young people interested in public safety and health careers — EMTs, Firefighters, Police and Healthcare Professionals. Indeed, many government agencies and hospitals require certain employees to obtain an Amateur license to support their disaster prep programs.  

When I ask people why they leave the hobby, the usual response is “There was no one to talk to.” The implication is most adults see this as a social hobby and we’re failing to meet their expectations.  Don’t assume that wide spread use of so-called “Social Media” fills the void for finding new friends.  Many of us have thousands of followers, most that I’ve never met or will ever meet in person.  Social Media is not a substitute for live meet-up opportunities, even in a world of Zoom and Facetime.  This is the “hook” that can make Amateur Radio more relevant to under 30s.

Please share these thoughts with the Board.

73-

Ken Alan

WU6I