[amsat-bb] Vanishing hams and an after thought about young hams and sats

[Michael Tondee]

I always read with great interest when I see references to "the graying of 
the hobby" .When we start to talk about old hams I always wonder whose 
definition of old we are using. I'm 45 and I certainly don't consider myself 
old. I see a lot of hams my age or thereabouts at hamfest and in QST and 
AMSAT journal pics etc. etc.. I once worked in the retail end of amateur 
radio and I saw a lot of hams anywhere between 30 and 50 coming in and out 
of the store everyday. I also saw the stereotypical old gray haired fellas 
who always looked as grouchy and unhappy as they seemed. ( Funny, somehow I 
envision Dave G. this way. ;-) )  I guess what I'm getting at is that it's 
all a matter of perspective. To a teenager I guess I'm what Bob calls an old 
fud. To me an old Fud is one of you 65 or 70 year old retired fellas. And 
no, I don't think you are all old grouchy and unhappy, just some of you.
73,
Michael, W4HIJ

Just as an afterthought about the FM sats that always seem to draw so much 
ire and drawing youth into the hobby.
 Say you have a young person who shows interest in the hobby, specifically 
satellites.Which way do you think you might have more success getting the 
kid motivated to get his license, show them a comparetively inexpensive Dual 
band HT and an Arrow antenna that is more than likely to be finacially 
achievable for him/her and let them listen to grid square exchanges or maybe 
witness the magic of APRS?
 Or, show them your super duper decked out sat station complete with 
switchable CP antennas and the latest an greatest DC to daylight rig plus 
your sophisticated AZ/El tracking system that, while really impressive and 
beautiful, is going to seem impossible to obtain for them? Then use the 
station with all it's technical wizardry to let them listen to some fella 
spend the entire pass of the SSB/CW satellite yakking about his impending 
hernia operation....... Think about it.....
Michael