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