What should we be learning?

Foundations of Amateur Radio

It's an immersive effort to create an article every week, so much so, that I've only just discovered that I passed the 600 article mark some time ago. I'd open up a bottle of something celebratory if I thought it warranted the effort, but I'd rather talk about amateur radio and what I've learnt since becoming licensed in December of 2010.

This hobby, this community, the activity of amateur radio keeps surprising me in unexpected and exciting ways. I know that there is a part of the community that thinks of this as a dying hobby, but with every fibre in my being I know this to be wrong. We explore, test, build and learn at every opportunity. Put any two amateurs in contact with each other, either physically or over the air and you'll soon witness an exchange of ideas, of things that bring joy, hints of the next thing and the next.

The inspiration for my writing comes from all manner of places. For example, here's an opinion recently shared by someone on social media:

"Basic antenna modeling using software should be included in ham radio licensing exam syllabus if it's not currently." [sic]

As opinions go it's one of the tamer ones I've come across, but it's not unique in any sense of the word. I've heard it described bemoaning the missing knowledge of new digital modes or the need to upgrade my license, or the idea that the introductory license should come with a fixed expiry date. You might have heard similar ones, phrased along the lines of a missing attribute that new licensees should be required to learn or know about before they can call themselves amateurs.

It's also completely unhelpful.

Let me explain why.

I'll start with an analogy. When was the last time your driver's license expired because you didn't upgrade it due to new road rules, new vehicle types, new car accessories or speed limits? In case you're confused, the answer is: never.

Does amateur radio cause death and mayhem in the community? No.

Do cars?

So, in the scheme of things, even if amateur radio can be used to help save lives, it's not an activity that's generally considered life threatening. You could argue that radio amateurs could cause life threatening interference, and technically they can. So can any user of any piece of radio equipment, CB radio, mobile phone, Wi-Fi, you name it. Even a half asleep electronics student in their first year of high-school could do this. The skill isn't specific to radio amateurs.

So, what is this about, the requirement for antenna modelling, or some other missing skill, and why does our community keep getting flooded with such, frankly, nonsense?

In my opinion, it's the same phenomenon that laments the loss of Morse code, the fact that we lost the 11m band, that we're playing with FT8 instead of AM, that we prefer integrated circuits to valves. The world is a flowing feast and amateur radio is along for the ride. Stand still and the world moves on.

Should amateur radio licensing change?

Absolutely!

It should move with the times. It should lower the barrier to entry at every opportunity. It should explore the possible, not the requirements of a select group of people who decry the dumbing down of the hobby and want to pre-load every license exam with things that are absolutely irrelevant to the turning on of a radio and making noise.

Will amateurs benefit from knowing that antenna modelling software exists? Sure they will. Just like they'll benefit from knowing about valves and Morse code. That doesn't mean that they should be part of the exam process. I want new amateurs, no, all amateurs to be curious, to ask, to discover, to explore and to want to know stuff, not because it's a requirement to get a license, but because it's beneficial to their amateur journey.

Every week I come up with a different way to look at our hobby because this hobby is so divers. I've used the phrase a 1000 hobbies in one. So far I've just scratched the surface, some 600 weeks in. We'll see where we're at when I've held my license for another decade or so.

So, have at it. What is missing from the current exam and why should it be included?

I'm Onno VK6FLAB