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Follow up on the "Ham in Her Own Right" forum at the Mountain Division ARRL Convention held in Albuquerque last August (gosh, has it already been that long ago?) Although the turn-out was small, I think the results were huge. I've noticed that several of the YL's who attended have had a higher on-air profile than they had previously. I've noticed that locally, YL's are now using "33" with each other instead of the "73" standard. And I know of at least one YL who has become a VE, - YES! Here are my conclusions: First, YL's who are left to their own devices tend to become fantastic operators. The ones who don't succeed are often the ones that have a "helpful" OM hovering over their shoulder commenting on every thing the YL does on the air. These YL's learn to be fearful that anything they do on the air may invite an unwanted and unsolicited "correction." Second, K3MRI is right. The way to a YL's heart is through POTA. There's lots and lots of YL activity on POTA, and the ladies are having one heck of a good time. Third, we need more YL instructors and VE's. As much as I love and respect the OM's in my life, if truth be told, YL's see things a little bit differently and having a YL instructor and/or VE can make a big difference to a newly licensed YL. Finally, I strongly believe that YL's who receive a little encouragement, who have someone they can ask an occasional question of, and who enjoy a fellow ham who respects their abiiity will be "A Ham in Her Own Right."
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Thanks, Jim. The forum will be less of a talk and more of a round table discussion. I have no plans to record it. I'm just hopeful that I get about 20 warm bodies to attend. I anticipate those who attend will have a grand time, make a few friendships, and feel a little more confident about their skills.
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As a matter of full disclosure, I've been collecting opinions, ideas, and general thoughts about YL's as hams for an ARRL Rocky Mountain Division Convention forum entitled "A Ham in Her Own Right." I'll be holding the forum on August 12 in Albuquerque, NM. I am hopeful that this forum will serve to encourage YL's to become more active and more confident as ham radio operators. Wish me luck.
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I think your SOTA idea may have some merit. I also think we really need more YL instructors and VE's. So many women become licensed in order to placate their OM, and have little to no interest in ham radio. When they take a class, it's usually taught by a man who has little to no understanding of the rich legacy our licensed grandmothers left us, nor do they have a clue how women tend to process technical material. (For example, although I never took a ham radio class, I had difficulty with the novice and general class material because so much of it was, "Just trust us on this one because that's the way it is." When I got to the advanced/extra class material, I found it much easier because there was a lot more of "this is why it works" curriculum.) I think if more YL's taught classes, these women would have a much better feel for how they can "fit in" in the ham world. Trust me on this one, once they figure that out, there'll be no stopping them. When I was first licensed in 1978, ham radio was well-populated mostly by old gray-haired geezers. Much of the "How to Save Ham Radio" discussions in those days consisted of how do we attract young hams. Well, 45 years later, I'm one of the old geezers, and we're still having the same discussion. I'm sorry your family has such a poor opinion of the fossil crowd. Over my decades as a ham, I have met some fascinating individuals - most of them men and many of them gray-haired - and I have formed some incredible friendships. Like you said, it isn't about pink vs blue. It's about CW vs SSB - Just sayin'.
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Women have always been a significant minority in all things ham radio. But, historically, those women who joined the ranks of amateur radio operators in the olden days were impressive operators in their own right. For example, many were employed in the merchant marine service as the radio operator on board ocean going vessels in the days when a woman on board ship was a rarity. From the early days, women have proven themselves to be gifted CW operators, and have earned their place of honor amongst the best of the best radio operators. Today, after 100 plus years of radio history, and 50 or so years of "women's liberation," women are still relatively unusual among the ranks of ham radio operators. Yet, there are YL's doing extraordinary things and like their fore-grandmothers, they are rare. (Look up K2EZ on QRZ.com if you doubt me.) So, the question yet remains, why is it so few women become YL's when they tend to just not only have the natural gift to operate a radio, but also have the innate talent to outshine their male counterparts?
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Thanks, Jim, for your kind words. I'm anxious to read your comments. As you pointed out, the answer to my query is rather complex. When I first pondered it, I assumed the answers would be somewhat obvious. (I say answers because clearly there is more than one solution to this equation, as it were.) But the more I think about it, the more obscure explanations become.
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In the US, for every 20 hams only 3 are YL's. Why do you suppose that is?
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Back about the early 80's, I was a very active CW traffic handler. Depending on band conditions, I was quite comfortable receiving code at 35 - 40 wpm. But, being as how I had to keep a hard copy of all the messages I handled, and being as how I never learned how to type, my code speed was limited to how fast I could apply the pencil to the paper. One night, after clearing bunches of messages, I was approached by a CFO operator for a QSO. I, of course, was thrilled because I knew CFO stood for the Chicken Fat Operators - the premier high speed CW ops group on the airwaves. These were the guys who enjoyed 75+ wpm QSO's. Anyway, the CFO guy and I started off at about 45 wpm, and he gradually QRQ'd the code speed up to 55+ wpm (my estimate). Well, to make a long story short, after about three hours of passing CW traffic, and entering into a QRQ contact, my brain turned to mush. I guess you could say I flunked my Chicken Fat Operator test. Even so, I was thrilled to find I had at least been tested. Some 40 years later, I'm delighted to learn that the CFO is still extant. And my understanding is that 65 -75 wpm is the threshold for CFO membership. I'm also told that the elite CFO op's enjoy QSO's at 100 wpm. I don't know if that's true or not. I do know that I can't copy code fast enough to tell.
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I used to believe that integrity was doing what is right when no one was looking. I now understand that integrity is doing what is right regardless of who may be watching, and in spite of the price you may pay for not choosing the easy path. -
I had a grand time today working with middle school and high school students. (Good God! Was I ever THAT young?) I was with a group of amateur radio operators who had set up a demonstration for the kids who attended one of Albuquerque's charter schools. Our ham group had everything from talking to the International Space Station, to packet radio, to communicating around the world.
I, of course, was there amongst all the fancy high-tech radio stuff with my good, old-fashioned, low tech, Morse code key. Suffice it to say, I was not the most popular exhibit, but I think I did hold my own. And I met a few incredible kids with a natural knack for CW (Morse code).
Many of the kids had some pretty profound questions and comments. ("Hey, lady, I've been really hungry for a good doughnut lately.") We talked about the history of Morse code, and why it's still used today. ("Hey, lady, I can't remember the last time I ate a good doughnut.") I explained that CW is simply texting that you can hear. ("Hey, lady, I really love a good doughnut.")
The doughnut kid had apparently noticed (smelled?) a box from Dunkin' Doughnuts which had been stored under my table. I had no idea who brought the doughnuts, that is - whose doughnuts they were - so I opted to ignore the doughnut kid, and his not-so-subtle hints.
I taught several of the kids how to send their name in Morse code. Man, they really loved that! ("Hey, lady, I sure could use a doughnut about now.") There was this one young girl, beautiful girl, named Olivia who took to learning the code like a fish learns to swim. She couldn't get enough of it. ("Hey, lady, did you know that there is a box of doughnuts under your table?")
Well, to make a long story short, there were several kids who really seemed to enjoy learning about modern ham radio communications, including Morse code, and one kid who eventually found the owner of the doughnut box under my table and, according to him, got permission to pick out a doughnut, which made that kid very happy.
It was a long day for me, and at the end of the day I packed up my gear anxious to get home and take a nice long nap. But, I had one final encounter with one of the students. "Hey, lady, mind if I give my girlfriend a doughnut?" -
For the "Rumors" file: ("Do you have a rumor about new gear, new regulations, new laws... feel free to post them here!")
I have heard that the FCC has suspended initial license applications on this date (April 26, 2023) indefinitely as a result of questionable VE activity in the testing of new (excluding upgrades) amateur radio license applications. It is my understanding that an FCC investigation is active at this time. I have attempted to track this rumor down without success. Has anyone heard about this? Does anyone have any information about the veracity of this rumor? -
Here in New Mexico, we have a 2 meter/70 centimeter rag chew net which is on a linked repeater system. It meets on weekdays from 1445z to 1645z (and oftentimes longer. A lot longer...) It's called Rusty's Raiders and has been extant since the 1960's. So, how come has this net survived so many years? Well, let's see... First, I've been told that hams in New Mexico tend to be very active. Personally, I think that's because we have a pretty "high-tech" population thanks to our scientific labs (Sandia and Los Alamos) and research labs tend to be fertile grounds for growing hams. Additionally, we have a fairly high volume of tourists which increases the repeater traffic. Also, we are very fortunate in that we are able to plant our repeater antennas a mile or so above their coverage area. (Mountains make great towers...) But what makes Rusty's Raiders work? Well, for one thing, each day of the week has a different net control. Monday is Merle's day, Tuesday you'll find Connie running the net, and so forth. Each net control has their own NCS (net control station) personality, strengths, and foibles. One net control apparently went to the Gary Cooper NCS school ("Yep. Nope.") and another has diarrhea of the mouth. One net control has a huge interest in the technical aspects of amateur radio, and another is happy to discuss his medical issues. But, they all share one common trait - they love chatting with people who check in to the net. There is no protocol on Rusty's Raiders. No "Alpha through Foxtrot" or "Today's question is..." It starts with a brief preamble ("Priority or emergency traffic, come now....Our linked repeaters have a time-out" and so forth. And then the net control says, "Anyone want to check into Rusty's Raiders?" So for the next two hours, or so, the rag is chewed. Topics on Rusty's Raiders range from, "Just wanted to check in for the numbers" to discussions about current amateur radio news, to conversations about digital versus film photography, weather talk - lots of weather talk, topics about the history of New Mexico, anecdotal stories about POTA, what's going on in the world of astronomy, and (of course) reports of liver and kidney function from the geriatric set. Frankly, I think it's more fun to listen to Rusty's Raiders than it is to participate. (But that's just because I'm more comfortable with a key than I am a mic.) Personally, I think the secret to the longevity of Rusty's Raiders net is that we don't just like each other, but we also love talking to each other. That's kind of what ham radio is all about, isn't it?
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Saturday marked the first anniversary of the day my OM, Bob, died. It was an anniversary I was dreading. Yet, so many things seemed to come together this last week as if that awful first anniversary was in itself a nexus. For example, I got word that my beloved husband's tombstone had been completed and was ready to be installed. Saturday, the 81 st anniversary of the Fall of Bataan was commemorated here in Albuquerque - an event that Bob was an integral part of the planning of. And I don't know why, but I chose this week to finally report to the FCC that Bob was a silent key. Suffice it to say that it's been a tough week.
I noticed today that QRZ.com lists Bob as a silent key. So I guess it's a done deal, and his call will now be up for grabs. He loved his call dearly, and was awfully proud of it. And, yes, it was a vanity call.
You see, Bob was a big fan of Buddy Holly. As far as Bob was concerned, the day Buddy was killed in that tragic plane crash in Iowa was truly "the day the music died."
When Bob upgraded from tech to general, he began looking for a new call. When he learned that the callsign K5PSG was available he jumped on it, and got it! You see, K5PSG was originally the call of Peggy Sue Gerron (PSG)who was not just a ham, but was the girlfriend of one of the Crickets - Buddy Holly's band. Not only that but she was THE "Peggy Sue" made famous by the Buddy Holly song. So, suffice it to say, Bob not only loved being a ham, but he also loved his unique tribute to the great Buddy Holly.
Here's to Peggy Sue, and Bob Cornett - both of them made the call K5PSG pretty darn cool.
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Thank you, Jim, for your kind comments.
I have a good ham friend here in Albuquerque who also lost his spouse in the last year. We've been crying on each others' shoulders a lot, sharing our grief. He described what it's been like for the both of us when he said, "I wouldn't wish this pain on anybody."
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