Demonstrating our relevance

In the December 2014 issue of QST, Dave, K1ZZ, writes about “Creative Tension” in the Personal Visions column and discusses some of the threats to amateur radio. He’s right on in what he’s written, but I’d like to add my own outlook on at least one topic.

Under the heading “Demonstrating our Relevance,” he writes:

One threat is our perceived irrelevance. It is in our DNA to want to put our capabilities to practical use; the ARRL was founded as a network of stations willing and able to relay messages at a time when, for most people, rapid long-distance communications was a novelty. Today, we still possess a unique ability to communicate independent of any infrastructure. It may be seldom needed, but we shouldn’t be defensive about that. Aren’t skills at communicating by radio at least as valuable to society as are skills at throwing, kicking, and hitting balls of various sizes?

While K1ZZ is certainly correct that amateur radio still brings something to the table, it’s obvious to me that my radio communication skills are not as valuable to society as the ability to throw, kick, or hit a ball. If it were, we’d have Major League Ham Radio, and the top stars would be pulling down salaries of a million bucks or more.

How can we be more valuable? Someone, maybe not the ARRL, but certainly with their support, needs to set up an organization like AMSAT for emergency communications. Instead of just doing what we’ve done in the past, this group would explore ways that amateur radio operators can be more valuable to served agencies. I would envision this group monitoring developments in academia and participating in international conferences, as well as working on practical solutions for emergency communications problems.

In addition—and I’ve said this many times before—emergency communications is only one of the five “purposes” of amateur radio, as set forth in Part 97.1 of the rules that govern amateur radio. The other four purposes stress its recreational and educational uses, and point out “the amateur’s unique ability to enhance international goodwill.”

Let’s not forget these when we talk up amateur radio. For example, in education these days, a lot of people are talking about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) programs. Amateur radio can certainly be a relevant and valuable part of a STEM program.

So, let’s not even consider for a second that amateur radio is not relevant in today’s world. Rather, let’s explore ways to make sure that it is.