We Are One Big Family!

Are your family members also licensed amateur radio operators?

Scene from the hit US show "Last Man Standing"

Perhaps no one thing gnaws at a dedicated ham radio enthusiast more that the dangling question of "how do I get my spouse, kids, and grandkids involved in ham radio?"  Without a doubt, most of us would love it if our families were also ham radio operators.  Yet when you do a search online for ham radio families, there don't seem to be too many hits using a Google search.  Perhaps what comes natural for the active ham is not so attractive to the next generation.  

I was lucky partially in that my daughter, 4X5YL Michelle, was willing at a young age to be dragged around by her ham radio dad to participate.  Fortunately, I was able to prepare Michelle to take her exams at an early age, and she became KF4OHL (one happy lady) at age 8 back in Memphis, Tennessee.  We then proceeded to go mobile and even won the Delta Division VHF/UHF Rover Contest back in the late 1990's.  We had great fun working from my truck with a big beam mounted on a mast as we drove around North of Little Rock.  We also built a couple of visible red laser transceivers just to add another band to the mix.

Newly licensed 8 year old KF4OHL in 1996

The KF4OHL laser transceiver added points during the ARRL VHF/UHF Contest

The good part is that after 20 years, Michelle upgraded her license to general class in Israel as is now 4X5YL.  She received an Icom 751a from the relatives of an SK ham here who were happy that their dad's rig would be used by a young(er) person.  The downside is that the late 20's age group here are very busy with work and kids, so it is hard for Michelle to find time to get on the air.

Now I am working on the next generation.  I've got a 10 year old granddaughter who likes science, and she is toying with the idea of sitting for her licensing exam.  It would be enormously satisfying to have a 3rd generation ham in the family, especially in this age of cellphones and Facebook.  

I am sure that many of you out there are experiencing the same longing that our children and grandchildren would embrace the hobby and get on the radio as licensed operators.

Interestingly, my granddaughter may actually be the 4th generation of radio operators being that my dad was a Navy radioman back in 1945.  That was an interesting story in that in late 1944, my dad, who was only 16 decided that he had to enlist.  So in 1945 at age 17, he got my grandfather to state that my dad was 18.  The new recruit quickly ended up in radio school, but was injured in an explosion that left him permanently vision disabled in one eye.  His radio career came to an end, but as a child, I heard about it, and so maybe that is what motivated me to start tinkering with radios at an early age.

There are many of us Hams who are always amazed when we meet entire families that are involved in radio.  Somehow it just makes sense that the best hobby there is should automatically be a magnet for the children of hams.  Yet there are many of us who have kids that aren't the least bit interested.  So I ask myself, what can I do to get my "modern" kids interested?

Perhaps there are no easy answers to this question.  Maybe it is to find that aspect of ham radio that appeals to that particular person.  Some people like the science. Some people like doing something with their families.  More and more, with computers and software becoming so popular with youngsters, well, then perhaps it is the integration of computers with ham radio that will be the thing that attracts them.

In particular, I am thinking about small computes like the Arduino, the Raspberry Pi, and the software routines called sketches that are often run on these little devices.  I know from my own experience with Allstar Network, that the integration of software and the internet with ham radio is a new and exciting aspect of our hobby.  It will never replace the joy of CW (for me), but it is right up the alley for modern kids who are writing software sketches for little computers in junior high school.  Maybe this synthesis of ham radio and modern software/hardware is the common ground that will get the next generations involved and active.

I'd be curious to hear about your experiences with getting your family members active in ham radio.  Please tell me all about it.  In the meantime, 73 and all the best, Mark 4x1ks