2023-01-27, 22:33:35
Thanks Rob. Yes I don't suppose I will ever get into DMR etc myself but if there are sufficient club members wanting it I won't stand in the way. I have known several hams who got involved with it. The allure was always being able to contact DX stations over an IP connection rather than high fidelity repeater audio. I can't see it improving utilization of our repeaters. Digital multiplexing to reduce bandwidth is only a benefit when repeaters are busy.
Will digital radios attract youth to the hobby? Kids' smart phones can do so much more than a DMR radio and no exams have to be passed to use a phone, so I doubt it.
I don't know whether the M'Wikwedong community will be interested in ham radio but it is certainly worth finding out. We may even recruit some new members among the Indigenous youth. I know JOTA has been successful with the scouts and the ISS school contacts are also very popular. Kids can talk to astronauts in space using just a $50 Baofeng.
Will digital radios attract youth to the hobby? Kids' smart phones can do so much more than a DMR radio and no exams have to be passed to use a phone, so I doubt it.
I don't know whether the M'Wikwedong community will be interested in ham radio but it is certainly worth finding out. We may even recruit some new members among the Indigenous youth. I know JOTA has been successful with the scouts and the ISS school contacts are also very popular. Kids can talk to astronauts in space using just a $50 Baofeng.
John VA3KOT
Blog: HamRadioOutsideTheBox.ca