<div dir="ltr"><table width="990" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td width="610" valign="top"><table width="610" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2"><div id="story"><h1>Wireless Institute of Australia looks to the future</h1><p> WIA News asks 'How do we cope with an ageing and so diminishing membership, do we disappear, like the corps of commissionaires, or can we reinvent ourselves in some way?' <br><br> WIA director Andrew VK6AS writes: <br><br> I’m not sure if “letter from America” by Alistair Cooke was ever broadcast on the ABC in Australia, a pity if it wasn’t as he always gave a great insight into the differences between cultures.<br><br> Here is Alistair from 1985…<br><br>Yes the use of radio, wireless transmission, Also Alistair Cooke started this segment by bemoaning the loss of the manual typewriter as technology, but now we, as radio amateurs, have a crisis over who is permitted to utilise our technology and yes, even more so we do love to hang on to the old, too, citing privilege. <br><br> There isn’t good data on the participation in AR, hopefully some current research, outputting soon, may help you to recognise trends; but the hearsay is that our hobby is losing ground. How do we cope with an ageing and so diminishing membership, do we disappear, like the corps of commissionaires, or can we reinvent ourselves in some way?<br><br> It’s time we stopped being a group of angry old men. We have to do more than pretend that attracting Scouts and Guides to do Foundation courses will swell the hobby.<br><br> Yes, we have to look at groups and activities that really inspire people. Look at Summits on the Air, Islands on the Air, or digital modes as successes, they have worked so that enthusiasts can output their device and use amateur radio to make lots of noise.<br><br> So, why don’t we stop fighting amongst ourselves about licensing privileges and instead get people to join our hobby?<br><br> There is going to be a new LCD, the rules that govern our hobby, so let’s have your input into the future. We are so lucky, that AR in Australia is largely self-determining, we have a big spectrum allowance at present, which we don’t really use and as they say, if you don’t use it you lose it, so lobby me and the WIA to secure our hobby for the future.<br><br> Source WIA News <a href="http://www.wia.org.au/members/broadcast/wianews/" target="_blank">http://www.wia.org.au/members/broadcast/wianews/</a><br><br> WIA Podcast <a href="http://www.wia-files.com/podcast/wianews-2016-07-10.mp3" target="_blank">http://www.wia-files.com/podcast/wianews-2016-07-10.mp3</a><br></p></div></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2"> </td></tr><tr><td colspan="2"><div align="center">
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