The growth in amateur radio licenses in northern Indiana is robust because the old timers have offered classes on a consistent basis. One of my code and theory class students back in 1977 has been licensing new amateurs in Indiana and Florida for over a decade. When other amateurs tell him that there will be no interest in a proposed license class. He respectfully says, “Watch this”. Then dozens show up. As for why they don’t stay, I think that energetic guidance from knowledgeable mentors is needed. Now that the exams have been dumbed down to the 7th grade memory level, (according to the FCC), we have fewer mentors that know anything about basic electronics. There’s not one out of a hundred who can explain Coulomb, Ampere, or Gauss’s law to a beginner.The original Novice license was valid for one year. I would like to see the Technician license expire in two years. There used to be a logging and activity requirement for license renewal. That should be a requirement. Humans respond to challenges, carrying a hand held radio provides no sense of achievement.