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What the RSGB needs now…a personal view
28 March 2011 | by I normally try to steer this blog away from ham radio politics. In my opinion, too much time is spent on politicing rather than advancing the hobby. And in a way, I suppose, that’s what this blog post is about.The RSGB website today carries a statement that the General Manager, Peter Kirby (who, incidentally is no relation of mine…) has ‘left the Society’s employment after the discovery of financial irregularities on his part’.More than that, I do not know.Peter had a difficult job to do, one which I would not wish to attempt. But it seems to me that with Peter’s departure, there is the opportunity for the RSGB to be run by someone who has a vision of amateur radio in the 21st century. It would be good to see the society taking a lead with inspiring people to take part in amateur radio. There is much new and good in the hobby and many new ways (blogging, social media just to pluck a couple out of the air…) to inspire and engage people. Under Peter’s stewardship, it seemed to me that the society was stuck in a 1970s (maybe) time warp – of headmasterly toned communication with similar 1970 styled communication methods being employed.The RSGB needs, desperately, to freshen their image! I know many people, deeply involved with the RSGB that read this blog – people that can communicate their passion. These people are just the one’s who should be writing the society’s blogs, tweets, Facebook updates – as well as the GB2RS audio and video podcasts/YouTube videos.My wife Julie just popped in to ask what I was blogging about. I told her. As she put it – financial irregularities in the UK’s National Radio Society? It hardly paints a positive view of the hobby, does it.Along with my hopes for a more visionary approach to the hobby, it is good to see that Don Beattie, G3BJ has assumed (for the time being) the role of RSGB’s General Manager. A safer pair of managerial hands I cannot imagine, belonging to a REAL radio amateur.Today represents a REAL opportunity for the RSGB.
One Response to “What the RSGB needs now…a personal view”
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I quite agree with you there Tim (G4VXE), the RSGB does need a kick up the pants to bring it into the 21 Century. Though I am a firm believer of “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, sometimes things do need to be dragged kicking into the modern way of life.
I find the RSGB a bit on the stale side at times, a bit like the BBC was some years ago before the Offshore Radio Stations came on the scene here in England. How can you attract new blood to the hobby, if you continue to carry on with a stiff collar.
But I find that the RSGB are not the only ones guilty of that crime. Take the government department Offcom. They deny Radio caroline a frequency on medium wave saying ther’s no room, yet are they not taking the AM licences away from some of UK’s other stations to force them onto digital (which I feel is a bad move, as the technology is not as robust as analogue), but that’s another story.
whilst I sympathise with what has happened at the RSGB, I really do think they need to come up with the times, to make the hobby more exciting to the younger generation. My own eldest daughter who is 12, said to me once why are most of the ham operators old fogeys (apologies if spelt wrong), and that she found nothing that would attract her to the hobby, or any of her friends. So it appears we definately need more new young blood in the hobby, but how to do it?
Chris Rolfe
m3ozp