EURAO poll 2013: We have a dream...

EURAO Membership kinds This summer, the European Radio Amateurs' Organization asked its members and supporters to imagine the future and share with us.

The future of the Organization but also the future of Amateur Radio.

The tool used was a poll and the results are the following.

Participation: More than 660 responses were received. They came from 40 different countries in 6 continents (85% from Europe). 95% of them are from hams, 3% from SWLs and 2% from others, mainly CB users. 98% of the respondents were OMs (men).

In the above chart, you can see participants classified by kind of membership: red for associations, pink for clubs&groups, cyan for individuals and blue for non-members, yet.

Mark: The average punctuation of EURAO services was 7,45 but they are really known only by 48% of participants. Much work to be done in this regard...

What are the likes and habits of this sample of radio amateurs?

EURAO poll likes Likes: What most like to EURAO members and supporters is: DX (25%), local QSO (18%), home-made (14%), portable activities (13%), emergency communications (9%), social relations (8%), EchoLink (7%), foxhunting (1%) and others (5%).

Time: 62% of them spend on radio "every day a while" (or maybe they wanted to say "I would like to spend"... hi hi). 15% "once a week", 11% "every weekend", 5% "once a month", 3% "only on holidays" and a 4% confesses being not active.

Age and experience: The average participant was 54 years old and has been involved in amateur radio for 29 years. There is a gap in the statistics because those leaving the hobby before 5 years.

Dreams: Recovering values as: friendship and ham spirit, experimentation and innovation; organizing activities as: contests, parties, awards, exercises, workshops; improve existing services and create a new ones; cooperation with other organizations; getting recognition at European and international level; and more promotion, inside and outside ham radio, about our hobby but mainly about ourselves in order to have more members.

Summarizing: a lot of ideas to work and little money, so we will have to sharpen our wits and carefully prioritize efforts trying to build this borderless community called EURAO.

(How to become a member)