Change has pulls and tugs toward the past and forward into the future

We hear the word culture bandied about all the time. It means different things to different people. Social scientists define it as follows:

Culture includes the shared belief systems, rituals, and conversational styles of small groups, as well as societally pervasive ways of seeing that are passed from generation to generation. Culture is anything created by the mind, hand, or mouth of humans. ¹

One thing I’ve observed about amateur radio in the U.S. is that culture has a strong pull towards the past. We often hear this coming out when hams begin some comment with their “tenure” in the hobby: “Well, I’ve been licensed X years and I know…” Substitute your own number of years for X in this sentence. The listener is supposed to genuflect to this tenure in the hobby as containing superior knowledge and wisdom. Social linguists call this “indexicality” to indicate what reference is being used in the argument. (For bench testers, think “reference plane” in a VNA calibration.) So many amateurs “index” their understanding of the hobby relative to when they were first licensed, especially if it was during their teen years. That understanding “indexes” everything that comes afterwards and results in much of the verbal conflict on the air and on social media. Or, in person, to the astute observer at hamfests, lol.

The power that such indexicality has on the hobby is related to the demographic composition of amateur radio at this time. The demographer Ron Lesethage documented how the age composition of a population is related to the values for having children, a predicate for population replacement. In most all developed countries, child-bearing age women no longer see giving birth as an important part of their future. This is a clear historical change with respect to how they define what is important in their lives as women, unlike their mothers and women in most previous age cohorts. This “index” by women in developed countries is an example of the power that these belief benchmarks have on society. With the dominance of Baby Boomers in the hobby, is it any wonder why the view of of technology by many hams is much closer to the Spark Gap than it is, say, using digital modes like FT8?

What does this have to do with a Spark Gap transmitter?

It is a metaphorical reference point to the technological origins of the wireless which, by definition, was amateur in nature. If we consider an automobile as the ham collectivity passing through time, at what point should the Spark Gap transmitter leave our rearview mirror as a guidepost? Is that vision a stifling tug against our speed toward what is visible through our front windshield? Many historians and innovators say yes it is. Here’s an AI-assisted image to illustrate what I mean.

So many new innovations are visible before us. But so many index our progress against the earlier periods more adjacent to the ancient Spark Gap transmitter. This is a continuum, of course, but listen to the naysayer commentaries on recent innovation. Why are they “bad” for the hobby? Are they “killing” amateur radio? I’ve noted previously that change is often labeled as pending death to those whose indexed standards are in decline. Right now, it’s those of the Baby Boomers as they hold positions of power and influence in the hobby while they progress toward Silent Key status. In a decade or more, it won’t be.

Remembering the cultural origins of an activity like ham radio should become history at some point. That is, every new initiate shouldn’t be held to norms of beginning at the beginning. It is thought that an overemphasis on history can stifle innovation. This doesn’t mean that history should be forgotten. This is not a binary argument. Quite the contrary, there is a balance and a place for history. New initiates into the hobby shouldn’t be pushed toward the historical beginning but acquire it as part of the present and immediate future’s innovation. The latter is often what draws newcomers to the hobby space.

Innovation has many enemies; one of them is experience. Experience is often lauded as a critical component of expertise and wisdom. Indeed, without experience, it’s hard to imagine how one would navigate the intricacies of business, science, or even day-to-day life. However, in the context of innovation, experience can sometimes serve as a double-edged sword. While it may offer a solid foundation, experience can also limit one’s vision, restricting innovative thought. ²

What does an emphasis on the past do for progress?

There are several elements to the detriment of an over-reliance of early history as a main part of the culture of a group like amateur radio. An article by the Thought Lab says the following about it.

How an overemphasis on history reduces innovation

• Risk aversion: When experienced professionals rely too heavily on “how we’ve always done it,” they become hesitant to venture into the unknown. The fear of failure can stop the pursuit of unconventional, and potentially groundbreaking, ideas.

• Limiting frames of reference: Extensive experience and historical precedent can create a mental model of what is possible, making it difficult to conceive of entirely new possibilities. In this environment, alternatives and fresh perspectives are often overlooked.

• False confidence in expertise: A deep knowledge of the past can create an “illusion of expertise” that leads to overconfidence. This mindset can close people off to new information and different approaches, stunting creative growth.

• Subconscious bias against novelty: Research has shown that many leaders have an unconscious bias toward familiar, established solutions, especially when motivated to reduce uncertainty. This bias can cause them to reject new ideas, even if they outwardly claim to want creative thinking.

• Misguided strategic choices: As seen in Soviet technology policy, an incorrect assumption about the historical trajectory of innovation can lead to big, irreversible bets on the wrong path. Instead of building on existing strengths, leaders may shift their focus toward an ineffective strategy, weakening their own sector.

How a balanced understanding of history promotes innovation

• Learning from past successes and failures: By studying the history of an industry, innovators can see what has worked and what has not. This prevents the repetition of past mistakes and allows for the identification of successful strategies that can be applied in new contexts.

• Understanding complex origins: History reveals that modern innovations are often built upon a long lineage of prior technologies and discoveries. This understanding gives innovators context for where to focus their efforts and avoids a simplistic or misleading view of progress.

• Questioning assumptions: Historical perspective allows innovators to question entrenched narratives and conventional wisdom. It helps them re-evaluate their beliefs by comparing them to a wide range of past scenarios, which can lead to new insights.

• Gaining resilience: Studying how past innovators and companies overcame challenges can inspire a more resilient approach to obstacles. Instead of seeing setbacks as reasons to give up, they are viewed as a necessary part of the journey.

• Revealing long-term impacts: History helps put the ethical ambiguities of new technologies into perspective. By observing the unintended consequences of past innovations, creators can better consider the potential long-term risks and societal impacts of their work.

Readers can identify these issues within the hobby by just reading and listening for a bit. National and local organizations are legion for this “we have always done it this way.” Witness the ARRL Sections which arose when one of the Founders (Maxim) was organizing regional bodies to pass messages. Is this not a Spark Gap in the rearview mirror today? This geography to serve amateur radio in the United States is almost ludicrous. See also Onno’s article on changing the current culture in amateur radio. I could go on but this is a family-rated blog, lol.

What can we do about this demographic transition in our culture?

How can amateur radio more effectively deal with the shackles of a fossilized culture where tradition rules innovation? Do we need the Spark Gap in our rearview mirror as a guidepost? Let’s just acknowledge that no amateur could sit down at a workbench and design and build a modern transceiver! Take a Kenwood TS-590SG. It’s far from the leading edge. But could you design one? Then build that design? I couldn’t. Why would we? As Rob Sherwood has written (and I have analyzed), we have the best receivers that we have ever had in the current market. Even though purchasing semi-homebrew radios, like the BitX variety (and I have), push hams toward tinkering, they are not “production” quality for many ham radio activities—like contesting, DXing, and so forth. Yes, some do spend most of their time in tinker-mode rather than production-mode. What we know from Canada is that we have strong segments in “production mode” activities as well as segments in experimentation where homebrew radios have a better use-case for the population. Should we pressure all newbies toward the past when getting them interested in the present and future? My friend, Dan KB6NU, just wrote about this same topic.

Yes, I built a crystal radio as a young teen, using the Fox Hole model with a pencil lead, razor, toilet paper roll for the coil, and so forth. Led the building of an FM and AM station as well. Learned a lot. I still build a lot of things. These activities are highly useful as educational tools. But we must face that we are appliance operators today due to the sophistication of the technology. At best, we are appliance enhancers by homebrewing accessories, modifying “appliance” radios, and so ` forth. (Hear my interview segment with Ray Novak of Icom America on the ICQ Podcast where I coined this term.) Yes, some do build and operate fully homebrew rigs. Bill Meara N2CQR of Solder Smoke comes quickly to mind. Nothing detrimental with that per se but should we have a norm that every ham should follow suit? When we get the Spark Gap out of our rearview mirror as a guidepost for the future, we will make much more progress with post-Baby Boomers for reasons I’ve outlined above.