A fellow OM asked a similar question on this site and came up with 10 reasons why ham radio is still something worthwhile to be pursued. In the very extensive and well-presented list there were still some aspects missing.
If someone were to ask:
What is the heart and soul of ham radio?
One can only hope that the top answer would be that it is all about the community. Looking at over 30 years of being a Ham there are a whole range of different people from all walks of life who engage in this hobby.
Unfortunately...
Not sure whether to use this word...
Unfortunately, most articles, comments and contributions within the hobby are of a technical nature. Being an engineer, this is something which should not be discounted but there seems to be too little about the fantastic community of ham radio operators and the things offered to the wider public through our community. It has been interesting to see that a lot of top engineers had a ham radio background. More so a lot of pioneering throughout history and even now are down to ham radio guys. As a people engaging in this hobby, we should spend a little bit more time to celebrate our achievements past and present and encourage new talents to join us.
In conclusion an appeal may be to possibly engage a little bit more in building community i.e. attend the local club meetings, organize skeds, take part or even organize ham radio events, field days, cook outs, build-a-thon projects etc. Also let us not neglect to take an active interest in friends and fellow operators around us in an effort to build a genuine and strong community.
Just some food for thought!
73 de Michael, G7IDJ/DL6MS
| WA3YAY | 2020-08-14 | |
|---|---|---|
| Amateur Radio -- Ham Radio and Dying Hobby? | ||
| Quite a few years ago I wrote an article on eHam called 'The Future is Round'. My point being that middle-aged guys were the future of Ham Radio, not youth. (yeah, the round part wasn't appreciated). Boy did I get flamed! But hear me out again. Soon to be bored middle aged people, maybe approaching retirement age *might* have some disposable income for a new relaxing social hobby. Future Hams don't have to be young | ||
| N6UBO | 2020-05-23 | |
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| Re: Amateur Radio -- Ham Radio and Dying Hobby? | ||
| Funny to see that it was a topic of concern even back then. But, it's been talked about as long as I've been a Ham. Remember Novice Enhancement? That was supposed to save our doomed hobby. But everytime someone comes up with another plan to save us, it apparently fails because the "doomed" talk continues and another plan to "save" us is offered. I guess we'll always be on the cusp of perceived extinction. ;-} Reply to a comment by : VE3WGO on 2020-05-15 So, I recently was browsing through a stack of old dog-eared crumbling QST magazines from the 1930s and 40s that I had acquired somewhere along the way, probably at some hamfest. In the editorial of a (October perhaps?) 1933 edition I vividly recall that they were worried about the imminent death of ham radio... even then. Maybe fear of fading away was built into the hobby from the start. But we're still here, a century later. | ||
| VE3WGO | 2020-05-15 | |
|---|---|---|
| Amateur Radio -- Ham Radio and Dying Hobby? | ||
| So, I recently was browsing through a stack of old dog-eared crumbling QST magazines from the 1930s and 40s that I had acquired somewhere along the way, probably at some hamfest. In the editorial of a (October perhaps?) 1933 edition I vividly recall that they were worried about the imminent death of ham radio... even then. Maybe fear of fading away was built into the hobby from the start. But we're still here, a century later. | ||
| G3SEA | 2020-05-13 | |
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| Re: Amateur Radio -- Ham Radio and Dying Hobby? | ||
| Change is the only Constant and applies to Ham Radio. G3SEA/KH6 Reply to a comment by : K4FMH on 2020-04-24 Hi Michael, Fine statement. As a retired sociology professor, I can only say bravo to our collective lack of attention and engagement of professional expertise regarding community building. We have national to local volunteer organizations that behave better or worse according to the phenomena that shape social groups. It's a social activity to practice amateur radio, albeit with a technological focus embedded in the activity, but it's human behavior that shapes and is shaped by the hobby. 73, Frank K4FMH | ||
| LA9XNA | 2020-05-11 | |
|---|---|---|
| Re: Amateur Radio -- Ham Radio and Dying Hobby? | ||
| I think the decline of our hobby has several reasons. 1. The "no CW, not Ham crowd" 2. Poeple got the impression that one must be able to operate on all HF bands instead of just select a few bands that got antennas that fit your avalable propperty to install antennas. 3. The equipment race of getting the newest and best gear. 4. The hobby must be more oriented twards the young and their what they think is interesting Copmputers, internet, mobilephones. For exsample a 70&23cm 1W dataradio with USB or CAT5 interface and decent transferrates can be a hit. A new licence class with only rights on microwave bands and directed twards data modes and maybe only of the shelf equipemnt. 5. Be more welcoming twards the young when they come in tho the hobby. One thing that can helpe this is by having Yongster-Net or Novice-Net on local 2m or 70cm repeaters. The most important when an person becomes a Ham is to get him/her on the air and get them to use the radio a lot. Reply to a comment by : K4FMH on 2020-04-24 Hi Michael, Fine statement. As a retired sociology professor, I can only say bravo to our collective lack of attention and engagement of professional expertise regarding community building. We have national to local volunteer organizations that behave better or worse according to the phenomena that shape social groups. It's a social activity to practice amateur radio, albeit with a technological focus embedded in the activity, but it's human behavior that shapes and is shaped by the hobby. 73, Frank K4FMH | ||
| TWENTYKRPM | 2020-05-08 | |
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| Amateur Radio -- Ham Radio and Dying Hobby? | ||
| I had a CB as a teenager, went to a few hamfests, had great interest in 802.11b, including making antennas, and never really got into "amateur Radio." It seemed time consuming and expensive. It wasn't until I came across one of these cheap Chinese radios years ago, that ham became of interest, mostly VHF/UHF. The radio was purchased mostly to facilitate emergency communications from backcountry. The weather radio and broadcast FM capabilities were interesting as well. Although the radio looks like a walkie talkie, it can't be used as one legally. I could get a walkie with built in antenna and low power. Where's the fun in that? Get a ham license to use it, ok, then I can even build my own radios if I want to. Looks like there's an exam on Sunday morning at 9am. Young people do not want to wake up and pay to be somewhere at 9am on a Sunday and take an exam. That's about where the excitement dies off for most younger people, I suppose. Also, for anyone raised with the internet, posting your name and address publicly is called getting doxxed, and is the prelude to having your life ruined. The ham bands and community is a great resource for learning about radio, being self sufficient, and communicating esp. in extenuating circumstances. If there was an effort to make testing more available to younger people and perhaps more connections to good resources for building cheaper, but high quality gear, I think we would see higher utilization of the resources afforded to licensees, and the preservation of those allocations going into the future. I also think sdr is a great tool for getting started, and getting people interested in radio. | ||
| W3LI | 2020-04-30 | |
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| Re: Amateur Radio -- Ham Radio and Dying Hobby? | ||
| I am so disappointed in the direction the hobby has taken that I have no plans on buying any more equipment. Have been selling off instead. Reply to a comment by : K4FMH on 2020-04-24 Hi Michael, Fine statement. As a retired sociology professor, I can only say bravo to our collective lack of attention and engagement of professional expertise regarding community building. We have national to local volunteer organizations that behave better or worse according to the phenomena that shape social groups. It's a social activity to practice amateur radio, albeit with a technological focus embedded in the activity, but it's human behavior that shapes and is shaped by the hobby. 73, Frank K4FMH | ||
| PU2OZT | 2020-04-30 | |
|---|---|---|
| Re: Amateur Radio -- Ham Radio and Dying Hobby? | ||
| To LCD, thank you, exactly the hollistic response I wanted to counterfight. To me, radio has organic roots and I am willing to stick to what I consider the most romantic mode, namely CW, or, maybe, earlier digital modes, also Hellschreiber, HF only, when QTH and $, antenna, rig, allows. It was such a pain and a pure waste of time to learn everything exam-related to VHF, satellites, emergencies, etc. I had to reset my memory after passing the exam. The more I'd embrace, the less I'd catch. I have a theory that the very day Radio-Officers were fired (not that I was one myself) ham-radio was doomed to a foolishness pluri-thing hobby. If only amateur-radio, and exams, could be option-based, new intrants interest would be greater. Oliver Reply to a comment by : N9LCD on 2020-04-29 On community building: Are we HF SSB or CW ops? Digital ops? VHF/UHF ops? Experimenters? Builders? NO! We are AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS -- regardless of how involved we are. Fragmentation CAN AND WILL break-up organizations or hobbies. I've seen enough organizations get fragmented and finally go "out of existence". As for attracting new members, ham radio HAS TO SHOW how the hobby satisfies the would be ham's needs better than other hobbies / past times. Instead ham radio's approach is self-centered. "We need more bodies so they can get on the air and use our allocated frequencies so we could keep what we got." AMATEUR RADIO HAS TO BECOME "OTHER CENTERED" RATHER THAN "SELF CENTERED" IF IT IS TO SURVIVE! Reply to a comment by : K4FMH on 2020-04-24 Hi Michael, Fine statement. As a retired sociology professor, I can only say bravo to our collective lack of attention and engagement of professional expertise regarding community building. We have national to local volunteer organizations that behave better or worse according to the phenomena that shape social groups. It's a social activity to practice amateur radio, albeit with a technological focus embedded in the activity, but it's human behavior that shapes and is shaped by the hobby. 73, Frank K4FMH | ||
| N9LCD | 2020-04-29 | |
|---|---|---|
| Re: Amateur Radio -- Ham Radio and Dying Hobby? | ||
| On community building: Are we HF SSB or CW ops? Digital ops? VHF/UHF ops? Experimenters? Builders? NO! We are AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS -- regardless of how involved we are. Fragmentation CAN AND WILL break-up organizations or hobbies. I've seen enough organizations get fragmented and finally go "out of existence". As for attracting new members, ham radio HAS TO SHOW how the hobby satisfies the would be ham's needs better than other hobbies / past times. Instead ham radio's approach is self-centered. "We need more bodies so they can get on the air and use our allocated frequencies so we could keep what we got." AMATEUR RADIO HAS TO BECOME "OTHER CENTERED" RATHER THAN "SELF CENTERED" IF IT IS TO SURVIVE! Reply to a comment by : K4FMH on 2020-04-24 Hi Michael, Fine statement. As a retired sociology professor, I can only say bravo to our collective lack of attention and engagement of professional expertise regarding community building. We have national to local volunteer organizations that behave better or worse according to the phenomena that shape social groups. It's a social activity to practice amateur radio, albeit with a technological focus embedded in the activity, but it's human behavior that shapes and is shaped by the hobby. 73, Frank K4FMH | ||
| KD2BD | 2020-04-29 | |
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| Amateur Radio -- Ham Radio and Dying Hobby? | ||
| If hobbies are falling out of fashion, maybe we should stop calling the Amateur Radio Service a hobby. I know I made this error when I was first licensed, but that was long ago, and I have since learned it is FAR more than just a hobby. A recent example can be found here: https://www.npr.org/2020/04/24/843493304/long-lost-u-s-military-satellite-found-by-amateur-radio-operator Hobbies trivial activities that benefit the individual only. Services benefit society. That's what we do. That's what we need to make clear to everyone, including ourselves. Part 97.1 states this very clearly, as does the IARU and the theme for the recent World Amateur Radio Day ("Celebrating Amateur Radio's Contribution to Society"). Let's be honest about why the Amateur Radio Service exists, what we accomplish, and how what we do benefits society. Then, maybe we'll attract the kind of people would be willing to do the same and sustain the Amateur Radio Service far into the future. 73 de John, KD2BD | ||
| K6CRC | 2020-04-28 | |
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| Amateur Radio -- Ham Radio and Dying Hobby? | ||
| Previous comment was deleted, not sure why... Stats are misleading, a lot of young people get Tech licenses for school projects or Boy Scouts. Some will stick with hobby, but the vast majority will not. There is a believe that somehow hams can force the hobby continue, if only they TRY harder. I have two 20 something sons, both work in tech relate fields. Neither them have the slightest interest in Amateur Radio. The lure of SWL and later Ham adventures that I experienced do not translate to a world where you carry a supercomputer in your pocket and have instant communications with the entire planet. Ask older friends with hobbies...model railroad, old cars, stamp and coin collecting, square dancing, or fly fishing how THEIR hobbies are holding up. Likely, you will hear the same tales, few young people involved. And the question 'what happens to all the STUFF I have here?' Let go everyone. Enjoy your hobby. If a young person asks for help, by all means give it. But, the world is taking a quick turn on the mountain road, and most hobbies will go over the cliff. | ||
| KC2JWF | 2020-04-27 | |
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| Re: Amateur Radio -- Ham Radio and Dying Hobby? | ||
| Some people argue that television, the internet, and cell phones are causing the imminent demise of amateur radio as a hobby. Other state that the amateur radio community is no longer in control of new innovations in radio communications as it was the case from 1899 until the mid 1960s since universities, corporations, and governments took over those innovations with systematic approach, objectives and are able to spend peta-bucks if need be in doing those researches; today any semblance of radio experiment, except for antennas, seem to be out of reach of the average amateur radio operator. Those might be relevant factors but not the determining factors that threatening the survival of the amateur radio hobby. It appears that perennial, unobtrusive, and resolute socioeconomic conditioning might be the cause the speedy demise of amateur radio; if mid-course corrections are not taken by the major amateur groups without delay, the discontinuance of amateur radio as a hobby will become a fait accompli before the next two decades. This is a reality check. The situation is lamentable at best; most of the ham radio operators are now sexagenarian, septuagenarian, octogenarian, and nonagenarian; and, few and fewer of them are showing up during the hamfests. For several decades most amateur radio groups have maintained an attitude of haughtiness, snobbishness, elitism and a condescending approach toward other radio users, especially toward Citizen Band users. It appears that conscious or unconscious particularistic mentality precludes them from replacing silent keys that are leaving at an alarming rate. No substantial efforts were done to entice and recruit neophytes from every walk of life nor any serious attempts have been made to adapt to the everlasting changes and innovation in the radio field nor to stimulate interest in amateur radio. Radio amateur from its humble beginning slowly metamorphosing into a hobby of for geriatric gentlemen of means. One's doesn't need a $12,000- ICOM IC-7851 HF/50MHz nor a $21,000- ICOM, IC-7850 HF 50 MHZ to communicate next block or worldwide. One's could buy a brand new BaoFeng UV-5R Dual Band Two Way Radio for $25- or less and able to communicate several miles away or with less than $570- buy a brand new ALINCO DX-SR9T HF SDR (100W) All Mode Mobile (SSB, CW, AM, FM) to communicate worldwide, including sending e-mail without the internet I remember that during the mid-1960s, certain minority groups were not too welcome in most amateur radio stores nor in most photography equipment stores. Usually, pictures of old white men or their grandchildren doing electronics experiments have been over-represented while pictures of minorities were quasi-inexistent in those now-defunct magazines such as Electronics illustrated (1958-1972) Ham Radio (1967-1990) Ham Radio Horizons magazine VHF (1977-1981), Hands-On Electronics (1989-1999), 73 (1960-2003) Popular Communications (1982-2013) Monitoring Times (1982-2013) CQ VHF 1996-2013) Hands-on Electronics (1980-1989) Electronics Now (1992-2003) Poptronics (2000- 2017) Technological changes run much faster than social changes but stubborn and undesirable social mores could hamper progress and become an impediment to progress itself. It is hard to predict what will happen next minute, never mind about what will happen next hour, next week, next year or next decades because events don’t follow a linear patterns and our inability to control their variables and parameters make any prediction elusive at best like so many ominous and wonderful predictions that were made decades ago about year 2000 but never materialized. The same could be said about amateur radio hobby, despite of the great contrary evidences, let’s hope that its imminent demise is a mirage and will not take place Reply to a comment by : K4FMH on 2020-04-24 Hi Michael, Fine statement. As a retired sociology professor, I can only say bravo to our collective lack of attention and engagement of professional expertise regarding community building. We have national to local volunteer organizations that behave better or worse according to the phenomena that shape social groups. It's a social activity to practice amateur radio, albeit with a technological focus embedded in the activity, but it's human behavior that shapes and is shaped by the hobby. 73, Frank K4FMH | ||
| KJ4DGE | 2020-04-26 | |
|---|---|---|
| Re: Amateur Radio -- Ham Radio and Dying Hobby? | ||
| I agree with the OP. I think field day gets promoted more by clubs than club members actually doing community outreach to schools, except for ISS demos. If more schools were part of a monthly outreach by groups to show off the fun of the hobby, it would attract more new hobbyists. Another area would be science fairs and or Public service outreach alongside FD and PD showing off their trucks and stations equipment. These happen in surrounding communities every summer as a drive for better public relations. Reply to a comment by : K4FMH on 2020-04-24 Hi Michael, Fine statement. As a retired sociology professor, I can only say bravo to our collective lack of attention and engagement of professional expertise regarding community building. We have national to local volunteer organizations that behave better or worse according to the phenomena that shape social groups. It's a social activity to practice amateur radio, albeit with a technological focus embedded in the activity, but it's human behavior that shapes and is shaped by the hobby. 73, Frank K4FMH | ||
| NN2X | 2020-04-25 | |
|---|---|---|
| Re: Amateur Radio -- Ham Radio and Dying Hobby? | ||
| I have addressed the questioned a few times.. However, just take note of the average age of the Ham at any Ham club, and you know were this hobby will end up.. My son (Who is now 13 / KI5FJE / Adam)), passed his Tech license at age of 12, and he is studying for his General currently. He is by far the youngest at the Ham club, there was one more young adult at 16 years old (N5TIP / Samuel). But the rest,,,Easily 50 above...Yes, there are young kids, but it does not take any sophisticated demographics analysis to realize, Ham as a Hobby is not attracting enough young adults. I did had some success attracting children through demonstrations at private schools. Ham radio was very well received,. The demonstrations worked well, I came with Dipole, transceiver, and Hex Beam...Worked great... More of the above ("Show and Tell") to schools, I think will help.. NN2X, Tom Reply to a comment by : K4FMH on 2020-04-24 Hi Michael, Fine statement. As a retired sociology professor, I can only say bravo to our collective lack of attention and engagement of professional expertise regarding community building. We have national to local volunteer organizations that behave better or worse according to the phenomena that shape social groups. It's a social activity to practice amateur radio, albeit with a technological focus embedded in the activity, but it's human behavior that shapes and is shaped by the hobby. 73, Frank K4FMH | ||
| K4FMH | 2020-04-24 | |
|---|---|---|
| Amateur Radio -- Ham Radio and Dying Hobby? | ||
| Hi Michael, Fine statement. As a retired sociology professor, I can only say bravo to our collective lack of attention and engagement of professional expertise regarding community building. We have national to local volunteer organizations that behave better or worse according to the phenomena that shape social groups. It's a social activity to practice amateur radio, albeit with a technological focus embedded in the activity, but it's human behavior that shapes and is shaped by the hobby. 73, Frank K4FMH | ||