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Manager - N2MG
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Survey Question

Question

How does your current on-air (TX) activity compare with your first year of license? Pick the best answer and tell us more in the comments, please.

Results (164 answers)

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Survey Comments

Still the Best Hobby--and Getting Better

In 1957, with little money, a basic CW station, and lots of school work, amateur radio time was limited. It gratefully was quality time. I am busier on air, seeking DX, and off, tinkering with antennas and circuits, than ever before. The hobby keeps moving forward with new challenges, DX-wise and electronics-wise.
Posted by VE1YY on 2022-05-13

One the air.... and moving.

Moving from New York to a MUCH BETTER place.

Moving is taking a lot of time and energy, and I haven't been able to get an antenna system up and working yet.

Once settled, I will be more active than ever.
Posted by W2CPD on 2022-05-12

On the air time?

I am on the air far less the older I get.I have a few medical issues that I live with & my main interest is DX & I Rarely ever hear anyplace I have not already worked many times over.I'm not much of a Rag Chew guy any longer either.I only do Phone on any band & so many have gotten Lazy & all they do is FT8 & other digital modes that are as exciting as watching grass grow at the South Pole in the dead of Winter there.
Posted by W4KVW on 2022-05-10

On much less

They hobby doesn’t thrill me like it use to.I was first Licensed in 1990 and was excited making CW contact after contact.
Now many years later retired and many new interests ham radio has taken a back seat.
I still try and get on a few times a week will cal CQ and if no answer after a couple of tries I QRT. Don’t spin the dial like I use to.
Once the warm weather gets here I will spend even less time in the shack as I enjoy being out and about.
I guess I miss the thrill of being on the radio but all to often I am just no longer interested in sitting for many hours and trying to get as many qso’s as I can.
Not a contester so it is rare I ever go on on the weekends.
So that’s my story hopefully the thrill will return once the warm weather cools and we hunker down for the long cold winter .
Posted by K2MMO on 2022-05-10

More selective now than in the past

Deployed overseas 55 years ago I had reasons to operate almost every day, running phone patches stateside and working CW as a DX station. Those days are long gone. Now I listen 99.5% of the time and transmit WSPR on HF.
Posted by REMOVED_BY_REQUEST_W0VI on 2022-05-09

Dead Air

Honestly, I’m on daily but the hams in my area don’t use 2m/70cm so I might… might… get someone else once every 3-4 months. Makes me wonder why i even bothered becoming a ham.
Posted by KF5QIF on 2022-05-08

Rarely now.....

I've returned to my roots as an SWL. I will keep my ham license but after 40+ years I just don't seem to be excited about talking on the radio anymore. But I still enjoy listening to hams, SW broadcasters, utility stations, etc. so the fun is still there.
Posted by K7LZR on 2022-05-07

On the air compared to when I started

61 years ago as a high school kid I operated afternoons or evenings as time allowed between other things a teenager does and has to do. Some days there were lots of QSOs some days I wasn't on at all. Now retired it still varies a lot. Some days I am in the shack for hours. I worked over 50 DX contacts one day this week by being at the rig many hours. Some days I have other things going and the rig is off for a day or two or three.
Posted by W4FID on 2022-05-06

Current on air activity

I was licensed in 1991 which offered this Novice with 5wpm skills the World to Work on HF. In no time I had gathered cards for WAS, WAC, and was on my way gathering contacts for DXCC.
These days I hear mostly the hissing of of an indifferent atmosphere.
Posted by W7IBI on 2022-05-06

Passing of Time

As the years go by I spend a little less time on VHF/UHF and more time on HF. I try to operate at least 3-4 evenings a week; more if possible.
Posted by KR5QA on 2022-05-05

Operating has decreased

I hardly operate anymore. I've been licensed for over 50 years and operated a lot in my youth. DX no longer excites me like it used to. Lately my interest has waned considerably, and I'm rarely on the air. I do listen frequently however and casually work a contest occasionally. I wish I had more interest, but I just don't.
Posted by W3LFR on 2022-05-04

61 years and still active

Enjoy operating more since retirement and have keep my interest up through contesting and experimenting with different types of antennas.

K6ELE
Posted by K6ELE on 2022-05-04

Hard to say. It goes up and down a lot.

My XYL divorced me, so I have more radio time, but the we were at a solar minimum. I have a new QTH that is more challenging to hang antennas, but I have lots more toys!! Overall it's been a wash, but I only see things improving :-) !!
Posted by KC9YAV on 2022-05-04

Increased & more diverse

When I was first licensed I was only 14 years old, I got an HT and primarily operated on 2m and 70cm FM. It was not until 17 years later that I was again interested enough to get my general and I was making enough money to buy quality HF gear. I also convinced my wife and several friends to get license too.

Now a days, I've been licensed for 30 years, I'm on HF SSB more than anything else. But I am still working 2m FM & SSB, but I am also on a lot of other bands and modes. Not much interest in digital modes. I have 3 young kids so I haven't had enough peace & quiet to learn CW yet. But I am looking forward to it. Best Hobby in the world, SO many facets.
Posted by N2OTY on 2022-05-04

OTA

Been active without a break since 1962...
Posted by W6HB on 2022-05-03

Up and down

My first year licensed, I had my Novice License. That both opened up the amateur radio world and at the same time, put a deadline on it until/unless I upgraded. At the time though, I was still in high school so there was much more free time for hamming until I graduated, then real life began with "a job" and all that.
I did upgrade but just after the license expired due to "the job" and 50 years later, stepping off at the other end of "the career", I have more free time but I do seem to keep throwing a lot of that at volunteer ham-related "jobs". In any case, during the 50 years I learned two things.
Keep your license active and even if you are moving about the country and living where it's hard to have an antenna and time to ham, you can always pick it up later when circumstances change. "On/Off" periods of hamming is fine, don't have to work somebody new every weekend or such.
Since my "jobs" are all about ham radio stuff it's not like I'm not into an aspect of amateur radio every day. Waving hands and helping make opportunities for others to operate is fulfilling, and I always get to try the new stuff even before it hits the air (or vacuum, if you will) as well as after.
Operating Activity: Hard to say, it goes up and down a lot - but every bit as fun as it was 50 years ago. And I don't mind if I don't have a good handle on the increased/decreased statistics.
Posted by N0JY on 2022-05-03

Operating Far Less

A few months ago, I just ran out of steam after tens of thousands QSO's.

55 years ago, QRN wasn't as overwhelming. What's the point of a -135dBm MDS when the general QRN across HF is -100? Finding and fixing QRN has become like whack a mole. It's getting worse.

The other part is boredom with the 599 cul 73 QSO's. The same applies to most contests; 599 xxx, typically sent at 35+ wpm by computer; blah. Finding a ragchew QSO is rare.


Posted by N5LB on 2022-05-03

varies greatly

Some months I get on a lot, others I hardly turn the radio on. Its been like this since I got my license 8 years ago.
Posted by KD2HCU on 2022-05-02

Don't like it anymore

Just check in on the usual online sites from time to time. Don't operate anymore, too many jerks on the bands. Just fix radios and SWL/MW DX now.
Posted by W2DDG on 2022-05-02

Depends on life responsibilities

I am usually on the air every day either base or mobile. Mostly HF don't do much with repeaters. These days mostly digital in the base and SSB in the mobile.
Posted by N1FDX on 2022-05-02

Two totally different operating venues!

As a novice in 1963 enthusiastically pursued the hobby with 3 crystals, a Gotham vertical antenna, a shortwave receiver and an HT40 transmitter. Great fun for sure! Now retired with extra free time and state of the art equipment pursuing higher DX goals utilizing ssb, CW, RTTY,FT8, etc, etc. Still enjoying an exciting hobby, especially with the improved sunspot cycle conditions.
Posted by WA9JOQ on 2022-05-02

HOAs

Try years ago I could put up just about any array I wanted. Retirement etc gets in the way. I change antennas sometimes three or four times a day....and that gets old. So I’ve decreased. Now using my old Hamsticks ground mounted...easy switching...but of course, compromised.
Posted by N6XJP on 2022-05-02

Started with PSK and WSJT, now SSB CW only

At beginning I used much more digital modes, PSK and a bit WSJT, but they were too easy modes, too little challenging even at QRP levels. Then moved only to SSB and CW, very little FM, and never tried the new modes FT8, FT4. Also no echolink anymore (too easy) and digital modes on VHF-UHF. That's my evolution.
Posted by KD7RDZI2 on 2022-05-01

Apples n Oranges

My first year as a Novice was in 1967. My first antenna didn't work so I strung up a 40m dipole and got maybe 8 weeks of CW operating in before school started. The next summer I got my General & an SSB transceiver so in year 2 I was on the air A LOT. A tribander and beam followed with more operating, some traffic nets & contesting. Only interrupted by normal teen stuff like girls, sports, jobs and homework ... then off to college. An apartment in Sr year had two EE ham roomates but no station other than 2m FM in the car.

After many decades of ups & down ham time while working, retirement gives me the ability to turn on either an HF rig, 2m HT or DSTAR most days. I've operated while snowbirding via my home HF rig remote. We've recently moved to an HOA and my attic dipole works OK plus I've got the ok to put up an outside HF vertical this summer. I'm looking forward to improved HF conditions and using newer technology modes (might even get my cw speed back up!). 73 from SE MN
Posted by K0VH on 2022-05-01

Operating Decreased

Mostly due to health reasons, with some ageing issues throw in.
Posted by W8JMI on 2022-05-01

Hard To Say?

I am on the air almost every day in some capacity. I know I work ore stations then I did as a novice for the same air time. A couple of 40 meter crystals and then the hunt up and down the band to see if I was heard; lots of fun.
Posted by WI4G on 2022-05-01

From 6M to 6M...

I started out on 6M AM back in the 1950's. After a couple of years I got on HF bands using SSB, CW, and digital modes (RTTY, Amtor, Pactor, PSK31). More recently I've gone back to 6M using FT8 where I've worked 48 states and 49 countries. A big difference from the old AM days.

Posted by AA4PB on 2022-05-01