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Ham Radio Vanishing? Don't Think So! From the walletpop.com/blog Website |
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Ham Radio Vanishing? Don't Think So! From the walletpop.com/blog Website |
This series explores aspects of America that may soon be just a memory -- some to be missed, some gladly left behind. From the least impactful to the most, Ham Radio is listed as #16.
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Top 25 Things Vanishing from America: #16 — Ham Radio
Many think of a ham radio operator as a tubes-and-wires geek, and there is a certain truth to that stereotype, although today's ham is more likely to be computersavvy and involved in cutting-edge technologies. However, from my personal experience, I know them to be among our nation's best trained and most capable respondents to disasters. In the hands of the amateur radio volunteers, disaster communications become orderly and prioritized, as they employ the protocols and training received in gaining their licenses. As director of one of the nation's largest week-long bicycle tours, I watched the ham community deal with countless challenges with imagination and expertise, whether it was assembling a portable tower and repeater in the field, coordinating emergency medical transport, or organizing the search for a lost child. I saw them sit for countless hours patiently looking out for the safety of thousands of people that would never know of their efforts. As cell phones and the Internet siphon off much of what once attracted people to amateur radio, the nation's ham radio population is graying rapidly. Given the cash value of the radio bands allocated to amateur radio, there will be relentless pressure on the government to take back those bands so they can be sold. All these elements speak to a long, slow diminishment of a pastime that began with Marconi. When amateur radio as we know it disappears, it won't be the radios we'll miss. We'll miss the operators. 73's to a national treasure. Tom Barlow, N8NLO |
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7-15-2008 @ 8:58AM Allen Pitts replied... While I fully agree that Amateur Radio is a national treasure, I disagree with many of those who would eulogize it prematurely. Amateur Radio is alive and well and far more active than ever before. A few specifics: The AHOA site shows 684,000 hams in 2003 and 658,000 for 2008. That's a drop of 26 thousand, half of the 50 thousand claimed above. But also look deeper and note the numbers of higher class licensees. There's a much greater percentage of hams going beyond just the entry levels of learning. So while there's slightly fewer hams, they are much more active hams. As for the age of hams, I can find no citation for the claims made. The FCC does not keep birthdates or age information. There's a lot of twenty-something people becoming Amateur Radio operators to join in the emergency response work that the Amateur Radio Emergency Service does throughout the country. Without hard data, it's anecdotal either way. But probably most important is that even now, in the lowest part of a very low sunspot cycle, Amateur Radio is active and engaging. Hams are being included in more and more emergency planning (and needed in those roles too!), contest activity is up, there's new digital capabilities announced almost weekly. Maybe the majority of the cell phone generation is content being simply "users" of a technology. But there will always be those other bright, curious people who want to open the box and see what makes it work. Amateur Radio is for those people who not only want to use a technology, but to understand it and even develop it further. It never was a mainstream pastime. But the technological developments hams have devised in every decade have changed mainstream communications for us all. They're far from "vanishing." |
How can anyone rightly say that amateur radio is dying off when from 2006 to June of 2008, there were more than 72,000 new licenses earned by people of all ages and backgrounds around the United States? As for the "graying" effect, when I visited the world's largest gathering of amateurs this past May in Dayton, OH, I saw a booth dedicated to those who were under 18 and were interested in the radio arts. I didn't say licensed — just interested. The tables were packed all day long and the youth were smiling, visiting with their peers, discussing the things that appealed to them, and doing activities they deemed "fun and informative". Maybe this writer has never reached out to a younger person to show them the magic that is still being worked by amateur radio and help mentor them to being an active operator. I am an instructor and in all but one of my classes, I have had kids ranging from elementary to high school in the classes. (The one class without kids was a special session for a church men's group.) Amateur radio is a lot like a garden — you need to spread the seed and tend to the sprouts to keep it growing. If ham radio is dying in your little piece of the Earth, it is probably from neglect and letting the weeds get the better of your patch. |
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7-15-2008 @ 10:59AM Joseph Miller said... Hmmmm, was somebody sleeping during Field Day? Every band that I tried was jammed pack full of operators. |
7-15-2008 @ 11:50AM Bud, K7TFY said...
The 'tubes-and-wires geek' you talk about is still around but has evolved into the transistor geek, the integrated circuit geek, the computer geek and is now building with surface mounted components that require magnifying glasses and special soldering techniques for assembly. State of the art all the way. Today's ham is bouncing signals off the moon, and has been for at least twenty years, talking to astronauts while they are in space, operating stations, remotely, around the world, communicating with signals that are too faint to be heard thru a pair of earphones and by the time you read this, much more. The availability of the computer may have siphoned some hams from our ranks but for savey hams the computer has become a partner and increased the possibilities of both technologies. Ham radio is here to stay and always will be. It just may be difficult to identify if you are only looking for the old 'brass pounder'. |
7-15-2008 @ 11:51AM Joe Cro N3IBX said...
Amateur Radio offers something for everyone. Whether you like to work with your hands and design antennas or build your own transmitter or receiver, or engage in emergency communications, digital networking, etc, it has always been the training ground for new developments in electronics. I think it's not going through a slow death, as some have predicted, but rather an evolution, just like the times we are in. Constantly evolving. The Ham of 25 or 50 years ago would be astounded to see how we have progressed and the new opportunities for those who are active in the hobby. Amateur Radio is a lot more than a hobby, but rather a national resource of people trained in the art of radio communication and electronics. We don't do it because we're being paid to do so, but because we have the passion to further the state of the art. That's what separates the men from the boys! Yes, I agree that Amateur Radio's greatest resources are it's people. We must always be vigilant of those who will try to put commercial interests above the interest of that of the people who volunteer their skills and sometimes even risk their lives for the public good.
Mod-U-later, |
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7-15-2008 @ 12:14PM Ed Hare said... I used the same site at the author, http://www.ah0a.org. I reach a far different conclusion. I plotted the US ham population vs. time on a graph (shown below). It shows that the all-time high number of licensees was 687,860 in 2003. At the close of last month, there were 658,711 licensed hams in the US. This is a decline of 4.2%, hardly the mass extinction that this author tried to portary.
 There are a few confounding factors. At one point, the FCC went from a 5-year renewal to a 10-year renewal, so there was a period of time in which zero licensed expired. At the end of ten years, expirations started again. I have estimated this effect with an additional line on the graph. The real decline in Amateur Radio is probably closer to 2-3% when the 10-year effect is properly considered. Before the Internet, there were some that wanted to use ham radio just as a communications tool. Today, many of those people use the Internet, where they can communicate with others around the world. That segment of ham radio is probably no longer active. But for ham radio to be holding its own, increasing slightly over the past months, speaks to its overall growth, at least of those hams that want to use Amateur Radio for technical experimentation or emergency communications, or just to use radio to communicate. Some would say that the hayday of Amateur Radio was the late 1960s to early 1970s. In 1970, there were about 280,000 hams. The "decline" since that era is an increase of about 380,000 people. The decline since 1980 has been an increase of 270,000 people and the decline since 1990 has been an increase of 195,000 people. Surely this is more significant than a decrease of a few percent over the maximum created by the 10-year renewal effect. As I listen to the ham bands, I don't hear it dying. I hear active, vibrant contacts bewteen people with common interests. With changes to the licensing structure and the elimination of Morse code as a testing requirement, I expect to see continued growth. Ed Hare, W1RFI@arrl.org, ARRL Laboratory |
7-15-2008 @ 1:42PM Raymond Woodward said...
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7-15-2008 @ 3:03PM Tom Barlow said... I appreciate all the comments; well-reasoned, as I would have expected from the ham community. As one so accurately pointed out, I'm only a lowly tech and willing to learn. As for the aging of the ham population, it is true that data is not available from the FCC, but this does not refute my belief, based on the people I've met, that the field is graying. I've seen local clubs no longer able to field volunteers for events or hold Field Day. Given that licenses come up for renewal so infrequently, the evidence in support or contrary to this article could be a long time in coming. I hope that the field is as healthy as you all describe. |
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7-15-2008 @ 4:59PM N2EY said... As others have pointed out, the actual US license numbers do not bear out the claim of 50,000 licenses being lost in the past 5 years. It may appear to the casual observer that hams are getting "grayer", but in fact the entire US population is doing that. The median age of US residents, as measured by the census, keeps going up. As of 2000 it was a bit over 39 years. The FCC database has birthdate info on some hams but not all, so it's not a reliable source of age info. Some may say "just look around at any ham radio gathering", but the fact is that such gatherings are not a cross-section of the amateur population, because a lot of hams with families, jobs, school, etc., don't go to many of them. I've been a ham for almost 41 years and every few years the same imminent death of ham radio has been predicted - and all that has happened in all those years is growth, expansion, new technologies and more fun things to do. 73 de Jim, N2EY |
7-15-2008 @ 5:51PM Tom Copley said...
"When all else fails, Amateur Radio will be there." All of the new "fancier technologies" such as the Internet, cell phones, trunked public safety communications did not fare so well when Hurricane Andrew hit Homestead and Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. Yet Amateur Radio still worked and was able to provide much needed communications during and after the disaster.
We hams are self-contained and do not rely on other networks, etc. to provide our communications. We are always on standby ready to step in when needed. Though the amateur radio community is changing, like most of the country, it will be here in the future. Tom Copley, K4YAZ |
7-15-2008 @ 6:24PM Randy, KFØX said...
Amateur Radio is alive and well in Tucson, Arizona. Our club, the Radio Society of Tucson has grown from around 30 members 3 years ago to the current 133. We are the "happening" club in Tucson. We always have activities, INTERESTING GUEST SPEAKERS at club meetings and intense passion for the hobby.
People often complain about the "graying of the hobby." What they really mean is they think a bunch of old people dominate the hobby. First, that is an insult to seasoned citizens for sure. Secondly, we have found some of the older members become extremely active and valuable members when they are given a reason. Sure, youth breathes energy into a club. The energy is infectious and trickles through the entire membership. We have several guys in or near their 70's still climbing towers for us. One of our members who is 86 was the first person in our club to buy an ICOM ID-1 (1.2 GHz) D-Star radio. If that was not enough, he designed and built his own paraboloid antenna for that radio. He showed all of us up for sure! The Radio Society of Tucson is on the move with a mission. That is a HUGE key... BEING ON A MISSION! Amateur Radio has suffered from an identity crisis but it can be overcome. 1. The names themselves... "Ham Radio" & "Amateur Radio" do a very poor job of positioning the hobby positively in the public's mind. Short of changing the name, there is little we can do about that. Frankly, I use the term Amateur Radio as much as possible. Of the two, it is sure easier to explain. HOWEVER, WE CAN OVERCOME THE NAME... read on. 2. In the past, we have done a poor job promoting ourselves. We spend too much time in the background and not the foreground. When we do something for the community, we need to talk about it or make sure others do like TV, Radio and even the newspaper. Be bold, sing your own praises. BE FOREGROUND, NOT BACKGROUND. 3. We need to tell our story to anyone that will listen! We need to make the hobby "cool" again! D-Star for example, is as cool as it gets to attract new members... particularly younger members. How about PSK31 or satellites? We need to promote the hobby as it relates to computers. These are all things particularly attractive to youth. Once you hook them, then they start to discover other facets of the hobby like SSB, CW, ATV, contesting, RACES... and the list goes on and on. YOU NEED TO PUT THE "COOL" BAIT OUT FIRST. You will have a harder time attracting them with SSB, CW and the like. 4. Recruiting hams from the past. So many people have either let their license lapse or are a ham in callsign only. We need to reach out a hand to these people. They were once interested enough to get a license. Maybe life just got in the way, like family, career, moving or whatever. The point is, thousands of them exist and they should be a HUGE target for you. 5. Sales & Marketing. It is as simple as that. That is how you attract the masses. I am not necessarily talking about taking out TV commercials or spending huge amounts of money. Your club should simply run a tight ship. Look good, fresh and interesting! Preach the gospel according to Amateur Radio to all that will listen! ALWAYS HAVE FUN!!! Don't sit around talking about how it used to be and complain. How productive is that? Move forward, think ahead, be positive and reflect that way of thinking in everything you say and do! SELL THE HOBBY! I will get off my soapbox now. I am a huge cheerleader for the hobby (if you could not tell) and think Amateur Radio's best days are ahead... not in the rear-view mirror.
Randy, KFØX |
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7-15-2008 @ 9:28PM Mark, WB1ARZ Director, WECT said... I am surprised that Mr. Barlow arrived at the conclusion he does! I think he should have done more homework and research and in greater depth than he apparently did. I think he would be surprised to find that are the number of newly licensed hams, particularly in the New England area where I reside showing up on the local repeaters quite often. Some of these are kids too. At our recent Class F Field Day we had a lot of kids come up who are not hams and not necessarily, even children of hams and who participated with great interest in the Field Day events. In fact, my organization's webmaster is preparing as I write this comment to post a lot of the Field Day photos including those of kids who were actively participating. In fact, the bigger concern in this region is how to get those new hams joining the hobby to learn proper procedure and appropriate repeater etiquette. We also are exploring a program within my home City of Worcester, MA. (Population = approx. 173K) how to teach youngsters and teenagers a hybrid entry level amateur radio licensing and emcomm class. The proposed program is on the docket for consideration by The Worcester School Committee later this season. Our biggest worry is not the number of students who will be interested in participating in this program but whether or not we will have enough trained instructors to teach them! I really think Mr. Barlow needs to retract his comments or at the very least verify his sources again!
Mark, WB1ARZ |
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7-16-2008 @ 12:14AM Bill Poulin, WZ1L said... It seems to me the author is slanting his views to his own perspectives and views. I am an examiner for the ARRL and W5YI VEC's and we have people coming each session to either get a license, upgrade a license or to renew their current license. Although the comment about children using the computers, cell phones and other media devices that are hand-held, we all have read "lessons learned" from the 9/11 devastation... first to go were the cell phones. Naturally during a disaster, phone and electricity get disrupted. A ham radio operator knows to have batteries (car and HT) readily available for an emergency. The hams are prepared for disasters, just like "Murphy" hiding in the ham shack. We know "what could happen, will happen, just unsure of when it will occur. As far as I am concerned, the ham community is well and the author needs to make another investigation what is going on around the country rather than in his own back yard.
73, |
Tom Barlow wrote, Jul 17, 2008 at 11:00 AM Filed under: Technology
