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Amateur Radio is slowly dying. (2 replies and 3 comments)
Speaking as someone who has recently joined the hobby and obtained my foundation licence, i'm left wondering - What is to be gained by going further in the licencing system?
Many of us do not live in suitable environments to put out loads of HF antennas so have found more modern alternatives, Digital "not real radio" modes and the like.
This gives me the "learning" aspect as well as the comms aspect.
Problem is, I don't see anything of particular interest in the ongoing syllabus that meets any requirements i have, i have no need for more power or most/all of the other privileges associated with a higher licence class.
Strikes me the system is fundamentally geared up to electronics hobbyists, which may suit older generations who grew up with valves and transistors but moving into printed circuit-boards is a whole other kettle of fish and of absolutely limited interest to me.
A lot of younger hams are going digital, this requires more IT literacy and less focus on individual components of a circuit. Higher power outputs for HF aren't particularly a draw.
The hobby isn't dying now, any more than it was when they made spark-gap transmitters unlawful BUT it is evolving away from what it has been for decades into something far more diverse.
I can't see electronics-dominated Ham lasting much longer - younger hams simply don't have the same background and fundamental electronics knowledge of those a bit older than us, but we do have significant IT skills which are breathing life into the hobby.
If you asked me to go out and sell the hobby to a younger generation, it would absolutely be in digital modes rather than the emphasis on HF and electronics.
Unfortunately, the hobby has some "gatekeepers" who do not want this to happen but it is happening.
Times change, i think Ofcom need to reform licencing to keep up to date with a changing demographic amongst the user (and prospective) user base or, if they retain the electronics heavy, "build your own kit" approach, then yeah, i can't see as many people choosing to go for a higher licence class beyond "vanity" reasons.
Well, talking from a viewpoint of being lucky enough to be around to experience (as a then very young son of a ham) back in the mid 70s, I got to see what many now SK's saw as ham radio, and know a few of the old names who don't see reason to see the modern world of ham radio as the death throes of the hobby.
You have to respect that the essence of self-training and exploration of radio (the remit behind the ham license) comes in many shapes and forms, far wider and with many more tiers of interest areas than the boilerplate build/chase DX/compete very tunnel vision perception of ham radio.
Most hams, as far as I have experienced, don't realise the full license offers legal usage on ISM and other license-exempt/license-free allocations (which pretty much triples at least the span directly ham allocated) and with far less punitive restrictions over modes, ERP, max Tx power at the Tx, antenna types etc.
You'll find that alone sets part of why it's a different game to what I witnessed in the 70s back when 2m commercial gear was still ex-PMR stuff or homebrew and 70cms stuff was predominantly ex-PMR, homebrew or hybrids of homebrew utilising say better stable oscillator, filter and PA stages from PMR gear. Even well into the 90s when I got licensed as a mere unworthy 'B', 4m & 6m usage was still either homebrew, via transverters, or heavily modded 11m multimodes on 6m or lightly tweaked VHF lo-band PMR gear on 4m.
Personally I consider one of the things which has badly affected ham radio is networked DV and networked analog gateways. Now when applied with a sense of proportion (which sadly was ignored in the pursuit of easily being able to work the whole country or the world on VHF/UHF), there was always a place for hotspots and gateways and network repeaters, but used much more sanely.
For example, say network linking all the Essex repeaters would actually improve the scope of them and actually utilise them better, both DV and analogue - in the USA, you get great examples of that - but they never killed the desire to work simplex DX unlike what had happened over heat.
There's so many aspects to what maybe the potential ruination of the classic hobby but actually is just an evolution of it, and then there are aspects which should be good but have been badly exploited at the detriment of simple solid simplex and sometimes full duplex experimental stuff more of the classic ilk.
As Pete highlighted, 2m/70cms has virtually become a nets predominant usage of, analogue and rarely DV Simplex. If more people who bought into DV realised there was more to DV than merely 'working the world or country' via hotspots and networked DV repeaters/gateways, we'd see much more simplex DV use on those bands. I know of many who lurk on 2m club nets who only ever use 2m for those or when they can exploit a VHF contest to gain further points and utilisation of the allocation but otherwise never touch 2m/70cms.
What I believe should have happened with the proposed license changes was, aside from mostly muck clearance of conflicting collisions of added rules and often conflicting aspects which existed, they should reworked it so different grades allowed different modes, so the basic level was fundamental TG (CW/RTTY) and analogue phone, the next level permitted digital advanced TG and DV Simplex and non-networked Repeater hosting, and network usage be part of the top tier.
Whilst many will cite unfairness as it would mean existing full license holders would automatically get top-tier provision under such a change, it would help the hobby by encouraging newcomers to explore fundamental ham radio first, and give them something real to work up to.
Really there's way to many aspects to point blame at, and far too many commonly blamed that are just evolution of the hobby.
Let's face it, evolution is necessary for the hobby to survive with relevance and reason to exist - but not at the cost of effectively killing interest in the fundamental aspects which were inherently part of ham radio since day dot.
i agree about digital voice only so that people who only have 2m / 70cm kit can get more activity
i agree DV (Digital Voice) can be used as normal on the bands as well as some repeaters which are enabled for DV
i am not sure i agree with limiting modes to licenses as it prevents self training and exploration of amateur radio
i would like to see cheaper access to HF, either by allowing QRP kits to be used by lower licenses or the rig manufacturers producing some QRP HF rigs at the sub £250 price range
i do wonder how many new hams we get who once they see the lack of activity on 2m / 70cm give up
Peter
M0PWX
there is very little activity on 2m / 70cm other than planned club nets which could leave some new hams disappointed when they first get on the air
if you have a yaesu fusion or DMR handheld then you have the option of setting up a hotspot to access world wide rooms / talk groups
the other thing is HF is not as expensive many think or need as big an antenna as many think
if you look at Icom/Yaesu rigs you are £1200-£1500 minimum, but a Xiegu G90 is around £400 for 20w HF with built in ATU, or Xiegu X6100 is around £600 10w with built in ATU for HF + 6m (and the X6100 has a battery for true mobile ops)
Antennas if you have a long garden (20m or more) you can make a wire antenna for £50 or less, smaller gardens you have the option of some vertical antennas like a DX commander but they come in at £300 - £400
so while not as cheap as VHF / UHF kit it is not as expensive as many think, but still out of reach for many in the current financial climate
I think that what is putting off Foundation licenced people to advance to Intermediate or Full is the fact that you need to know how to build a radio rather than use it safely and competently. I compare it to having to be a fully trained mechanic to be able to pass your driving test. Most people buy a radio and use it to talk to people but if you want to build radios then there should be a special course and licence available. Safety and the understanding of how a radio works including antennas, EMF and Q codes should be main the focus of the exams. This is set by the RSGB and not OFCOM.
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How many new Foundation licencees intend to work towards gaining their Intermediate and Full licences? This is supposedly a self- educational hobby, yet so many are utterly disinterested in actually learning anything that might be a bit technical and challenging. I went from Foundation to Full, so many just can't seem to be bothered. Thoughts?