Fox News - Ham Radio Licenses at All-Time High

Fox News - Ham Radio Licenses at All-Time High

Fox News reports on the boom in Amateur Radio licenses in the United States.

They say Ham Radio first took the nation by storm nearly a hundred years ago. Last month the FCC logged 700,314 licenses, with nearly 40,000 new ones in the last five years. Compare that with 2005 when only 662,600 people hammed it up and you'll see why the American Radio Relay League -- the authority on all things ham -- is calling it a "golden age."

In the TV report Michelle Macaluso interviews John Pritchett W6JWK and shows an Amateur Radio Direction Finding (ARDF) competition.

Watch the TV report and read the story Radio Days Are Back: Ham Radio Licenses at an All-Time High
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/11/17/radio-days-are-back-ham-radio-licenses-at-all-time-high/





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...and why shouldn't they be? All you have to do is go into the bathroom and peel one off the roll.

 

Hmmm... makes me wonder if we might see a decent documentary by one of the major news outlets someday...
That would be kind of neat if they did a good job - OTOH, more QRM ;-)

 

The increase in numbers is great...IF they actually get on the air.

Part 97 offers so much opportunity for "enhancing the radio art", that we all need to try to use this privilege to be the experimenters and innovators that our founders were. I wish there was a lot more of it.

73,
Chip W1YW

 

This very positive news about Ham Radio clearly is a result of the elimination of CW as a licensing impediment. In spite of dire predictions, the elimination has not caused us any harm but rather had positive results and the traditionalists can still find plenty of CW aficionados.

I know I will get flamed for saying the truth but IMNSHO, it's unfortunate that we did not eliminate the CW impediment 50 years ago...just imagine how much more popular Ham Radio would be...if that had happened.

 

Couple hundred bucks to get started? Yeah right. Factor a 2 meter radio, coax, connectors, power supply and antenna, you are over 200 easy.
A lot of the equipment is way over priced.

 

A decent documentary on Amateur Radio would be great. As we know, almost everything thus far is either too technical to garner mainstream interest, too campy, or just plain outdated. Even the video portion of this Fox article has issues; specifically the Fox Hunt part.

We need a well made presentation that is not uber-nerdish and does not rely heavily on the emergency / doomsday / "what would you do if the cell system crashed" type stuff.

 

I think that's exactly what's motivating people to Amateur radio.

People are told to stock food and water for a week in case of emergency. Some people are saying you should stock food for YEARS. They are also told that normal modes of communication may not be available in a catastrophic situation. Amateur radio fits this 'doomsday' scenario.

And you're right. There needs to be a presentation that lets people know what they can expect out of Amateur radio, and that it's more than a doomsday backdrop for communications.

 

What does THAT mean?

 

If 3 in 10 hams is active and helps to create one new active ham every 10 years...in 40 years of licensing, that's four.

0.3 x 4 = 1.2

In other words, that's a slowly-growing population assuming an active ham has an average of 40 years of activity.

If you are active, get out there and elmer someone

73,

Scott N7JI

 

Yes, the increase is good, however I think we can all agree that 90% of those licenses will expire in ten years.

 

Great news,

 

How about a fictional movie? Perhaps we can get Kris Kristopherson to play the role of a ham-trucker who is upset over gas prices and the 55 MPH speed limit? How about Burt Reynolds and Sally Fields as a ham couple racing across the USA in a black TransAm? All the actors are the typical ham age.

 

Something ever "doomsday" happens, the National Guard / FEMA/ NATO / Gestapo steps in anyway to coordinate, organize and round up humans.
Your Government will take care of it. No worries. Nothing to see here, move along...

 

peel a license, that is, off the roll. Hey, I had to study for a week to get my Extra in 2000. A year to get my general in 1965