Ham Talk Live! Episode 199 - State of the Hobby Survey

It is a licensed service under which I execute the Part 97 mission. In 53 years as a licensee, I have , at various times , participated in all of the mission parts.

This weekend, I honed my station and operating skills in a ham radio contest (still on), which keeps me sharp, as one part--not the only part-- of the 'pool skilled in the radio art'. Things went wrong: I fixed them in real time. I taught myself how to replace a clunky relay power supply in an amplifier. My CW was rusty: I literally brought myself up to speed to fine-point my skills. I perked up my ears to understand signals in noise and interference. I enjoyed it; I was not payed for it. It is radio operation under the defined 'amateur radio' status as a LICENSEE.

73
Chip W1YW

 

If you did it on your own time, for your own pleasure, and you were not paid for it, you were participating in a hobby, because that is how "hobby" is defined. You may not want to call it a hobby, but nevertheless, it is.

If anyone else watched you doing these things, would they think that you were involved in some sort of hobby?

Hobby is not a bad word, it is just a descriptor of what we do, just like many other hobbies that people participate in.

 

You don't get it.

Others do.

Lawyers don't use broad meanings unless it fits their needs (of their clients). How can you not see that they are poised to use HOBBY RADIO(=> unlicensed) as subsuming AMATEUR RADIO(=>licensed) because hams themselves call themselves 'hobbyist'? 'Hobbyist' will lead to spectrum loss.

Look at it this way: if we were so 'OK' with the term 'amateur radio', then why do we call ourselves 'hams'?

Why are you afraid of being called an AMATEUR?? I am proud of it.

There is NOTHING WRONG with 'hobby type' use of amateur radio, as long as that use fits within the Part 97 mission.

We talk of 'hams' and 'hobby' when we should be thinking , as per our licenses, as 'radio amateurs' and 'service'.

We've been able to coast on this for years, and now, apparently, the ambiguity gets adopted as the norm. That's a formula for loss of privileges. Unless we see ourselves as others do, we will lose those privileges with remarkable rapidity in the next 5 years.

73
Chip W1YW

 

I think you are the one who doesn't get it. I am proud to be an amateur. I am proud to be a hobbyist. I enjoy providing service, when needed.

Amateur radio has been classified as a hobby for over 100 years. Lawyers are certainly aware of that history. Nothing you or I say will make it more or less a hobby, since "it is what it is, and always has been".

I think you need to show where "some lawyers" are suddenly ready to pounce on amateur radio, because some participants somewhere consider it a hobby. Or you need to show that these same lawyers will not pounce because you use the term "amateur" instead of "hobbyist".

Google "amateur radio hobby" and see if there are any hits. I am currently looking at an old QST from around when you were born, and it is filled with references to "hobby", so this is nothing new or surprising, it is just historical and factual.

 

In my professional activities, I run across the 'suits' many times. They are eager to subsume amateur radio spectrum. Some of their reasoning is justified, because we FAILED to execute the Part 97 mission. Case in point: 3300 MHz.

Go read the ongoing comments on the extant NPRM, now, and over the next few weeks. Some of it is shocking...that's your 'lawyers'...

'Just a HOBBY". But the good citizens of the United States need to subsume this 'hobby' band for the ability to stream games!

They LOVE it when we say 'hobbyist', because it conjurs an image with the pols that feeds into their desires for more spectrum.

I warned on 3300 MHz. Go look. Starting 15 years ago...

HF will lose spectrum within 5 years--unless we get our act together. IoT will kill it (at least parts).

What scares you about the moniker 'amateur'??

 

I feel like I'm buying a used car... It's lipstick on a pig.
I enjoy the hobby in my free time and provide no service...

 

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Sure sounds like a hobby to me! Thanks Chip for making it so clear!

de NK2U who loves the hobby!

 

You are welcome. Why not get used to FRS or your WATZUP? Your favorite band is likely going to be under fire soon enough.

Watta relaxing hobby!

 

You seem to be upset that ham radio is a hobby, something that has actually been true for more than a century. You wanting to change it to something else will not make the historical fact that it is a hobby disappear.

 

Private pilot => Federal license

I'm sure if I thought about it more I could come up with more examples.

It seems a lot of people forget that making radio operation a hobby, by an amateur radio operator in fact, does not require a callsign. There's Part 95, Part 15, and perhaps others on which a hobbyist and amateur could operate. I do wish that more people with an Amateur radio callsign would lighten up about people operating fully legally within the bounds of Parts 15 and 95, and not turn up their nose on people experimenting within these confines.

 

No.

Stop projecting. I am in fine spirits.

Why would I be upset?

 

Exactly.

There's 'hobby' radio.

And there is 'amateur' radio.

The Part 15 and Part 95 approaches are where we are heading.

And such are the confines....

When Part 15 let's me work JT1CO on CW w/grayline, or handle emergency comms from KP4, or let me sit down to dinner with hams from over the world, let me know.

 

Is there some reason you want to ask questions but not answer them?

Are you upset?

 

What question would you like an answer to?

 

An interesting choice of words, maybe you should slow down on the "fine spirits" and sleep it off?

It just sounds like you want so much to make a distinction where there is no difference.