The Inevitable Death of Ham Radio

I misstated.  I have a Bendix-King programmable hand held covering 148-174 MHz which was modified to cover 144-148 also.  It is type approved for the public service frequencies and modification for covering the amateur frequencies does not need type approval.  

I do not transmit on any of the public service frequencies unless permitted to do so, and have done so at the permission of the Sheriffs Department during volunteer type events and on disasters.  I have used the King for off duty and after retirement in situations meeting the emergency definitions authorizing a licensed amateur to use any frequency if no other means of communications is available.  These situations took place in wilderness areas where cell phone coverage did not exist.  The repeater systems of natural resource agencies, such as the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service, were the only communications systems capable of providing communications under the circumstances.  Anyone who thinks that a cell phone works in the majority of western mountainous terrain should look at Sprint's coverage map in a Radio Shack and notice that it only extends to areas along main highways in what appears to be small corridors amongst large blank areas.  As for backcountry and wilderness, a cell phone will work only on the highest peaks, if then.  I've had friends who have stood on top of the Sierra crest, looking at the cell site on top of Mazourka Peak on the other side of the Owens Valley, and have not been able to get service.  

If I was a general class licensee with a portable HF radio or if a general with such a radio was present, and HF communications to another ham could be established, then then there would not be justification for use of the NPS or USFS frequencies.  In the case of using an NPS frequency for an emergency on one occassion, once I produced the written copy of 47 CFR 97.403 for such use to the NPS and told them what I had done before retiring they indicated they had no problem at all for my use of the frequency.  In fact, one wilderness ranger asked that on future backcountry trips that I call in trail and snowmelt conditions.  This after a great 45 minute coversation about mutual friends and acquantences working for natural resource agencies all over the country.    

On one occasion I was on a dayhike in a wilderness area of about 14 miles round trip.  On the return leg, four miles from the trailhead I encountered a creek, swollen over and running very fast, as a result of a severe thunderstorm.  At this particular location the creek normally runs about 6-12 inches deep and 15-20 feet across at this time of the year with a substaintial bridge over it.  The creek was 200-300 feet across with waist high water, some of which had formed standing waves (the type that some surfers have been able to ride on large rivers).  The bridge approach was isolated by this water on the side I needed to access it from.  There were six hikers trapped by this creek with no alternative for going around that was shorter than a 6 hour hike.  Two people walked up wearing shorts, T shirts, and trash bags for rain protection.  The temperature was about 45 degrees with hail 2 inches deep on the ground.  One of the persons was oriented times 1 and the other barely times 3 and both had been shivering for 30 minutes or more and unable to stop.  Being oriented times 4 is considered normal brain function and awareness.  Two other people did not have a warm enough layer under their $6.99 K or Wal Mart windbreakers for these conditions.  The other two hikers were experinced and had the proper gear for such a situation.  The unprepared four were in some stage of hypothermia, with one of them about ready to go into an advanced, life threatening stage, and her husband was about 15 minutes behind her.  I knew, that although I had sucessfully treated a couple of cases of similar hypothermia in the past, that my emergency tube tent and one wool sweater was not going to be quite enough.  I also knew that lighting a warming fire under these cirumstances was going to be the most challenging fire lighting event of my entire life up to that point and likely after that point.  I had started some fires in difficult wilderness conditions in the winter before, but I was not optomistic about starting one here. Even the undersides of 40 inch logs were soaking and the wind was about 25 mph with gusts to 40.  I knew that I could bring up the closest repeater for the National Park Service on my handheld.  Now I must ask, at that point is it time to worry about whether the radio is type accepted?

 

An observation from a new ham.  Most of the traffic I see passed in emergency exercises shouldn't be passed as voice traffic.  It would be much better served if passed as digital.  That leads to the subject of resistance by some to the computer.  As the use of CW (may) decrease, I think it will get picked up by other digital systems.  Their will always be a place for CW, but new hams may not be as interested in it as people once were as they are very computer literate.  The hobby will change with the times or it won't.  If it doesn't it will most likely become an anachronism.  My bet is it will change since if nothing else old blood will die and new blood will become the elders.

 

Speaking of practical applications of ham radio other than hobby, I've been monitoring the "Mall Watch" frequency here in town. One of our local clubs does this every year during the holidays. It sounds like a very important detail for volunteers who have nothing better to do. Lots of lost shoppers who can't remember where they parked. Lots of "suspicious characters", mostly profiled because they're wearing dark clothing. Lots of "potty break" traffic with the net controller.....

How the Mall's Security Service ever did without these "heros", I'll never know. These hams are providing an "invaluable" service to their community. Surely, "Mall Watch" makes up for the dwindling need for ham radio in a hurricane's aftermath.

 

Fred I had this discussion with my girlfriend during the last hurricane season in FL. I agree there is less need for emergency services with the rapid deployment of COW's etc.

Perhaps we should promote the educational aspects of the hobby and look at other angles outside of how we once saved the day by providing communications somewhere. The hobby IS changing but we seem to bring up the same old storys when trying to defend our bandwidth. Is thier nothing new or creative we have offer?

Dying?
I got into the hobby out of the love of radio, but the old days of SWL'ing and chatting with Vlad in Moscow have little or no appeal to todays internet / cellphone / blackberry savy teens. If it dies or goes away someday so be it, it is ours for the moment and I'll enjoy it while I'm here, my two boys could care less and that's fine it was my love of radio, not thiers.

Tim

 

Ed, you paint a starkly realistic picture of ham radio...

Ham radio isn't dead ...yet.  It just needs to accept it's fate ; it's new identity as strictly "hobby" communications.  That's really hard for many to accept, since for many, ham radio is their life and not just a hobby.  That's sad, but true.

The FCC will eventually cease to placate the ARRL and will justifiably whittle down the current band plan to something realistic, much like 11 meters.  They have already channelized hams on 60 meters.  That was just a start to get everyone used to the idea.

I'm done beating ham radios dead horse.  By this spring, all my equipment will be gone, including the tower and my attention(as it is now)fixed on a more relaxing and rewarding hobby.

From now on when someone sees my license plate with my call and asks about it and then says "is that like CB", I won't get all excited and explain the difference....I'll just respond with a simple "Yep".

 

I think ham radio might not be as popular as say computers or cell phones but as hams we all love radio and radio's antennas thermionic tubes transistors etc it might not be relavent to people of today but i think as a hobby its great. For instance if you where a fisherman with a rod you wouldn't trade it in for a fishing trawler just because its more effective it wouldnt be quite as much fun or get rid of your riffle for a machine gun. The point is that we are all hams becaus we love radio we really shouldnt have to fill some service to mankind to enjoy it. As long as there are people on the air thats ok. Allso i think people forget that not all the world has the same services as we do. we have digital tv a lot of the world still rely on short wave broadcasts for their news and info.:blues:

 

I read the lead-off post in this thread with great
sadness.

OK, we've been hearing doom and gloom for years and
it has mostly been from all the people who stand to gain
by keeping Amateur Radio STATIC.  The status quo suits
them and anything that is a change will kill us, according
to these two evil twins, gloom and doom.

Fact is, if the status quo lovers have their way, then this
hobby WILL die.  I've been doing this for 30+ years, and
in all that time I have never seen such a bunch of
do-nothing hams who put up a good appearance of not
giving a crap about anything.   We constantly hear from
a good part of the country that 2 meter repeaters sit
unused during prime evening and weekend hours that
used to see frequent usage.

Did we put all those repeaters up on the air just for the
excercise?  NO !!!!

Since when have ham operators become unable to
communicate?  That's what we're supposed to do best,
and we ain't gettin' it done.

From people that I talk to much of the above is the
reason WHY the public sector is turning away from us
for public service communications.  It's not because of
cell technology or FRS or GMRS or CB or any of this other
stuff - it's because they aren't blind or stupid, they can
see that we've gotten so hidebound that we can't flex
with the times.  The other radios are simply a response
to what they perceive as OUR inability to get the job
done.

A sensible approach for Amateurs is to embrace as many
communications options for public service comms as
possible, and not be so damned arrogant as to think that
everything can be solved ONLY with Amateur equipment.
That arrogance doesn't exactly help our image, you know.

Here where I'm at, during the year of 2004 we actually
had occasions where there was confirmed severe weather
in the area including at least one tornado and there was
not sufficient depth of people who gave a damn to get
the weather net up in time to do any valid work.

People, that is NOT the way to get the local authorities
to have any interest in us.

Having hams present themselves in groups of 2 or 3 for
a severe weather emergency that maybe affects an entire
county or like the folks in Florida, an entire STATE, just
doesn't cut it.   I know darned good and well there are
more than enough hams here to get it done, but where
are they?  You hardly ever hear them on the air, so how
in the world do we expect them to be participants?

I am an Amateur Activist, involved in writing petitions
both of my own and contributing to some for
organizations.  I am on the Board of NCI as well as
eQSL, and a Life Member of 10-10 and QCWA.  I try to
be as active as I can both on the air and off, to
ADVANCE this combination hobby and service.

In my opinion, those people who support the status
quo do not understand that they are killing us all slowly,
but surely.  I respect their right to have and express
an opinion but as politically correct as some of you
may think it is it is time for those folks to do what
former Chrysler Chairman Lee Ioccoca used to say -
"Lead, follow, or get out of the way!"

My harshest criticism is for some of my fellow Extra Class
hams who don't do diddly squat.  When I was first
getting a license back in 1974, one of my Elmers told
me that "The E in Extra stands for Elmer".  I didn't
understand then just how right he was - if you are
going to go after the "top dawg" license then you ought
to pay BACK to this hobby for what you got out of it
that made you want to get the doggone Extra in the
first place.

That means that you teach ham classes....you serve as
a VE.....you bring along new hams ON THE AIR, not just
dump them there once they get their tickets.  Just
because you succeed in getting someone licensed does
NOT mean that the job is done; you're just getting
started.   I have NO love for anyone who gets an Extra
just so they can go and hide in the "Extra Only" parts
of our bands and shut everyone else out.  These people
have ceased to be hams and could just as easily
surrender their licenses and use the doggone telephone
if all they want to do is have their own private kilowatt
communications service.

Extras, we need to get active and get moving and get
some "ham blood" flowing again and set positive
examples for new hams both on and off the air.  We
Extras need to be showing the public authorities what
we can do - showing the press what we can do - and
keeping those skills "in their faces".  In short, we need
to be selling ourselves for the emergency communications
and not just waiting for the authorities to come looking
for us.  We've made ourselves too hard to find for that.

We need to get working with EVERY local agency we can
possibly work with, and stay in touch with them even
when there is NO emergency to keep our presence fresh
in their minds.  We need to work public events, to keep
what we can do in the public's mind, because if the
public will support us, the local authorities will support
us.

But this isn't happening either.

I started a web site, http://www.antennasup.org to try
and start a grassroots organization of amateurs to band
together at the local, state and national levels to fight
against both restrictive ordinances and restrictive covenants.
If we can't have effective antennas, we can't
be effective communicators.  What happened?  Damn
near nothing.  Do you know that I got more email from
legislators than I did from hams?  That's right - I got
more interest from "authorities" than from hams who
were willing to fight.

Folks, if you are not even willing to fight to be able to
put up an antenna,  why are you a ham?  Sure I know
that it is a tough fight, and that there have been wins
and losses.  But the wins should prove that you won't
accomplish ANYTHING if you don't try, and if you DO
try and you keep it going you CAN win.  Little victories
at a time, to be sure, but they ADD UP.

I'm not maintaining my website because frankly, nobody
will help.  I can't create and run an organization by
myself.  I leave the site there, woefully outdated as it
is, as a reminder to anyone who wanders into it that
there IS still an issue there, and at least ONE guy who
gives a damn.  Maybe the National Antenna Consortium
(never heard of them?  Get your head out of your ass
and pay attention to what's going on in the ham world)
will have better luck.

In the meantime, we ALL need to become Amateur
Radio Activists.  We gotta get more active ON the air,
we gotta get more active OFF the air and in the public
view and we gotta get more organized at the local
level and create visibility.  We gotta modernize this
hobby into the 21st century and leave the mid-50's
mentalities behind.  If we don't, we're going to sink
just like the Titanic did while it's telegraphers were
tapping away.

In short, quit hiding - get moving!  Find your own niche
in the process of renovating this hobby from the top
down and STAY WITH IT !!!!

I'm an optimist - I believe that we can save it if we will
just put a little effort into it.

Duane
WB9OMC
Lafayette, IN

 

Quote ""I'm not maintaining my website because frankly, nobody will help.  I can't create and run an organization bymyself.  I leave the site there, woefully outdated as it
is, as a reminder to anyone who wanders into it that
there IS still an issue there, and at least ONE guy who
gives a damn.  Maybe the National Antenna Consortium
(never heard of them?  Get your head out of your ass
and pay attention to what's going on in the ham world)
will have better luck.""

Quote ""I'm an optimist - I believe that we can save it if we will just put a little effort into it.""
=================================
Just a wee bit of a mixed message there Duane.  Hey, Ham radio isn't that big of a deal and there are other hobbies out there.  Your response and frustrations are the very reason so many, like myself, are finding other more enjoyable hobbies.  Wow...read what you wrote and ask youself, as a perspective or newly licensed ham if this really inspires you to stay with the hobby.  Does it?  Why would anyone want to?

If it made you feel better to vent, then that's great.  We all need to every now and again.

Ron

 

all i can say is cell phones will be the death of ham radio,maybe.

 

Cell phones as an effective communications device?  Yeah, right!  Maybe in the paved expanses of California, Florida, New York, or any other state with vast expanses of concentrated populace where trees and cell antennas are nearly equal in number.  But where I live in Nevada, it is a fairly accurate statement to say that approximately 92% of the land mass in this state has no viable cell service.

I work out of Portola, California, approximately 50 miles northwest of Reno.  When my YL knows that I am between work and home, she also knows to pick up the microphone, not the telephone, to contact me.  Why?  Because the cell phone drops out about every 3 to 5 miles along the route.  It is impossible to carry on a reasonable conversation for any length of time using cell.  On the other hand, the linked repeater system (one of many available in the area) that we use to communicate provides 100% solid coverage along the entire route.

The only reason I carry a cell phone is that in my line of employment, I have no set work schedule.  I work on call, 24/7.  Having a cell phone saves me from being a slave to the phone at home.  However, there is a reason why the secondary contact number my employer has to reach me is the YL's cell.  It is because that no matter what far, remote corner of the wide open spaces around here I may be in at any given time that is FAR from a cell signal, I can ALWAYS be reached by ham radio.

 

Interesting topic. Ham Radio is already dead, it's just that most of the "appliance operators" still using radio don't know it. A prime example is the fact that this is my first visit to QRZ in YEARS! I only stumbled over here to see if there was anything about the recent tsunamis in southern Asia.

I used to be very involved in Ham Radio. I was the President of our local radio club, always went to the Saturday morning breakfasts and other social gatherings, helped others put up towers and antennas, etc. I haven't even used my privileges in many, many months. Want to know why? Here are a few clues as to why Ham Radio is already dead:

What was once called "Ham Radio" was a brotherhood; A fraternity where all learned together and shared what they learned. There was a "gee-whiz" factor that kept the learing fun. In it's wake is left a group of eliteists whose primary concern is to attempt to prove their machisimo by out-spending any potential "rival" completely out of the hobby! Many (most?) of these people are using communication devices (back in the old days, we called them "radios") that cost more than a lot of sensible cars on the market today! What do they do with them? Rack up numbers of contacts. That's it. And what is there to show for that? It takes no skill whatsoever. Anybody can do it. And if you spend more money than the next guy, you'll likely get more contacts. WHO CARES? So you have a "Worked All States" or whatever the most "difficult" award to obtain. WHO CARES? Does that make you any better than anyone else? It makes some people think so! No matter how many awards you get, it's still just a stupid piece of paper! And it makes you no better than anyone else, it just means that you spend more money! Just wait and you'll see: It's the Ego that killed Ham Radio!

If the FCC said they were taking away all Amateur frequencies tomorrow, I wouldn't even think twice about it. There was a time when I certainly would have! But it's really to the point that it's all about out-doing one another, and it's that one-upsmanship that is the undoing of anything that was at one time considered "fun". The old saying about Baseball "When it was a game" fits Ham Radio, too! I challenge any of you to find old copies of Ham Radio publications from the 40's, 50's, or even the 60's and 70's and compare it to current ones. You'll clearly see what I'm talking about.

Don't fool yourselves. Ham Radio killed itself from within. It has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with cell phones, the internet, BPL, Family Radio, or any other outside influence. Think I'm wrong? Remember this the next time you call CQ and get a militant sounding "FREQUENCY IN USE" reply. Remember it the next time you are trying to keep a sked with a buddy far away, crank up your rig and hear 40 people all trying to exchange callsigns at once. Remember it when you hear some of the language that you hear all over the bands these days. Bootleggers, pirates and CB'ers are actually HELPING Ham Radio now because it's still a hobby to these people!

Are you a "member" of a "closed" repeater system? I hope you have a flat with no spare in an area where there is no cell coverage and the only way to communicate is through another system that you can hear fine but don't have access to! There are all kinds of Hams from all kinds of backgrounds. But because of your eliteist viewpoint, thinking that your group is too good to allow others to use your system is one of the biggest things that killed Ham Radio! Accept and help others, especially new people. Teach them proper operating conduct in a non-threating manner. Oh well, guess you're not patient enough for that, might as well just keep it a closed system. What? You need membership dues to cover the operating costs of the system? THEN DON'T COME GRIPING TO THE FCC WHEN THEY EXPECT YOU TO PAY FOR SPECTRUM!!! If you're going to charge for your little piece of sky, then you ought to have to pay for it, too! "G, G, or A, no one rides for free!"

Well, let me think of any other groups that I haven't offended yet! Contrary to what you may think, it wasn't my intention to get anyone's blood to boil. It's just meant as a "look in the mirror". I think that if you take it that way, you'll see that I'm right.

Regards,
N5XXN

 

VU4 is all I gotta say...ham radio will live forever as long as we don't kill it. With all the technolical advances we have in this world, nothing can replace the ability of us hams to set up emergency communications with very little at our disposal. Cell fones & other such devices require a lot more than a crude dipole and a piece of wire shoved into a SO-239...My biggest gripe is the no code ticket..BAD BAD BAD. No incentive to learn the true dicipline of hams. Thus we have the crap we have on the bands now....CW is primitive, but a GREAT charator builder. Remember the old hardy boys books? They still can apply. Sometimes simple is BEST...

 

In 2009........

I have just read/reread almost 40% of the posts here.

Looking at where this started in 2004, and adding 5 years to the present
time, nothing much has changed.

So keep up being a 'ham', it still produces interesting people that make
a difference to civilization, and stay happy with the knowledge
that others are better off for what we do, think, invent, perform service,
etc.

My comrades, I salute you!

van lincoln
wd8aam

 

I would say that today there are groups that work with local governments and have distinct rolls to serve their community through hard work by dedicated individuals. I would point to when the AT&T fiber was cut in the San Francisco Bay area knocking out a lot of land-line phone and cellular service, and the hams there were woke up to man their stations at hospitals and government locations. Communications have improved quite a bit, and many government agencies have very resilient communication systems. However, the communications and power infrastructure is very vulnerable to certain disasters and terrorism. Not to mention the vulnerability of the electrical grid to large solar flares as a recent report pointed out. In this world today, maintaining Amateur Radio as a communications backup is still valid for our government when you consider all the threats to our nation. Us hams are still here for the really major disasters when all this new technology will be deficient, and from reports many hams with well organized teams are making a difference when disasters strike in their communities still today (perhaps in the areas where communications systems aren't as resilient because of budgetary considerations).

Also, it might be noted that the FEMA Community Emergency Response Teams might be playing a part in emergency communications today. I notice in our area a few hams are CERT members, and other CERT members are becoming hams. So Amateur Radio appears to be playing a part in this new disaster planning effort by the government.

Personally, I think its a good thing if Amateur Radio isn't as needed in an emergency roll, as that means things are going well for our nation. This doesn't however mean that the government doesn't respect our capability or that we're no longer needed and in danger of losing our spectrum. We have enough examples taking place to show the capability of Amateur Radio in emergency situations through the hard work of dedicated hams.

Jason Turning