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Sometimes known as Amatuer Radio.
Most of us have a picture of either some old guy sitting behind massive amounts of nobs and swtches, lit up with tubes or else its the same old guy hunched over a desk with a morse code key sending a message to some other guy on some island. Although both still happen todays radios utilize the best in digital technologies.
KI4NJZ
I've been licensed since 1976, and the high speed morse requirements for General class and above were a major turn off and I'm no longer active, although I did upgrade to General a few years ago as that requirement has been relaxed. I'd like to try some of the digital stuff, but don't have the time.
Ham radio still going here in Ireland (not that I am very active) but I seem to find it much easier to chat on Skype or the likes.... and I dont have to worry about propogation etc. So do think that it is sort of a dying art but it will never cease completly as it is switching over to the digital age with IRLP linked to internet etc. etc.
Digital HAM just seems a little like object oriented cobol
I think the average age of Hams in the USA is 65+, and computers have replaced radio as an outlet for electronic experimentation. Too bad, as the marriage of digital and RF technologies makes all kinds of interesting things possible. The idea of using the internet and VOIP to link a bunch of VHF/UHF repeaters seems pretty cool, and takes propagation out of the equation. Imagine chatting with a ham in Johannesburg on 440 whilst driving to work. That's still pretty cool.
Still, building a 1 watt 10Mtr transmitter and working the world with it is fun, too, as long as the sunspots are favourable.
