It is hard to generalise, but amateur radio is changing. Years ago, to talk to people around the world meant an expensive phone call or getting an amateur licence and building your own gear. Today, many of us just buy a main transceiver and few build their own gear. We are (nearly) all guilty. I know I am.
What happens in 20 years' time? Many of us will be old and frail and few of us will be interested in shiny new transceivers. Quite a few manufacturers will decide there is little profit in amateur radio and leave the market. Dealers will go out of business. There will be fewer adverts in magazines. Some magazines will close. The hobby will die.
I really hope I am wrong. It is up to us all to forget what brought us into the hobby, as the magic of radio will no longer be the magnet it once was. Today, talking across the planet is free and easy via the internet by video. We need to understand what "turns young people on" technologically and move with the times.
Grey haired old men waxing lyrical about the past is not the future.
No, I am concerned. Your views?
3 comments:
A new generation of SDR based receivers and transceivers spinning out of open source projects such as Si4732 receivers, uSDX, mcHF, malahite SDR and the likes are creating entire eco systems where peoople can choose whether to create his own device up to buy it, but with an affordable cost that foster experimentation, modification and extension. Together with capable rigs from China in the USD 150-300 cost range I believe many technically oriented kids (and not so kids) will still be attracted to radio. Perhaps the operator-only guy will trend to fade though. The features of your next gen radio isn't going to be soldered but coded. On top of that weak mode communications modes (FT8) enable HF communications on places were no decent antennas were possible before. The radio will eventually adapt and change. Pedro LU7DZ
I wish I could see the future of HAMradio. Most of the old guys that were atracted by the "magic" will not be there anymore. I hope to experience it since I'm one of the young HAMs ;-). I think the magic will not be talking around the world but the advanced technology. Hacking is the keyword these days. I saw a remote hamradio QSO happening by using a xbox or playstation gameconsole yesterday on fb. That kind of stuff is appealling to the youth of today. That's why FT8 is something like a magnet. Not only FT8 but also the software that can be used around it to enchance the whole HAMradio system. The magic is to get it all to work and develop or hack the software just for fun. Same for things like SDR, DMR and that kind of software based communication. Exciting times.... 73, Bas
HAM radio will remain of interest. Maybe as kind of a backup for the internet. There are many things that can corrupt the internet and paralyse part of it. We often see disruptions or misabuse of the www nowadays already. So many outs of past year.. Be prepared for internet failures. Another interesting purpose of HAM radio pops up during disasters (9/11, floods, earthquakes). In the Netherlands there is the DARES organisation to support HAM radio during possible disasters. But most of all brewing your own radio gear remains fantastic.
73 Ron, PA2RF
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