Some remain optimistic about the future of our hobby and I very much hope they are right.
What is clear is the "magic of radio" is no longer there. As a teenager in the 1960s radio was still magic and an amateur licence allowed one to communicate across the world. These days we can all do this in colour video from a phone in the hand for free!
Unless we can connect with (especially young) people I can see our hobby evolving and dying out.
Amateur radio as we knew it will not be the same in the future. I cannot predict the trajectory it will follow, but change is inevitable.
Am I worried? No. Most people use amateur radio like CB anyway.
My predictions have not changed:
- Most radio amateurs are older males.
- These will get older and fewer rigs will get bought.
- Some dealers will close.
- Some manufacturers will leave the market as it will no longer make them profits.
- Ads will disappear.
- Magazines will close or get much smaller.
- Amateur radio will become like CB with free bands for appliance operators.
- Those who want callsigns will be allocated these by national societies, not PTTs.
- Somehow those few who experiment will still experiment.
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