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Is Ham radio a dying breed... will Ham radio end ?

monokakata said:
I doubt it. It's just that they're classics.

I have what's by now a not-very-new Japan Radio Corp (JRC) NRD-525 that I'm sure would spank my old Collins in any side-by-side test (although I had the NRD-525 outfitted with Collins filters).

But the 75A4 and its ilk speak of another era - black crackle finish, glowing tubes (lots of them . . . the 75A4 had 22 tubes), heat, knobs to turn, discrete components you could work on yourself, and they actually had interesting smells, too. So I'm not surprised that they fetch good prices.

Here's a 75A4:
http://www.w1ujr.net/collins_75a4.htm

Here's a NRD-525
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/commrxvr/nrd525.html

Which one is more cool (as it were?). I leave it to you. But in the modern world, the NRD is a lot more useful

Here's what I'd like to have:
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/commrxvr/0340.html

Well, enough thread-jacking for today.
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"black crackle finish, glowing tubes, heat, knobs to turn, discrete components you could work on yourself, and they actually had interesting smells, too plus point-to-point wiring---I need to take a cold shower
 
chown33 said:
Even flint-knapping is still a hobby, despite being obsolete for centuries as a tool-making craft.
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OK. It's one of those days. Sorry, Waloshin.

I spent years teaching college-level archaeology. One time -- I suppose in the early 80s -- I wanted to show a video that was on a Sony U-Matic tape -- 3/4", I think it was. I asked the college A/V people to bring one to my classroom before class. They did, but went away before I checked the delivery. They left the wrong cable. I think they left me F connectors and I needed BNC, or the other way around.

This was a night time class, and by the time I discovered the problem, the A/V people had long ago gone home.

However, on my prep/demonstration cart I had -- yes -- some flint. So I quickly made a crude (but sharp and effective) flint tool and used it to cut through the wrong cable, strip it, and make a bare-wire connection to the video deck.

I told the class to take note that I'd fixed a modern problem with a million-year-old technology. And then we watched the video.
 
Back on topic:

I was curious about the number of Ham operators in the US so I did a little research. Here are the total number of licenses (all classes) from the ARS:

2012 704,236 (thru 03-31)
2011 702,056
2010 696,041
2009 682,497
2008 663,564
2007 655,842
2006 656,068
2005 662,600
2004 671,837
2003 684,059
2002 685,308
2001 683,037
2000 682,240

So, the definitive answer is: No, not dying!
 
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When the power is out and cell towers are out as a result they remain a vital communication line.
 
NewAnger said:
That is of course, is if you have a mobile rig setup and have gas to keep the car running. Could be bad if the big one falls someday.
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I don't know much about it but surely you could use a battery?
 
R94N said:
I don't know much about it but surely you could use a battery?
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Some ham radios have portable capabilities built in but most are for home use and require plugging in and using electricity. There are mobile units also as I mentioned above but if gas runs out or can't be accessed, well....

A sat phone may be a better alternative.
 
NewAnger said:
Some ham radios have portable capabilities built in but most are for home use and require plugging in and using electricity. There are mobile units also as I mentioned above but if gas runs out or can't be accessed, well....

A sat phone may be a better alternative.
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Think 3rd world. Many crank generators with people wlling and able to turn the crank. I believe there is or once was a philanthropic group that distributed radio receivers with cranks in Africa.
 
NewAnger said:
Some ham radios have portable capabilities built in but most are for home use and require plugging in and using electricity. There are mobile units also as I mentioned above but if gas runs out or can't be accessed, well....

A sat phone may be a better alternative.
Click to expand...

What happens if electricity is cut off?
 
waloshin said:
What happens if electricity is cut off?
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If we have a long term power outage of a few months not much will be working including generators as they need a way to get fuel. No gas stations no fill up. Of course that is the doomsday senerio.
 
From participation - not sure how much that's going to change, but I do question how long until the FCC starts looking at those bands for commercial use. All this attention to the lack of available bandwidth, those vultures will start circling soon.

Those people who moon-bounce and ping the ISS, impressive stuff, no way I've got the expendable income / time - so I'll leave it to them.

Come massive disaster - those guys will be heroes, at least for a little while. ;)
 
Ham's pretty cool, I've met a lot of people throught it, but i rarely talk now.

I'm 16, and got my M3 licence when i was 8, was the youngest in the UK to get it at the time, although some kid got it younger than me pretty soon after.

Kit is really cheap, 50GBP so like 65/70USD will get you a nice 2m kit, that you can get 100 miles on probably..

Its an easy exam and something thats good to put on your CV, so there isn't really any reason not to get a foundation license.
 
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