We had some discussion on the increase in the number of amateur radio
operators at the last Fest. Why is a bit of a mystery. Two possible
reasons could be the up tick in the solar cycle attracting fence sitters
or, more darkly, a failure of confidence in public infrastructure. Even
mainstream media have noticed. This article comes from NPR and was
passed along by a friend. -Fred
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125586086&sc=ipad&f=1001
<http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125586086&sc=ipad&f=1001>
Ham Radio Growing In The Age Of Twitter
by Matt Sepic
NPR - April 5, 2010
Only a few years ago, blogs listed ham radio alongside 35 mm film and
VHS tape as technologies slated to disappear.
They were wrong.
Nearly 700,000 Americans have ham radio licenses — up 60 percent from
1981, a generation ago. And the number is growing.
Ham radio will never have the sex appeal of the iPhone, but it does have
a certain nerd appeal, says Allen Weiner, an analyst at the technology
research firm Gartner.
"If it creates its own experience, that's really what's key here," he
says. "If it just emulates an experience that you can get online, it's
not going to grow."
Newcomers to ham radio include Helen Schlarman, 89, who has a compact,
two-way radio in her home in suburban St. Louis. She looks up a friend
across town by pushing the talk button, announcing the letters and
numbers of his call sign (W-0-S-J-S), and then announcing her own
(W-0-A-K-I).
Steve Schmitz's voice crackles through Schlarman's radio.
"Hi Helen, how you doing, W-0-S-J-S?" he says, ending his response with
his own call letters.
Many "hams," as they're known, hang postcards from global contacts on
their walls, the way hunters show off deer antlers, but Schlarman's
chats are mostly local. She says this hobby is perfect for an outgoing
person who spends a lot of time inside.
"It's a different community," she says. "There [are] no stereotypes of
age; it's just talking and sharing and enjoying."
Until recently, ham radio was declining as older operators died. Then
the Federal Communications Commission phased out the Morse code test
that many saw as a stumbling block to getting a license. Last year more
than 30,000 new applicants signed up to become ham radio operators,
according to Maria Somma, an official with the American Radio Relay League.
At a ham radio convention near St. Louis, the crowd swapping antenna
parts and other equipment is mostly male, and over 50. But 15-year-old
Jonathan Dunn is attending along with his father. He says Facebook and
texting are fun, but making friends using a $200 radio that doesn't come
with monthly fees is more rewarding.
"With ham radio you can talk to new people, all kinds of ages, races,
and it's just amazing what a little radio can do. Because no matter
where you're at, if you have the right stuff and the right power you can
talk to anyone," he says.
Jonathan's dad, Steve Dunn, says the polite chitchat between ham radio
operators is good for teenagers. "If young people have the opportunity
to communicate with a wide range of people, that instills a certain
amount of confidence in their ability to carry on the lost art of small
talk," he says.
Even the most die-hard hams concede that amateur radio will never be a
mainstream hobby. With smart phones and other devices, people are more
plugged in to the Internet than before. But people are still discovering
the joy of communicating with a technology that's existed for nearly a
century. Copyright 2010 National Public Radio
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