Is amateur (Ham) radio still a viable hobby?

Hi there

I don't know why you used the word 'viable', perhaps your meant - 'worthwhile'.

Amateur radio is a good hobby but often ,, in fact VERY often it is presented in a way that is unlike the reality of what it is.

People are told that it is a cheap , fun way that young girls and guys can communicate with friends , or as a means of helping out in times of disaster , and well basically , that is baloney. !

Yes , it can be cheap (relatively) , yes you can use it to talk to other radio friends , and yes it has been used in times of disaster , yes some young people do have their licenses , and there are girls , but that is NOT what Amateur Radio (AR) is for, or what it is about.

AR is , and it always has been for the technical investigation and hands on experimentation of radio/electronics and communications systems.

That being the case the average AR Op that has been active in the hobby for many years and has progressed in license levels is statistically more likely ,not broke , not young , not girls , not in it for speaking with friends , and not deluding themselves into thinking they are going to save the world.

Lots of AR operators get licensed every year , and almost an equal number give it up.

Of those ones that give up , most will have come into the hobby thinking it is something that it is not.

It is a technical pursuit , , for those that are desiring self education in the field of radio/electronics.

Those that come in for other reasons , soon find themselves on the revolving door right out again.

Yes, recent reports of licensing in the United States indicate that the number of ham radio operators surpassed 700,000 for the first time so there is growth in the hobby. There are so many facets to the hobby that most anyone can find a segment that will be very interesting and rewarding to pursue. Many new hams are involved in backup emergency communications, helping with communication in support of charity road races, fund-raising walks, and the like. There are others involved in experimenting with very high frequencies (VHF), going beyond line-of-sight radio propagation normally found on those frequencies and some even bounce those VHF signals off the Moon to communicate long distances. Still others are involved in digital communications using radios and computers to communicate over great distances using low power with signals that are not audible to the human ear. Studying for the test is very easy with many study materials available from the ARRL, W5YI, and Ham Test On-Line

Still Viable? Is it thriving? Can it survive into the future? I maintain yes, it is viable. In the USA the number of licensees continues to grow. In the world, the number of licensees is growing. Further signs of viability are that ham radio is transforming, evolving to modern communications waveforms and modulations. The future is the marriage of radio and digital technologies, and the hardware will by software defined radios plus digital computing hardware (beyond today's computers). The venue will continue to expand in space (Ham radio celebrates 50 years of orbiting amateur radio satellites).

Yes, ham radio has never been more viable!

YES I'm a "HAM" for 4 years and love it. I talk with people all over the world. I have talked from florida to all the states and have met in person with many fine people in 4 states. Like anything you get back what you put in. Look up arrl.com or QRZ.com

Google a search on it and I'm certain you will find many other HAM radio enthusiasts.

yes. Ham radio has 1000s of people using it. If you are in the US, visit www.hello-radio.com to get started.