Top 25 things vanishing from America

I ran across a series of articles discussing the top 25 things that are vanishing from America.  I think most of us could probably ad a few to the list, but number 16 is Ham (Amateur) Radio.  From WalletPop:

Top 25 things vanishing from America: #16 -- Ham radio

Tom Barlow
Jul 17th 2008 at 11:00AM

Filed under: Technology

This series explores aspects of America that may soon be just a memory -- some to be missed, some gladly left behind. From the least impactful to the most, here are 25 bits of vanishing America.

An easy way to prolong a disaster is to have the respondents use dozens of different, incompatible communications systems, or operate them with no protocol. Yes, I'm thinking about Katrina. I'm also thinking about a vanishing American treasure, the amateur radio operator. In the past five years alone, the number of people holding active licenses has dropped by 50,000, even though Morse Code is not longer a requirement.

Many think of a ham radio operator as a tubes-and-wires geek, and there is a certain truth to that stereotype, although today's ham is more likely to be computer-savvy and involved in cutting-edge technologies. However, from my personal experience, I know them to be among our nation's best trained and most capable respondents to disasters. In the hands of the amateur radio volunteers, disaster communications become orderly and prioritized, as they employ the protocols and training received in gaining their licenses. As director of one of the nation's largest week-long bicycle tours, I watched the ham community deal with countless challenges with imagination and expertise, whether it was assembling a portable tower and repeater in the field, coordinating emergency medical transport, or organizing the search for a lost child. I saw them sit for countless hours patiently looking out for the safety of thousands of people that would never know of their efforts.

As cell phones and the Internet siphon off much of what once attracted people to amateur radio, the nation's ham radio population is graying rapidly. Given the cash value of the radio bands allocated to amateur radio, there will be relentless pressure on the government to take back those bands so they can be sold. All these elements speak to a long, slow diminishment of a pastime that began with Marconi.

When amateur radio as we know it disappears, it won't be the radios we'll miss. We'll miss the operators. 73's to a national treasure.

Tom Barlow, N8NLO

Read the entire series

Be sure to read the entire series and make your own suggestions to things vanishing from our beloved country.

This article is posted at Real Clear Politics

Trackposted to The Pink Flamingo, Leaning Straight Up, Faultline USA, Allie is Wired, Democrat=Socialist, Conservative Cat, and The World According to Carl, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Comments

[Debbie]

TOM:

Thanks for the comment. I hope Ham radio wasn't the reason for the divorce. It's not too late to get back into Ham radio.

Debbie

[Tom]

I used to have a ham license (novice), but gave it up after I had to sell the rig to pay for the divorce. Just never had the time to get back into it, and it's been almost 20 years. I miss it at times...

[Aurora]

Actually ham radio would be ideal here in Australia in the vast spaces that are not serviced by cell phone connections. I know people who are tossing up getting one actually. Other 'old world' items may yet make a comeback as people rebel against the bind that modern technologies are placing them into. There are traces of that kind of feeling around.

[Debbie]

Violence Worker:

Just wanted you to know that I appreciate your comments at Right Truth on Ham Radio. I've been gone since early this morning when I posted that.

I'm a Ham also, along with hubby (Grouch at Right Truth). We are both Extra class hams and have been for years. Him since 1977 and me for fewer years. KA4P (Grouch) and N4OYM (me) He started out with a little rig he put together from a kit.

He's right about young people not being interested in Ham radio. It's a shame. We were in a bad hurricane in Hawaii, no communication with the mainland USA except through Hams for many hours.

I can also tell you that if we had a terrorist attack somewhere in the US and communications were out (cellphones, landlines, etc.) Ham radio would also be the only form of communications. And we would be in big trouble with so few hams still alive and active.

I can also tell you that there are groups of Muslims in places like Islambad across the US (New York, Virginia, NC, etc.) who have been found with Ham radio training materials. So THEY might be communicating that way, who knows. They might be better prepared that Americans.

Kevn, Layla, Jack, Grouch, thanks for the comments.

[Violence Worker]

Well a thousand is a chunk of change for me!

Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed the time and money I invested. I learned a heck of a lot and I would recommend it to anyone.

VW

[Grouch at Right Truth]

I want to take issue with one comment by Violence Worker, "The hobby is really very expensive".

Not necessarily.

You can put a functional station on the air for less than 1000 dollars.

Some hams amass stations costing many thousands of dollars but they usually do it by adding pieces of equipment over long periods of time.

"Expensive hobbies" can be somewhat relative. There are plenty of guys driving bass boats down the river here that cost 40 or 50 grand. I got my little boat in 1995 for 11.5K and it is still going strong and I probably catch as many fish as the other guys.

I try not to let expense scare away my prospective ham students.

[Grouch at Right Truth]

Indeed.

I have started teaching a new general class. I have managed to capture 5
students from my previous tech classes.

The good news is that they are eager and display the same passion that I had 31
years ago the first time I bounced a signal around the world with the power of a
light bulb.

The bad news is that all my students are about my age.

Young folks are just too busy with computers, cellphones, texting, and video
games I guess.

One day ham radio as we know it will end. Hopefully I'll be dead or too senile
to know the difference.

Oh, I am really dismayed over the passing of "Burma Shave" signs as well.

[Violence Worker]

I used to have a ham license back in the 90s. It expired in 2000. I won't disclose my old license as it goes back to my name and I keep my name out of things. It was a KC6 number and I also held an HL9 license. I had a code tech license. In other words, I passed the code test to get my novice license.

The hobby is really very expensive and much of what we do today from simply listening to our car radio and talking on a cell goes back to a lot of Amateur innovations.

It was on it's decline in the 70s and I'm sure the numbers have dwindled slowly down.

As the article points out, every amateur is expected to contribute their station and skills in a time of emergency. My Dad had a ham license and was able to help relay traffic back in 1964 during the anchorage quake.

I feel a little guilty for letting my license lapse.

VW

[Jack]

I haven't been to a drive in in about 20 years.

Disagree with the article about classified ads. They still exist and will continue for quite some time to come, even if it is only online.

[Layla]

Great post and good points to ponder. I also agree with what Kevin wrote, that is so, so true.

[kevin]

1 Common Sense
2 Patriotism

I know those are ideas, not things, but still...

Of the things on the list I miss Drive in Movies the most. When I was a kid, there was a theater about a mile away, and one with three screens in the next town.