Aging Amateur Radio Ops was Re: Politics - free

[Kevin Purcell]

Bad netiquette to reply to one's own post but ...

This is perhaps the best collection of amateur radio statistics

<http://ah0a.org/FCC/index.html>

and this one in particular (though you do have a smearing problem of  
10 year licenses) show a drop in US licenses.

<http://ah0a.org/FCC/Licenses.html>

The total ham population peaked (687,860) in April 2003 and dropped  
to a low of 656,727 in September 2006.

In the UK there has been a growing trend since a low of 56,820 in  
2002 to a peak of 63,030 in September 2006 which is the exact  
opposite of the US (Mostly due to regulatory changes and introducing  
a Foundation license).

<http://ah0a.org/UK/G-StationsSummarized.html>

In Japan amateur radio really does seem to be dying (though they have  
by far the most hams per capita)

<http://ah0a.org/MPT/JA-Stations.html>

The Aussies have flattened out after a decrease

<http://ah0a.org/Australia/VK-Stations.html>

Perhaps ham radio isn't as dead as we might think it is? WØRPK makes  
the argument that it's actually growing.

<http://showcase.netins.net/web/wallio/LICENSE.html>

The 10 year license renewal adds a low pass filter on a data that  
makes trends a little more difficult to discern.

Given that there should be some interest out there in Part 15 data  
services. One might think.

On Dec 28, 2006, at 4:53 PM, Kevin Purcell wrote:

> The real test is the stats the ARRL collect: What is the average  
> age of a radio amateur today and how is it changing? The last  
> numbers I saw (for which I can't provide a cite) was that the  
> average age was steadily increasing i.e. few new entrants into the  
> field whilst the current population ages.
>
> Wikipedia says the average age is now 60 years.
>
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amateur_radio_operator>
>
> And this article says 55.5 years (for RTTY contesters)
>
> <http://www.jarl.or.jp/iaru-r3/news/r3nl-05-12.doc>
>
>> Average Age of the Amateur Radio Operator.
>>
>> The age of the operator was the ‘exchange’ for the JARTS RTTY  
>> contest held from 15 to 16 Oct 05. Bob WA6BOB had 380 qso’s and  
>> released the statistics that the ages spread from 23 to 87 years.  
>> The weighted average of the operators works out to 55.5 years.
>
> So amateur radio is basically a Baby-Boomer hobby. And like the  
> Boomers it's slowly dying out. When I was a kid talking to someone  
> 1500 miles away was an interesting feat. Now anyone can do it.
>
> It's not the only boomer hobby with a problem -- hiking is an aging  
> hobby too.
>
> The other barriers to entry (like removing the morse requirement or  
> the age limit) have come too late. The hobby is just not  
> interesting enough for most kids.
>
> QRP HF, VHF, UHF, microwave, sat and digital modes always  
> interested me the most. And now SDR and high speed data. The QEX  
> people are pushing the boundaries. Unfortunately they're a tiny  
> minority in the field.
>
> That said a metropolitan area data network run in Part 15 that  
> ordinary people could use I think could attract quite a lot of  
> younger people. I'll have more to say on that in the main thread.
>
> 73 DE N7WIM (ex-G8UDP)
> Kevin
>
>
> On Dec 28, 2006, at 2:03 PM, jeff at aerodata.net wrote:
>
>>>>> Hopefully this new year I (we?) will have more resources to put  
>>>>> into a
>>>>> alternate (Amateur/Part15) network.   Never enough time...
>>>>
>>>> Speaking of which, how do you feel about the dropping of Morse code
>>>> proficiency from the amateur radio license testing?
>>
>> One of the interesting things about this it seems ever since I got my
>> license at the age of 14 in 1976, I've heard this is a dieing  
>> hobby. Yet,
>> I also seem to recall, the numbers of hams in the U.S. has more then
>> doubled.
>>
>> Now, if someone said this was a hobby that was more and more  
>> irrelevent,
>> I'd have to agree.
>
> --
> Kevin Purcell
> kevinpurcell at pobox.com
>
>

--
Kevin Purcell
kevinpurcell at pobox.com