Is ham radio really an outdated mode of communications, in this digital age ? I would like to think that it wasnt, but the reality of it is, that ham radio, or amateur radio as it is also called, is more of a hobby rather than anything else at this time. Sure, it can be usefual when networks go down, or the occasional emergency, but overal, it is a dying hobby. Maybe it is a bit extreme to call it "useless" though. I do find that I enjoy it, and it is fun talking to people on the other side of the world, using only a radio and a chunk of wire strung out between two trees.

I especially enjoy using radio gear from the pre-war era, to the mid 1960's to make what are called DX contacts. DX is a station that is not in this country (USA). I also use a mode that is called CW, or "Morse Code", to make 99% of my contacts. The boatanchors that I use, make this a lot of fun. I enjoy using a radio that I actually have to think a bit before I make any contacts, and try to get away from the plug and play aspect of my hobby. Sure, I do use modern gear as well, for when I want a fast contact, but i still glean the most amount of pleasure from using the tube radio gear.

back in the day, it was required to have a transmitter AND a receiver to accomplish a contact. These radios require a lot of knob twisting to make everything work properly. You also have to make sure that you are receiving on the same frequency that you are transmitting on. That can be a bit challenging at times, but I enjoy the challenge as well. It is also important to keep in mind that this gear can be extremely heavy, some exceeding 100 lbs, so it is important to have a strong back if you are going to work on this sort of gear.

I guess the point of this article, is that I have no point at all really, except that I enjoy amateur radio, so i can say that from an emergency standpoint, unless the entire US infrastructure suddenly breaks down, and all forms of communication were to dissapear, ham radio is nothing more than a dying hobby. I hate to say that, since it is something i love, but since I am one of the youngest club members in the area, that their isnt much future in ham radio.