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Ham Radio Growing In The Age Of Twitter
Date :
18 /
04 /
2010
Author :
Robert Broomhead - VK3DN
The National Public Radio News Story
A story published by NPR (National Public Radio) on April the 5th reported that Amateur Radio in the United States was growing in the age of twitter. The report by Matt Sepic appeared in both the online and audio version of the NPR news service. It quotes Allen Weiner an analyst at Gartner and Associates the technology research firm who says that while ham radio will never have the sex appeal of the iPhone, it does have a certain level of what he terms as nerd appeal. He explains that growth in our specialized communications interest in this way. Weiner says that if it creates its own experience, that's really what's key here. Conversely, if it just emulates an experience that you can get online, it's not going to grow. The report concludes by noting that even the most die-hard hams admit that amateur radio will never be a mainstream hobby. But says National Public Radio, people are still discovering the joy of communicating with the technology of amateur radio. A technology that has existed for nearly a century.
You may read the full NPR news story by clicking the following Link
In Australia
Whilst the report quotes US statistics, it raises the question is if the same trend is true in Australia? Is our amateur population growing in numbers or declining? Twelve months ago on the 18th of April 2009 the ACMA database reported 15,515 current issued callsigns. Today, the 18th of April 2010, there are 15,675 current issued callsigns, a very encouraging increase of 160 in the last twelve months. In Australia the turnaround from decline to growth was first noted after the introduction of the foundation licence in 2005, a trend that has been consistent year on year since.
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