Were you once a HAM, quit activity, let your license expire and never looked back?

[Omega-TI]

Did the hobby no longer seem "cutting edge enough" for you?
Did it get too "commercial"?
Did your favorite hang out or mode dry up and fade away?
Were there local politics that put a damper on your enthusiasm"?
Were too many of your buddies dying off?
Was it getting too expensive?
Was the XYL an issue?
Was it due to lack of time?
Did the Internet play a part in leaving Amateur Radio?

 

[N4KVE]

None of the above. 40 years now. Extra with code.

 

[kv5e]

It is as cutting edge as you make it.
It is a great hobby to learn and experiment.
So many ways to play that I keep finding new avenues of enjoyment.
Separate yourself from individuals that damper enthusiasm if they cannot be positive about life.
No, but we all have that problem.
Bang for the buck, amateur radio is still a great investment.
No, she is licensed too!
Having a work/life balance is fundamental to being happy.
The internet has only made it better!

A person's attitude about their hobby is a good indicator of their attitude about life and their involvement with others.

 

[vagrant]

No

 

[belvdr]

I went inactive for a few years. I just chit chat on 2m now and have no desire for HF. Even if I quit amateur radio, I'd keep the license.

I'm an Extra no-code, which gives me the same privileges as an Extra "with code". lol

 

[N4KVE]

I'm an Extra no-code, which gives me the same privileges as an Extra "with code". lol

In todays world, yes. But when I got my Extra, you couldn’t even get a novice license without code. So I had no choice.

 

[mmckenna]

Did the hobby no longer seem "cutting edge enough" for you?

With a few minor exceptions, ham radio hasn't been "cutting edge" in a very long time. Yes, there are some hams that are pushing the envelope on HF, but commercial LMR is quite a ways ahead of what hams are doing on VHF and higher frequencies.

Did it get too "commercial"?

Not sure what you are asking here.
There seem to be far more hams that get their license and just purchase equipment off the shelf and plug it together without a whole lot of understanding whats behind it all.
Some might see that as "commercialization". Some might say it's just convenience.

Did your favorite hang out or mode dry up and fade away?

Analog FM has really dried up around here, and I'm not interested in buying the "digital mode du-jour".

Were there local politics that put a damper on your enthusiasm"?

Nope, I just change frequency when that crap happens.

Were too many of your buddies dying off?

I ain't -that- old. Get off my lawn, kid!

Was it getting too expensive?

No. I have way more disposable income now than I did 10, 20, 30 years ago.

Was the XYL an issue?

She's not an issue, she's a ham herself, just not very active.

Was it due to lack of time?

Sort of, but not like you are thinking. I do public safety radio systems at work, and when I get home at the end of the day, the last thing I want to do is play radio. That'll likely change when I retire.

Did the Internet play a part in leaving Amateur Radio?

No. Two completely different tools for two completely different needs.
But sort of along that line, everyone has cell phones now, and they are ~mostly~ reliable. If I really need to talk to someone, there's a lot of tools to do that. Ham radio isn't just one of them.[/QUOTE]

 

[kv5e]

CW was the first mode of radio communications. It has been intrinsic to the hobby worldwide until the last three decades. It is a very spectrum efficient and efficacious mode for communications but it is not the end all to amateur radio today. I enjoy it and passed my 13 WPM to Advanced before upgrading to AE.

I don't ascribe to virtue signalling about code proficiency just as I don't ascribe to a gun enthusiast who insists that they started on black powder muzzle loading. What CW did was screen individuals from the hobby who did not make the effort to become proficient at it.

That being said, it is only one aspect of a a very diverse hobby that offers many mode modes now than just CW, phone, RTTY/FAX/SSTV just three decades ago.

Amateurs took the X.25 packet switching protocol and adapted to AX.25 for amateur usage. It was extended to provide some capability to move packets between nodes using ROSE elements or even very basic TCP/IP like comms.

What make amateur radio unique is it done for the love of radio and doing new things with it.

The thrill of constructing your own antenna and/or radio and then communicating in some mode to someone on the other side of the world.

I applaud anyone who makes the effort to obtain a call sign. I jump up and down and cheer when they continue learning and helping others to expand their horizons. This is what separates humans from other creatures on this planet, building on shared knowledge for the greater good.

It is what you make it.

 

[Hit_Factor]

Extra with code.

Extra without digital!

 

[K8EAA]

50 years on the air and still love it to death. I grew up with radio. Even when my parents finally got a TV, I used to stay up late and DX TV stations all up and down the east coast.

 

[kv5e]

Extra cheese and bacon

 

[K4EET]

Hmmm 🤔… No, I was born into a very long line of Ham’s stretching back to Europe in the 1700s and earlier. Actually, my ancestors were Ham’s before the first ham was ever issued a license. It wasn’t until the 20th century that we picked up a second “m” but I’m still a ham all around! Dave K4EET

 

[Engine104]

Some guys go "dormant" for many years and then get back into the hobby. For that reason alone, I would never suggest to someone to let their license lapse. File the renewal paperwork and keep it going. You never know when you might get the itch again.

 

[jwt873]

I've been an amateur radio operator since before the word ham somehow became capitalized.. (over 40 years).

I've been active all the time. I did have a 10 year HF hiatus during the time when I lived in an apartment. Missed one good sunspot cycle then.

 

[wwhitby]

I went inactive from 1999 to 2017. I had my Tech ticket for six years in 1999, and to be honest, I had grown tired of UHF/VHF simplex and repeaters. I had tried to learn code, but failed miserably each time I had tried. I just lost interest. But, since I had earned my license, I kept renewing it.

Fast forward to 2017. My then 14 year old son developed an interest in communications and took and passed his ham ticket. This inspired me to get back involved and I got my General a month later. I'm more involved now than I was back in the 90s.

 

[popnokick]

Do not let your license expire. None of us are getting any younger... and ham radio is a lifelong hobby. What do I mean by that? It will go with you as you age, and heaven forbid (but it happens).... have heart surgery, be confined to a wheelchair, assisted living, living with a friend / relative, retiring... and all the other "stuff" that happens as we all get "younger" as the days go by... NOT! Keep your license.... it becomes more useful every day of your life. I had that point driven home to me recently.

 

[PreferredCustomer]

Extra with 20 WPM code test.

Interest has come and gone and come back again throughout the years.

Currently exploring GMRS.

 

[Echo4Thirty]

I do public safety radio systems at work, and when I get home at the end of the day, the last thing I want to do is play radio. That'll likely change when I retire.

THIS!

 

[R0am3r]

No to all of your questions. Licensed for 44 years and still enjoying the hobby. 20 WPM Extra.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

Really haven't been that active on the air, license still valid. Plan to upgrade to general so I can have some HF. Not big on rag chewing. It is the technology that interests me.

At the peak, I was quite active on AO-10 and AO-13 satellites, working France, Russia, Japan etc. on the HEO satellites. AO-40 was going to be the next big thing and I was heavily invested time, money and equipment wise to take that on. The AO-40 went bang and ever since AMSAT has focused on LEO FM satellites and "trying" to get back to HEO. I don't think they will get to HEO in my lifetime. If I were on the other side of the planet the GEO, Saudi Sat would be my target. For now, disappointed with direction of AMSAT, where I remain a member.

Been occupied with lots of family , work and household responsibilites and distractions has limited my on air experience.

Mostly doing R&D as part of work/hobby.

ARRL indeed has gone very "commercial". I remain a member so I can get QEX. Remember Communications Quarterly? Why cant we have such a magazine now? Not crazy about reading magazines on my computer and tablet but they are going that way, AMSAT Journal just dropped the print.

Family are not hams. They use smartphones. Explaining the differences even to smart people is futile!