It's a question most any amateur can answer easily and clearly, although sometimes it's frustrating to do so.
In one form or another it's likely that most amateur radio operators have been asked that question since the arrival of the personal computer, and more so with the proliferation of cellphones. It's a question most any amateur can answer easily and clearly, although sometimes it's frustrating to do so.
As such, this short article isn't about debating the question. It's about a refreshing thought. It's about the tens of thousands of new people who, in the last three years, have found amateur radio operation interesting enough, and maybe important enough to them, to earn their FCC license.
An article in the February 2017 edition of The ARRL Letter, "Another Outstanding Year for Amateur Radio Licensing," makes a good case in support of the overall good health and well-being of the amateur radio services.
ARRL reported that last year, in 2016, "New amateur radio licenses issued were up by 1 percent over 2015, and this is the third year in a row that the total number of new licensees exceeded 30,000." For the three-year span of 2014 through 2016, 97,870 new amateurs were licensed. Numbers culled from the databases of the FCC show the total number of ham licensees to be 742,787 at the end of 2016. And one more statistic compiled by ARRL people that should be of interest to us is this: "Over the past decade, the net number of amateur radio licensees has risen by nearly 87,000."
Going forward it would be reasonable to assume that this year, 2017, another 30,000 or so new amateur radio operators will be added to the FCC rolls. Where will they come from? We at TALARC HQ would like to think they could come from among members of your post, unit or SAL squadron, or perhaps from among Legion-eligible veterans in your community who need only to hear the answer to the question, "Why ham radio in this day and age?"
- Ham Radio