The Uncertain Future of Ham Radio.

Will the amateur airwaves fall silent? Since the dawn of radio, amateur operators (hams) have transmitted on tenaciously guarded slices of spectrum. Electronic engineering has benefited tremendously from their activity, from the level of the individual engineer to the entire field. But the rise of the Internet in the 1990s, with its ability to easily connect billions of people, captured the attention of many potential hams. Now, with time taking its toll on the ranks of operators, new technologies offer opportunities to revitalize amateur radio, even if in a form that previous generations might not recognize.

Read more at: https://spectrum.ieee.org/ham-radio