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Is HAM radio really extinguished? All it takes is passing a test, and the rules around it seem more valuable to sharing a public resource (frequency spectrum) than detrimental?

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HAM radio is dying more from the behavior of its geriatric old guard towards newcomers than any regulation.

The lack of ability to use encryption makes most things I'd think to do on it with packet radio fall off quickly. LoRA seems to be where more digital hobbyists end up because we can do things like build out Reticulum without violating FCC regulations.

But there's still some fun stuff to be done with HAM, as long as you don't mind anyone and everyone listening in on it.

The test is easier than ever too. None of the three levels even require learning morse code anymore. I passed Technician after a few hours of study. General doesn't take much more. Amateur Extra is the hard one, but you can do most things you'd want to with General.

https://hamstudy.org

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