I'm 37 and got my ham radio license when I was 15. Ham radio captured my imagination in a way nothing has before or since, and led pretty directly to my career as a hardware and software engineer.
In some ways I feel lucky that I encountered it when the internet was still young. The internet was there with tons of resources to learn about it, but not so ubiquitous as to have killed the magic of getting on my radio and talking to someone across the country or world.
I'm primarily a CW (Morse Code) operator, and would so hate to see it die out as an art form, hobby, and useful technology. That said, I'm also well aware that the hobby is evolving and needs to evolve to survive, as it always has. I think accessibility of SDR and increasingly advanced digital modes is a great thing.
If you're reading HN, you're probably the kind of person that would find stuff to enjoy in ham radio. It's a huge hobby, and about much much more than "talking to people".
> If you're reading HN, you're probably the kind of person that would find stuff to enjoy in ham radio
Agreed. Plus if you want to just explore the ham world without going the license route, there's an abundance of cheep software-defined radio dongles (rx only) you can hook up and listen in with. There's a lot of weird and cool stuff on the air that'll keep you occupied for hours.
Heh, yes, the SDR dongles are quite fun to play with. You could be a beacon receiver (to help map propagation), track airplanes near you (and contribute to the nationwide map), listen to transmissions (voice or images) from satellites, be a RX only APRS i-gate (to improve APRS coverage), etc.
Of course the options multiply once you get a license and transmit.
I got my license when I was around 37 and was already very familiar with the internet. So the long distance communications part of Amateur Radio was less interesting to me, I was more interested in shorter range VHF/UHF disaster communications. And still am, I still participate in diaster drills and the occasional special event (running, biking, etc) support.
In some ways I feel lucky that I encountered it when the internet was still young. The internet was there with tons of resources to learn about it, but not so ubiquitous as to have killed the magic of getting on my radio and talking to someone across the country or world.
I'm primarily a CW (Morse Code) operator, and would so hate to see it die out as an art form, hobby, and useful technology. That said, I'm also well aware that the hobby is evolving and needs to evolve to survive, as it always has. I think accessibility of SDR and increasingly advanced digital modes is a great thing.
If you're reading HN, you're probably the kind of person that would find stuff to enjoy in ham radio. It's a huge hobby, and about much much more than "talking to people".