I don't think that we are ever going to see Amateur Radio appeal to
the public at large. Fifty years ago it was difficult to phone
outside of your state, today I regularly call relatives in India, Iran
and Australia for free on Skype. Kids today who regularly chat with
other kids from around the globe on myspace will not be impressed with
a hard to hear ham contact with North Dakota.

I flew to India on business, turned on my standard US issued mobile/
cell phone in Mumbai airport and received a call from the US long
before I cleared customs. The customs agent just shrugged when he saw
my phone. Have you ever tried to take ham equipment into India or get
an Indian callsign? Just forget it unless you want to pay some
serious "facilitation fees."

The appeal of ham radio is almost historical, like being a classic car
buff, but it appeals only to certain segments of the population. I
doubt that the july 2003 record of hams will ever be broken, what
eliminating the code requirement does is hold the line on decline and
make it easier for those who want to try the hobby to try it.