"Michael Coslo" wrote:

I don't think that we have become more greedy or self serving over the
years. I'm more inclined to think a nostalgia effect is at work.

Perhaps. However, as a youth I can recall numerous stories of how Joe Smith
was a chemical engineer at some company, and invented Substance X in his
garage while piddling around at home.

It is often said that the best job you can have is one that is also a hobby.
If ham radio is your hobby, and you work as an electrical engineer by day,
can you really "invent" something for ham radio that your employer wouldn't
have some type of claim against?


In my field, I find many people writing and giving away software. I think
how much altruism exists depends on a person's outlook.

What real altruism exists in software short of Linux-based products?

Granted, there is a large amount of 'shareware' out there, but a sizeable
percentage of it is simply crippleware designed to get you to upgrade to the
'commercial' version.


What do you base the thesis of declining popularity on?

Licensed amateurs as a whole in the US has been declining for 3+ years now.
The rate of growth in Japanese amateurs has been anemic, under 1%, for the
past 5+ years.
UK licenses remain fairly consistent with their peak numbers 12 years ago,
although short-term trends do see an increase.
Australian licensees have been a 10+% dropoff over the past decade.

All of these observations support a generic claim that interest in ham radio
is lessening.