I always had a diffuse idea of why people are spending so much time and money on amateur radio. Once I got my license and started to amass radios myself, it became more clear to me.
It always seemed like amateur radio was an extremely practical endeavor. The goal appeared to be to establish alternative communication forms in case of a breakdown of existing ways to communicate or to be able to stay in contact with civilization when out hiking in the woods.
I lived in Houston for 10 years at this point, and I’ve been through multiple natural disasters that led to communications break down almost entirely. The 2021 freeze led to blackouts that lasted so long that the cell infrastructure started to shut down.
However, it never came even close to a situation where life and death depended on the ability to communicate. So, why spend more money than maybe $50 on a cheap Chinese handheld radio, just in case?
The reason is simple: It’s to learn. Being able to communicate with others using nothing but electricity and an antenna, from within the city to thousands of miles away, is nothing but fascinating.
Once you made a contact with someone, you will want to learn more about how this even worked, how different shapes and types of antennas influence where your signal can be received or what data modes are out there. You can bounce signals off the moon or use the repeater on the International Space Station to reach other people.
You will learn about atmospheric conditions, weather, how to build safe and secure masts, 12V DC circuits, fuses, ladders, guy wires, and so many more things.
Before you know it, you’ll build your own antennas and experiment with portable field setups on top of a mountain or in the woods.
The key to understanding Why Amateur Radio is that you will usually spend much more time working on your setup and shack than transmitting from it. That’s what it’s all about. You learn and experiment. It’s a hobby.
For me, it also brings a lot of practical radio frequency work experience that I can use in my day job daily.
On top of that, it’s fun to log and collect the contacts you made over the years. If you are lucky, you may even still receive a QSL card.
… and as a nice side effect, you will be well prepared if you ever need a radio in an emergency.