This is still a hobby, isn’t it?

Ham Radio continues to change. Whether you believe the changes are good or bad depends on a lot on your perspective. But, no matter if you are a traditional brass pounder, or you believe the Internet is the future of ham radio, one question stands out as we enter another year. Is ham radio still just a hobby? Yes, there is always the public service aspect. Many of us still enjoy getting out to support our local charity run or bicycle race, but isn’t that still part of the hobby? The change that has surprised me the most brings the lure of money into the picture. Has the line between a pure hobby and a small business become blurred?

What indeed is a hobby? I found this definition online:

“A hobby is a regular activity that a person engages in for enjoyment and relaxation during their leisure time, rather than for financial gain or professional purposes.”

This isn’t meant to criticize those who seek financial reward from writing or posting videos about amateur radio. We each have our own circumstances and maintaining an online presence does cost money. Services such as Patreon have tempted many online content creators to invite followers to make a voluntary regular financial donation to “support the channel”. Has this turned our hobby into a micro business? One online source defines “business” as:

The activity of buying and selling commodities, products, or services.

If a website or video channel provides affiliate links to products, is that a business service? And are commissions earned and Patreon donations received taxable as business income? I don’t know. If there is a non-profit motive and a genuine need for assistance then a request to help cover the running costs would be a sincere and appropriate alternative.

If I had a million dollars, I’d be rich

When I read a blog or forum post that is full of links to affiliate services such as Amazon where we can purchase promoted products “at no additional cost” I wonder whether the product is being promoted because it truly is the best available product at the best price, or for some other reason. Last fall I stayed at a very nice hotel and posted a very positive review of my stay online. Shortly afterwards I received an email from the hotel offering me $20 if I posted a positive review on another specific online service. I was shocked and replied that I declined their offer and did not approve of businesses buying favorable reviews. I now tend to distrust online reviews of anything, including ham radio equipment.

Am I just a grumpy old curmudgeon?

Perhaps this is “progress”; the concept of a pure hobby activity may be fading into history. Perhaps I am simply too old-fashioned to keep up. I have owned and operated businesses – real bricks and mortar businesses – so I am not opposed to the concept of entrepreneurship. I am retired now and enjoy ham radio as an activity that I engage in purely for enjoyment and relaxation during my leisure time. Other people’s situations and motivations may differ from mine but, here on Ham Radio Outside the Box, I cover the costs out of my own pocket and am happy to carry on doing so.

And while I’m up on my soapbox …

Early in my ham radio activities I discovered that I enjoyed operating outdoors (out in the “Big Blue Sky Shack”) far more than sitting at home in my basement shack. But there was a problem. Quite often I would be sitting in a field calling CQ into a black empty void and getting no responses. Then along came a brilliant new activity that changed everything. Now I got contacts every time I stepped outdoors and fired up my rig – sometimes lots of contacts. That new activity was Parks on the Air, a.k.a. POTA.

POTA fundamentally changed ham radio and has quickly become one of the most popular activities in ham radio. The rules are very simple and, quite frankly, open to interpretation. Adherence to the rules is left to the honor and honesty of participants. In June 2024 I wrote a post entitled: “How to really up your POTA game (and why you shouldn’t)“. I wrote: “There is a very simple way to get your activation complete in very short order – even during a complete HF blackout. And for a bonus you can get lots of Park to Park (P2P) credits along the way. And best of all you can do it all without violating any Parks on the Air rules. Oh, just one more thing, PLEASE DON’T EVER DO THIS!.”

I was, and remain, uncomfortable with the practice of two hams making an HT to HT VHF simplex contact with each other to complete an activation. It just doesn’t seem to be in the spirit of good operating practice to my way of thinking. Is leaving the park after a “busted activation” really so bad?

My personal preference is to hike into the backcountry, find a secluded spot away from the public eye and set up my radio. But it seems that approach is rare among POTA operators. Many prefer what Ed Durrant DD5LP has dubbed “PLOTA” (Parking Lots on the Air). I have also heard it called “Drive-Thru activations”. Sometimes the parking area is actually outside the park boundary, but what the heck eh? I read one POTA activation account in which the activator was within 100 feet of the park entrance and claimed a valid activation. For the record, the activator and all their equipment must be entirely inside the park boundary. The only exception to this rule is for trails where the 100ft exemption applies.

If too many hams activate a park from the parking lot, or adjacent picnic tables, or set up poles and antennas in public areas, other park users may start to complain. Could it happen? You bet it could; witness what happened in the State of Virginia recently as reported by, among others, fellow blogger Stuart VE9CF on his blog “Out n Aboot”. People who visit parks for quiet enjoyment may not appreciate hams hollerin’ into microphones trying to complete a contact when the bands are bad. Perhaps consider operating CW or digital modes and wearing headphones. People may construe your unobtrusive, totally silent radio activity as some kind of scientific study and pass on by.

It really is fun to operate outside in a park. We can soak up the sunshine, enjoy the trails and the wildlife and play radio too. Del N2NWK who is an avid POTA activator disagrees and wrote in a comment here on Ham Radio Outside the Box:

“There is no such thing as in the spirit of POTA. POTA is not about going to the park to enjoy nature. POTA is about operating your radio in the park to make at least 10 contacts in order to have a valid activation.

POTA rules states that you and all your equipment must be within the boundaries of the park. There is nothing in the POTA rules that say you must hike, or go a certain distance in the park to activate. Just operate you radio in the park and have fun. POTA allows you to choose however you feel to activate your park.

Too many people trying to make rules for POTA that does not exist. Park to Park is operators making contacts with each other from a park, it does not matter if it is the same park or not.”

So Del and many other hams like him I suspect, participate in POTA simply to rack up as many contacts as possible, as quickly and efficiently as possible. Nothing wrong with that I guess, I just see things differently.

I used to be drawn to the competitive aspects of POTA. I checked the POTA website regularly to make sure I was still listed as the “Park Leader” at my local parks. If not, I would schedule another activation to restore my status. After a while the allure of yet another activation waned. Now I am content to go to a park, or a trail, or wilderness area to test a new antenna design by making some contacts. Maybe I am slowing down with age who knows. I am glad POTA is still around and I really hope the Virginia experience doesn’t lead to further restrictions on ham radio activities in public spaces.

As always, if you disagree, or have another perspective to consider, please leave a comment below.

Coming up on Ham Radio Outside the Box

Adam K2CAT wrote to me about a new iOS/Mac app he has written to help hams. I am not an iOS/Mac user myself so I cannot comment on how good it is, but next week Ham Radio Outside the Box will post Adam’s description so you can try it out for yourself.

Also in next week’s post, another great idea from a reader. Bruce AA1AR has come up with an original and very clever idea for constructing radials. Read all about it next week.

Coming up later this month; it is another bitter winter here in southern Ontario; cold temperatures, biting winds and lots of snow. I set up my ancient Yaesu FT-817 in the back seat of my RAM 1500 truck for shelter and found I was juggling paddles, battery and assorted other bits and pieces that were falling from my frozen hands and finding cunning hiding places under the seat, or in awkward crevices that were hard to reach. After a rethink and a bit of metalwork in my garage workshop I found a better way to get my portable winter gear organized. Details in an upcoming post.

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