Strong Amateur Radio Growth Continues
A record 737,135 people held FCC amateur radio
licenses as of March 31, according to license statistician Joe Speroni, AH0A.
The ARRL Letter reports that for
calendar year 2015, net growth in the U.S. Amateur Radio Service totaled 9130,
for a growth rate of 1.2 per cent, and an increase over the past ten years of
nearly 73,000. These figures actually understate the number of new people
entering our hobby, because license expirations and cancellations are
subtracted from the total. According to hamdata.com, there were 33,553 new
amateur licenses issued in the 12 months ending on March 31 of this year. Three
years at that rate would mean nearly 100,000 new people entering the hobby in
just a three-year period.