Think about how you got enthusiastic toward amateur radio. For me, I was eight years old and it was through a cheap transistor AM radio. This passion has been unabated since that time, albeit not always top priority in the broader scheme of life. It’s my belief that most hams have a “burning love” of the activity embedded in the amateur radio hobby. But, alas, it’s a social activity for the most part. We operate in groups of two or more and sometimes, like Hamvention, thousands! To get engaged and reap the benefits of a national organizing association, there is the National Association for Amateur Radio with over a hundred thousand. This should be an amplifier of that passion that took root with the hobby. Like Johnny Cash crooned, it is now a burning ring of fire for U.S. hams as well as those international members. And it’s going down, down, down. That burning ring is what puts a damper on the passion that drives us on in so many ways. Many hams have just hit the trail, I’m told, moving on from membership to the tune of about 1,000 non-renewals per month.

Those who read online sites devoted to amateur radio, listen to or contribute to on-air rag chews, attend hamfests, or read published media devoted to amateur radio have heard many, many times: amateur radio is “dying”.

But what does the term “dying” mean in this context?

This line from the classic movie, Wizard of Oz (1939), largely tells the tale of this article. The sidebar statement to the audience revealed that what was actually going on if the audience was astute enough to see it was not what was being presented to the audience in the play itself. Social scientists use this metaphor to describe organizational behaviour as “front stage” (intended to be seen by the audience) versus “back stage” (not intended for the audience).