[RVRC] From the ARRL Newsletter of January 16

[drew Moore]

>From the ARRL Newsletter of January 16 

Ham Radio Statistics: Amateur Radio Showing Steady Growth in the US
Total US Amateur Radio licenses from 1999 until the end of 2013. [Rick
Lindquist, WW1ME, graphic, after a chart
http://www.ah0a.org/FCC/ARRL/2012/USA-X.html by Joe Speroni, AH0A]

The Amateur Radio population in the US continues to show steady growth,
according to statistics http://www.ah0a.org/AH0A.html compiled by Joe
Speroni, AH0A. As of the end of 2013, the FCC database showed 717,201
licenses http://www.ah0a.org/FCC/Licenses.html in its Universal Licensing
System (ULS http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls/index.htm?job=home). That's the
greatest number of US hams ever, and it's up from 709,575 in December 2012.
The volume http://www.ah0a.org/FCC/Volume.htmlof Amateur Radio applications
slowed somewhat to 141,943 from its zenith of 176,826 in 2007, the year the
FCC dropped the Morse code requirement.

"The three current license classes also peaked at the end of 2013," notes
ARRL VEC http://www.arrl.org/volunteer-examiners Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM.
"FCC-issued club station licenses are also at an all-time high in the FCC
database at 11,363. The number of new licensees has increased by 7 percent
over last year -- 28,886 in 2013 and 27,082 in 2012."

ARRL VEC Manager Maria Somma, AB1FM (left), and VEC Service Representative
China Chaney. [Amanda Grimaldi, KB1VUV, photo]
The breakdown by license class shows Technicians as the largest group, at
349,163, followed by Generals at 167,257, Amateur Extras at 133,391, and
Advanced licensees at 54,293. Slightly more than 13,000 Novice licensees
remain on record too. The FCC no longer issues the Novice or Advanced class
license. Technician numbers have grown by 8.2 percent over the past decade,
with an impressive comeback since 2007 after the population had plummeted
from a peak of 338,334 in March 2000. The General class population has risen
by slightly more than 18 percent over the past 10 years. But the Amateur
Extra class has shown the most remarkable growth over the past decade,
climbing by slightly more than 27 percent.

While Amateur Radio application volume slipped somewhat overall, that was
not the case at the ARRL VEC. "ARRL VEC served 34,896 exam applicants in
2013, up slightly from 32,866 in 2012," Somma said. "July will mark 30 years
that ARRL VEC has been certified by the FCC to administer Amateur Radio
exams. We're delighted to celebrate our important milestone in the same year
as the ARRL's Centennial http://www.arrl.org/centennial celebration and look
forward to the promise of another record year."