Helen Schlarman's chats are mostly local and that's fine with her. She's 89 and loves amateur radio's camaraderie.

"It's a different community. There is no stereotypes of age. It's just talking and sharing and enjoying," she says, adding that the hobby is perfect for an outgoing person who stays inside a lot.

Abraxas3d, Flickr CCNew equipment introduced in the early 1970s made two-way radios easier to operate, but hams still needed to know Morse code to get a license.

Making it easier

Until recently, ham radio was declining from its peak in 2002 as older operators died.

But three years ago, the government phased out the Morse code test that many saw as a stumbling block to getting a license. Maria Somma, of the American Radio Relay League, says that change sparked a lot of interest.

She notes that last year, the Federal Communications Commission issued a near-record number of licenses. "We had over 30,000 new amateurs coming in to the radio service, and the trend seems to be going upward." Today, about 700,000 Americans have ham licenses, a nearly 60 percent jump over a generation ago.

Allen Weiner, who follows technology trends at Gartner Research, does not find those numbers all that surprising.

Unique experience

While it will never have the high-tech cachet of the iPhone, Weiner says ham radio has a certain 'nerd appeal.' "If it creates its own experience, that's really what's key here. If it just emulates an experience that you can get online, it's not going to grow."