The number of UK amateur radio licenses appeared to hit a record high at the end of September 2013

The October figures released by Ofcom show that at the end of September there was a grand total of 82,040 licences an increase of 152 over the previous month.

Although they look good, Ofcoms statistics are in fact deceptive. In the UK, amateur licenses need to be re-validated (renewed) every 5 years otherwise Ofcom say they will revoke the licence, but it appears Ofcom are failing to revoke licences.

They do not appear to have revoked any licenses since 2006 which means that thousands of Silent Keys and possibly tens of thousands of those who've left the hobby in the past 7 years are still showing in the license statistics.

Ofcom UK Amateur Radio Licence Statistics - http://licensing.ofcom.org.uk/radiocommunication-licences/amateur-radio/guidance-for-licensees/monthly-stats/

How to validate your licence - http://www.essexham.co.uk/news/remember-to-validate-your-licence.html