The internet has reduced the need for radio reliance, but it does provide a network of it's own which still thrives. I was an BSA Venturing Adviser for about 10 years and have had some training because it can be useful in remote areas and is much more practical than satellite phones. Like everything else the equipment has grown smaller, more powerful and can be a fascinating hobby all by itself. I once used a hand held unit to talk from Michigan to Yugoslavia by draping a Slinky over a barbed wire fence for an antenna/amplifier, pretty cool. The open channel nature of the network is a whole different world and kind of neat.
Marc