What has changed in 50 years?
Nothing, it's all the same!
I had a huge gap of nearly twenty years, 1999 to 2020, where I wasn't involved in Ham Radio hardly at all.
If you're curious as to why, divorce, then ill health, moving a lot, living in a van, rented flats, all made Ham Radio difficult. I got back in when the pandemic lockdown happened.
I bought a Yaesu FT-450. I had no problem using it, it was not that different to the FT-101ZD I had sold twenty years earlier. And no output stage to tune!
Tuning the bands it was exactly as I remembered. Those odd QSOs on Top band. Worked All Britain swapping grid numbers on 40. The Italians with their speech processors set too high on 20. The jargon was the same.
A few minor differences: No G2 call signs, less G3 call signs, new M and 2 call signs.The CW sections of the bands were noticeably quieter. The funny warbling noises just above the CW sub bands.
Modern radios are amazing technology. But despite all the SDR technology and the menu driven systems and the touch screens it is really the same. A big knob you twiddle to tune the radio, AF and RF gain knobs. An SO 235 on the back for the antenna to plug in.
It could be this is what is wrong with Ham Radio, its not FT8 that's killing the hobby, it's because it is stagnant!
Best Wishes
Ron
G4LMN