City living is tough for ham activities, that's fair. I'm in an apartment myself. But I go hiking and bring the radio, set up a hammock and vibe. But that's not for everyone either.

I agree wholeheartedly, local repeaters don't really have much of a place anymore. My buddies and I used to chat on our respective drives to work every day, and home. That was a fun way to keep in touch. But we kind of drifted out of the habit.

You have a transmitting SDR? That's basically a ham radio, which is cool! And also technically illegal to transmit anywhere without a license as it's not type certified. Maybe the ISM bands are ok? I can't remember. Anywho I'm no snitch, just letting you know 🤷‍♂️

Bottom line I guess is yeah, sometimes it's just not for everyone. And that's ok.