Ham radio or Amateur Radio is a licensed radio service with about 600,000 licenses in the United States. It is a service designed to provide a pool of trained, experience, radio operators and technicians in times of national need and to provide a means for ordinary citizens to contribute to the advance of the ‘radio art’. Although it is often called a hobby and used as one, that isn’t what it is intended to be.
Amateur Radio is different than other services:
Unlike CB, a license is required to operate that can only be obtained by passing a Federal exam. Numerous frequency bands and operating modes are allowed as well as much higher power.
Unlike commercial services, Amateur Radio operators are not allowed to use their radios to make a profit. They are not assigned fixed frequencies and call signs are assigned to a single person, not organizations (except in the case of radio club stations).
Unlike Freebanders (who are simply criminals with radios) Amateur Radio is a legal service that is of value to our nation and our communities. If you know who any of these creeps are, please notify the FCC.
What can you do with ham radio?
Radio Amateurs (with the proper equipment and licenses) can communicate to any part of the world or just across town. They can talk via short waves or through hill top repeaters. They can talk via amateur satellites and bounce signals off the moon. They can talk to astronauts in space (who are often license Amateurs) and send pictures, TV signals, and text messages all over the world. They can use many modulation modes and legally communicate via and experiment in the amateur segments of the MF (medium frequency), HF (high frequency), VHF (very high frequency), UHF (ultra high frequency), and SHF (super high frequency) bands.
Amateurs can use commercially made equipment or they can build their own, from kits or from scratch. There are various achievement awards, contests, and operating events available. They can participate in various public service activities and be part of the numerous emergency response groups. This description barely scratches the surface of what you can do as a Radio Amateur.
How do you become a ham?
You need to pass a Federal exam given by a group of three or more authorized Amateur Radio operators called VE’s (volunteer examiners). There are regularly scheduled exams in most parts of the country. There are different tests for each license. There is a small fee to take the exam. There are many study guides available and many clubs conduct classes for prospective new amateurs. It’s not difficult to become an amateur but it does require a bit of effort.