YOU MIGHT HAVE THE PERCEPTION THAT AMATEUR RADIO “HAM RADIO” IS JUST TWO OR MORE LICENSED PEOPLE, TALKING ON THE RADIO TO EACH OTHER. THIS IS JUST THE VERY TOP OF THE ICEBERG AS FAR AS DESCRIBING THIS EXTRAORDINARY HOBBY. SOME HAMS DON’T EVEN HAVE A MICROPHONE. THEY USE THEIR RADIOS IN OTHER WAYS.

LIKE:

AMATEUR TV: YES JUST LIKE THE STANDARD DEFINITION TV SETS MOST OF YOU GREW UP WITH AMATEURS ARE ALOWED TO TRANSMIT TV SIGNALS.

REMOTE CONTROL CRAFT: FROM MODEL AIRPLANES AND VEHICLES TO WEATHER BALLOONS AND EVEN REAL LIFE ORBITAL SPACE CRAFT, LICENSED HAMS CONTROL AND OPERATE SUCH DEVICES WITH THE AUTHORITY OF THEIR RADIO LICENSE.

BUT IT ALL SOUNDS SO TECHNICAL!!!

REMEMBER, CHILDREN AS YOUNG AS SIX HAVE PASSED THE EXAM. FOR THE MOST PART THE QUESTIONS ON THE EXAM ARE NO TECHNICAL THAN WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE HAD IN JUNIOR HIGH MATH OR SCIENCE. WHILE HAM RADIO IS A TECHNICAL HOBBIE, IT ATTRACTS A LARGE FOLLOWING OF NON TECHNICAL INTEREST. IT’S A GREAT WAY TO MAKE FRIENDS FROM BOTH NEAR AND FROM ABROAD. MANY HAMS BECOME FRENDS WITH PEOPLE FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE THAT THEY MIGHT NEVER ACTALY MEET IN PERSON. LOCALY HAM RADIO CLUBS OFTEN MEET MONTHLY OR MORE OFTEN  TALK AS MUCH ABOUT THEIR OWN LOCAL INTEREST AS HAM RADIO ITSELF.

HAMS HAVE A TRADITION CALLED “ELMERING”. A EXPERIENCED HAM IS CALLED UPON TO SHARE HIS KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND INGENUITY. Many a life long friendship has sprouted from friends you meet on the air, in the local club and especially your elmer.

Some hams join the hobby just to keep up with their spouses or siblings.

And yet we have only just begun to scratch the surface of defining what Amateur radio is!!!