What IS Amateur Radio?
Amateur "ham" radio is a hobby enjoyed by many thousands in the UK and around the world. It is embraced by both old and young, male and female, technical minded and novice, and even a few nobels and astronauts! (WV6VLY Steve Wozniak the joint Apple Computers creator, JY1 the late King Hussain of Jordan, KK6OTD Tim Allen the Hollywood actor, and KF5BOC Col. Doug Wheelock a space station astronaut using NA1SS callsign, to name but a few!)
Some train for emergencies, some train for professional careers, many take part in contests, most develop technical skills, but we all have fun. It's a hobby for anyone and everyone. But what IS it?
Amateur radio is the experimental radio communications between licensed "hams" over short or long distances, using commercial devices or "home brew" home built equipment. It's not unlike the early communications when Marconi pioneered two way calls across increasing distances. Think of CB (citizens band) radio that truckers use, but "grown up", more powerful and capable of operating over much greater distances.
We talk to other licenced hams (for it is necessary to be licenced by the government to transmit such signals, more about that later) in our local community, overseas or even via satellites and to the International Space Station!
We experiment, we build, we communicate, we train. We have connections with the scout and guide movements to train youngsters, we have connections with blue-light services to help provide communications in emergencies.
We make friends. We share a hobby; a passion. We surmount technical issues such as the earth's atmosphere. Our hobby, our transmissions know no boundaries. We reach nations and people who might otherwise not be contacted by other means such as the Internet. Amateur radio signals circle the globe and reach all nations, tribes, people's and tongues. It's a truly international hobby.
Welcome to our hobby! It's fun, and we'd love to have you to join us...
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