Introduction to Ham Radio
Welcome to the fun and exciting hi-tech hobby of amateur radio!
Amateur radio, or “ham” radio, has been around for over ninety years,
and is for people of all ages, including teens. It’s a unique way to
communicate over the airwaves to other people around the world of
various ages, professions and cultures.
The amateur radio service requires its users to have a valid amateur
radio license in order to operate legally. Once licensed, hams may
operate on designated bands for their license class. License holders are
also permitted to design, build, modify and repair their own equipment!
The Basics
Ham radio operators use two-way radios from their homes, cars, boats and
on the go with handheld handie talkies, or “HTs”. Hams make many friends
over the air as close as in their own neighborhood, to as far as around
the world. They communicate in a variety of operating modes, including
voice, digital modes via computers, and some operators even enjoy the
mode that started it all in the 1800’s - Morse code.
Some really dedicated hams enjoy taking the hobby to the extreme. This
includes using satellites, bouncing signals off the moon, connecting
local radio systems around the world through real-time Internet
streaming audio, and even amateur television where operators can see
each other as they talk!
Public Safety
Ham radio is not only a fun pastime, but also helps out the general
public in times of communication needs. This includes public events such
as road races and marathons, and even extends to natural disasters such
as earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados and floods when conventional
communications methods are out of service.
Two major organizations, ARES and SKYWARN, serve a big part in the
amateur radio service. ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service) is a
public service organization headed by the ARRL (American Radio Relay
League) that consists of licensed hams who have volunteered their
qualifications and equipment for communications when disaster strikes or
for public events. SKYWARN, on the other hand, is a plan sponsored by
the National Weather Service (NWS), which includes using volunteer
amateur radio observers for reporting all types of hazardous weather.
If you're interested in joining SPARC's public service organization (ARES/RACES), please complete the information form and return it to K7GLM.