How Do I Get Started?

Before you can do anything, you need to get an Amateur Radio license from the Govt 

Once you have your license, the rest is up to you. What you do next depends on what sort of equipment you intend to use and what type of communication you'd like to try. Find helpful advice for your first ham station and how to get on the air.

Where Can I Get More Information?

The best ways to learn about Amateur Radio is to talk to hams face-to-face. Hams take pride in their ability to "Elmer" (teach) newcomers the ropes to get them started in the hobby. There is probably an Amateur Radio club near you that will welcome your interest.

Do I Have to Learn Morse Code?

Not any more! While many hams like to use morse code, it is not required.

Do I Have to Learn Morse Code?

Not any more! While many hams like to use morse code, it is not required.

What are some of the other ways radio hams communicate?

http://www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio
There is a great variety of ways that Amateur Radio operators are able to communicate. Using voice is just one. Morse code is still widely used.  Packet, Radio Teletype (often called Ritty), and PSK are three more ways to communicate. Even faster transmissions are being developed using methods which can send almost any form of digital data. Hams also use television to send pictures over the air.

What are the Amateur Radio Bands?

http://www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio

Look at the dial on an old AM radio and you'll see frequencies marked from 535 to 1605 kilohertz. This is one radio "band." There are other bands of radio spectrum for amateur, government, military and commercial radio uses. If you could hear the many different bands, you would find aircraft, ship, fire and police communication, as well as the so-called "shortwave" stations, which are worldwide commercial and government broadcast stations from the U.S. and overseas. Amateurs are allocated 26 bands(i.e., specific groups of frequencies) spaced from 1.8 Megahertz, which is just above the broadcast radio frequencies, all the way up to 275 Gigahertz! Depending on which band we use, we can talk across town, around the world, or out to satellites in space. Hams can even bounce signals off the moon

Why Do You Need a License?

http://www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio
Although the main purpose of Amateur Radio is fun, it is called the "Amateur Radio Service" because it also has a serious face. The FCC created this "Service" to fill the need for a pool of experts who could provide backup during emergencies. In addition, the FCC acknowledged the ability of the hobby to advance the communication and technical skills of radio, and to enhance international goodwill. This philosophy has paid off. Countless lives have been saved where skilled hobbyists act as emergency communicators to render aid, whether it's during an earthquake in Italy or a hurricane in the U.S.

What's the Appeal of Ham Radio?

http://www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio

You can communicate from the top of a mountain, your home, or behind the wheel of your car. You can take radio wherever you go! In times of disaster, when regular communications channels fail, hams can swing into action assisting emergency communications efforts and working with public service agencies. For instance, it was the Amateur Radio Service which kept New York City agencies in touch with each other after their command center was destroyed during the 9/11 attack. Ham Radio came to the rescue during Hurricane Katrina, where all other communications failed.

At other times, you can even talk to Shuttle astronauts or bounce signals off the moon! You can use telegraphy, voice, digital, even images in communication with other hams.

Some hams like to build and experiment with electronics. Computer hobbyists enjoy using Amateur Radio's digital communications opportunities. Those with a competitive streak enjoy "DX contests," where the object is to see how many hams in distant locations they can contact. Mostly we use ham radio to open the door to new friendships over the air or through participation in one of more than 2000 Amateur Radio clubs throughout the country. There are over 600,000 radio amateurs in the United States and over 2,000,000 worldwide.

Read real person comments in "Why I Love It!"

Know any other hobby with so much to offer?

Who is the Typical Ham?

http://www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio

Amateur Radio operators come from all walks of life -- movie stars, missionaries, doctors, students, politicians, truck drivers and even your average neighbor next door. They are of all ages, sexes, income levels and nationalities. They say "Hello" to the world in many languages and many ways. Whether they prefer Morse code on an old brass telegraph key, voice communication on a hand-held radio, or computerized messages transmitted via satellite, they all have an interest in what is happening in the world, and they use radio to reach out.

Anyone you know could be an Amateur Radio operator or "ham" --no matter what age, gender, or physical ability. Wait until you see what you can do with ham radio!

Why Do They Call Themselves "Hams"?

http://www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio

"Ham: a poor operator. A 'plug.'"

That's the definition of the word given in G. M. Dodge's "The Telegraph Instructor" even before there was radio. The definition has never changed in wire telegraphy. The first wireless operators were landline telegraphers who left their offices to go to sea or to man the coastal stations. They brought with them their language and much of the tradition of their older profession. In those early days, every station occupied the same wavelength-or, more accurately perhaps, every station occupied the whole spectrum with its broad spark signal. Government stations, ships, coastal stations and the increasingly numerous amateur operators all competed for time and signal supremacy in each other's receivers. Many of the amateur stations were very powerful. Two amateurs, working each other across town, could effectively jam all the other operations in the area. Frustrated commercial operators would refer to the ham radio interference by calling them "hams." Amateurs, possibly unfamiliar with the real meaning of the term, picked it up and applied it to themselves in true "Yankee Doodle" fashion and wore it with pride. As the years advanced, the original meaning has completely disappeared.

What is Ham Radio?

http://www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio

A housewife in North Carolina makes friends over the radio with another ham in Lithuania. An Ohio teenager uses his computer to upload a digital chess move to an orbiting space satellite, where it's retrieved by a fellow chess enthusiast in Japan. An aircraft engineer in Florida participating in a "DX contest" swaps his call sign and talks to hams in 100 different countries during a single weekend. In California, volunteers save lives as part of their involvement in an emergency response. And from his room in Chicago, a ham's pocket-sized hand-held radio allows him to talk to friends in the Carolinas.

Ham Radio, also known as Amateur Radio is a popular hobby and a service in which licensed participants operate communications equipment with a deep appreciation of the radio art.  The unique hobby of Amateur Radio is a mix of fun, public service, and convenience. Although hams get involved for many reasons, they all have in common a basic knowledge of radio technology and operating principles, and pass an examination for the FCC license to operate on radio frequencies known as the "Amateur Bands." These bands are radio frequencies reserved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for use by hams at intervals from just above the AM broadcast band all the way up into extremely high microwave frequencies.

WHAT IS HAM RADIO/AMATEUR RADIO AND HOW DO I START?

WHAT IS HAM RADIO/AMATEUR RADIO AND HOW DO I START?
How to Get Started in Ham Radio in the U.S. (keep reading)

The FCC, Federal Communications Commission, established amateur radio as a voluntary, non-commercial, radio communications service. It allows licensed radio operators to improve their communications and technical skills, while providing the nation with a pool of trained radio operators and technicians who can provide essential communications during emergencies.

Ham radio/Amateur radio has something fun for everyone. Ham Radio is well known as a most important communications backup for our Federal Government in times of emergency. If you have ever heard severe weather reports from "trained spotters" on a TV or radio station weather alert, hams are usually those trained spotters sometimes risking their lives to help warn the public of dangerous weather ahead. They are not paid for this service! NOAA weather stations usually have ham radio operators and equipment on board at you local weather station to monitor the "spotter ham radio frequencies" so they can get the severe weather reports out to the public much faster. Many "eyes" on the ground are much better than radar in many cases and licensed "hams" volunteer their time, equipment and expert techniques to provide this service to their community and surrounding areas.

Weathermen will tell you that the weather radar is limited in the outer areas of the radar coverage, so this is where real eyes on the ground, trained spotters, can save lives by reporting back to the weather service office via ham radio, not cell phones which may be dead, about severe weather that may be heading your way...far in advance of the actual radar picking up the bad weather!

When "hams" are not participating in emergency communications, they enjoy just listening and talking to other licensed "hams" nearby and worldwide along with experimenting with radio communications of all types. To become part of this, you must show to the Federal Government that you have the training and skills by passing an exam to get licensed. You don't have to volunteer as a trained spotter like many hams do, but if you want to give back to your community, you would be welcomed to join the ranks of weather spotters.

Amateur Radio operators are people from all walks of life--no matter what age, gender or physical ability. Did you know that most of the NASA astronauts are Amateur Radio Operators? You're never too young or old. There is no age requirement! And, getting started in Amateur Radio has never been easier!

Now, you no longer have to learn Morse Code to get your first Ham Radio License, the Technician Class license, as in years past! Just pass a 35 question multiple choice written exam given by volunteer Ham Radio Operators who want you to pass your exam and become one of them and you're on your way!
 

The Ham Radio Operator License Classes:

In the U.S., there are 3 license levels, or "license classes."
These licenses are granted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

You don't buy them, you earn them by study and passing the license exam.

Technician Class - The First level of Ham radio license
The Technician class license is designed for beginning level hams.
This is where you will open the door and go inside to the exciting world of Ham Radio and learn more about Amateur Radio as you progress.
Technician class operators now have 10 meter voice privileges
plus CW only on 80, 40, 15 and 10 meters!
It authorizes you ALL ham radio privileges above 30 Megahertz (MHz).
1500 watts of power and these privileges include the very popular 2-meter band. Many Technician licensees enjoy using small 2-meter hand-held radios to stay in touch with other hams in their area or operating from just about any vehicle, boat, etc. Imagine sending live TV in realtime over the air or just still pictures over the air! Technician class Hams may operate FM voice, many digital modes including packet (computers), television, single-sideband voice and several other interesting modes. As a Technician class Ham Radio Operator, you can even make international radio contacts via Ham Radio satellites, and actually communicate directly to hams aboard the International Space Station (ISS) using relatively simple and inexpensive equipment.

Imagine the thrill of talking to the astronauts, many of whom are licensed "ham radio operators", aboard the Space Station, talking directly to ham radio satellites in space that relay your signals to earth far beyond your horizon, or just around the block or around the world using your own licensed  station and equipment! Using the computer and Ham radio, you can "talk" using your voice or the keyboard to ham friends or make new ones literally around the world using less power than a 100 watt light bulb!
Hams know how to do this! It's certainly not CB radio!
I'ts way beyond and out of this world excitement over radio!
Remember, you must be licensed by the Federal Communications commission, (the FCC) and in order to get a ham radio license, you must pass an exam to receive your license.

To earn a Technician Ham license, which is the entry level license, and will get you started and open the many "doors" awaiting you, you'll need to pass the Technician written exam. It is written with the beginner in mind. With a little study on your part and a passing grade behind you, you get your first ham radio license! The license is FREE and issued by the Federal Government with easy renewal after 10 years! You will get a call sign shortly after passing the exam that is issued by the FCC.

There are three classes of ham radio operators along with three multiple-choice exams.  You don't need a background in Electronics although it does help for the higher classes of licenses. You'll study topics such as radio operating practices, FCC rules and regulations and very basic electrical and electronic theory.
Children do it all the time and so can you! Teens love it to when they get into it and off of the cell phone which by the way usually goes down in bad storms! But ham radio operators know how to bypass the cell phone system by using their own radio transmitter and equipment! You can do all of this with a Technician class license and lots more.Learn more about the study materials!
General Class Ham license - The second level and the most popular class of Ham license is the General Class. You get privileges on ALL Ham bands.Learn more about the study materials!

Extra Class - The highest level of Ham license is called Extra Class.
You get all the Ham bands and all the authorized Ham radio frequencies. Learn more about the study materials!

In order to advance up the ladder to General Class and then Extra if you want the highest license class, you first take the Technician exam, then the General and last the Extra class. You do not have to advance if you are happy with staying with the Technician class but most Ham radio operators go for the more popular General class after passing the Technician and getting a bit of experience. The General class authorizes ALL ham radio bands and modes. Some people even take all three exams in one sitting! The tests have to be taken in order. You can't skip a test.

Where Do you Start?
You already have by reading this far! Your already on your way!

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) publishes excellent ham radio license study guides for all classes of ham licenses to help you learn the things you'll need to pass your exam and have fun with Amateur Radio.
Most licensed Ham Radio Operators have studied them to pass their exams. They are highly recommended and contain ALL of the study material needed to pass the exam including the exact questions and answers that will be on the exam!
The Technician Class study guide below opens the door to ham radio and is all you need to study to pass the first exam.

Famous Ham Radio Operators and their Callsigns

CALLSIGN	NAME OR LOCATION
A41AA	Oaboos Bin Asid Al Said - Sultan of Oman
CN8MH	King Hassan II - King of Morocco (sk)
DD6CF	Reinhard Alfred Furrer - German Space Agency astronaut.
DG2KM	Dr Ernst Willi Messerschmid - German Space Agency astronaut.
EA0JC	King Carlos of Spain
F5VBY	Brother of Ray Dolby - Inventor of the Dolby Sound System
F5VBX	Ann Dolby - Wife of F5VBY
FX0STB	Jean-Pierre HaignerŽ - French government space agency spationaut. 2 Missions to MIR
GB1MIR	Helen Sharman - First British woman into space
GB2BP	Bletchley Park - Home of wartime top secret 'Station X' of ENIGMA de-coding fame
GB2RS	The news broadcasting service of the Radio Society of Great Britain. Established in 1955
GB4BLC	Bedworth Lions Club special event callsign. (Licensee Lion Brian G8GMU)
GM3ITN	Les Hamilton - He first alerted England of Argentine invasion of the Falklands 1982
GX2ASF	Coventry Amateur Radio Society. (Originally G2ASF) The oldest affiliated club to the RSGB 75 years in 2007
G1EXG	Dr. Jonathan Hare - Physicist, astronomer & BBC TV presenter
G2LO	B.B.C - Radio Club. (The licensee's address believed to be Warwick Castle ~ Enquiry pending)
G2MT	Marconi Radio Society. ~ 2MT was the Marconi callsign at Writtle experimental wireless station
G2NM	Gerald Marcuse - Amateur broadcaster of the 1920's, prior to the BBC Overseas Service as 2NM (sk)
G2QA	A J.Simkins. M.B.E.
G2YL	Nelly Corry - The 2nd UK Lady Radio Amateur in 1932 (sk)
G2XM	Sir Richard Davies, KCVO, CBE, C.Eng, FIEE - Was a member of The Household of the Duke of Edinburgh (sk)
G2BCK	F C Judd - Author of radio amateur books (sk)
G2DQU	Lord Rix of Whitehall, (Formerly Sir Brian Rix Kt CBE DL) - Actor & politician
G3BBC	Film Studios Ealing
G3EUR	Major John Brown - Designer of the famous WW2 spy B2 suitcase radios & founder of the Duxford Radio Society (sk)
G3HB	G.L.Benbow - Author radio amateur books
G3ITF	Brian Freeman - Connected with that 'British Institution' Freeman Hardy & Willis
G3PLX	Peter Martinez - Co- Inventor of the PSK31 digital transmission system
G3PLX	Peter Martinez - Co- Inventor of the PSK31 digital transmission system
G3SXW	Roger Western - Member of the CQ Hall of fame for his many years of activating very rare DX locations
G3TPW	Stephen Webb - Prolific electronics engineer. Designer of the G3TPW Cobwebb antenna
G3TXF	Nigel Cawthorne - Member of the CQ Hall of fame for his many years of activating very rare DX locations
G3TZH	A Dolby - Brother of Ray Dolby (of Dolby System fame)
G3UML	Laurie Margolis - BBC journalist who received the reports from VP8LP of the Falkland Islands invasion in 1982.
G3YLA	Jim Bacon - T V weatherman - ex BBC
G4AEH	Jim Lee - BBC radio broadcaster & producer (A local radio ham & good friend to Lions Clubs)
G4MH	James (Jim) Fish - Designer of the G4MH Mini-Beam Antennas
G4PZR	Lieutenant Commander Sir Kenneth Cradock-Hartopp DSC - 10th Bt, (sk) Click this link. There is too much for this list
G4RK	Capt. George Thomas Smith-Clarke - Designed the paediatric iron lung also motor scooter, prolific inventor (sk)
G5OG	Lord C. I. Ewing. OBE - Fellow of The Royal Television Society
G5RV	Louie Varney Antenna Designer (sk) ~ G5RV is now Mid - Sussex Amateur Radio Society callsign
G6YL	Barbara Dunn - The first UK Lady Radio Amateur (sk)
G7CDK	Alan Florence - Sound engineer. Worked on the Tony Hancock recordings of the Radio Ham & Blood Donor
G8PO	Cmdr. J E Ironmonger O.B.E.
G8TGS	Dr. W R Williams - Diplomat
G0DMU	Ian Morrison - Senior project manager at Jodrell Bank. Appears in Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy
G0KRH	Chris Tarrant - TV quiz show host & TV personality
G0MSL	James Bobbett - Past Town Crier - Glastonbury
G0OAN	Fergal Sharkey - Lead singer in Irish punk band in 1970's
G0VIQ	Eugene Sully - Big brother contestant & radio broadcaster. Member of Mid - Sussex Amateur Radio Society
G0VQH	Councilor Jenny Bailey - Mayor of The City of Cambridge 2007 - 2008
HS1A	Bhumiphol Adulayadej - King of Thailand
HS1D	Maha Chakri Sirindhorn- Princess to the throne of Thailand
I0FCG	Francego Cossiga - Former Italian President
IZ0JPA	Paolo Angelo Nespoli - Itallian Astronaut of the European Space Agency
J3BB	Masaru Ibuka - Co-founder of Sony
JA3FA	Tokuzo Inoue - Founder of ICOM
JI1KIT	Keizo Obuchi - Japanese Prime Minister
JK1SIU	Noria Ohga - Chairman of Sony
JP1DPJ	Akio Morita - Founder of Sony
JY1	King Hussain of Jordan (sk)
JY1H	Queen Noor of Jordan
JY2HT	Former Crown Prince Hassan - Brother of the late King Hussein of Jordan
JY2RZ	Prince Raad Ibn Zeid- Cousin of King Hussein of Jordan, Prince of Jordan and chairman of the Royal Jordan Radio Amateur Society.
KB2GSD	Walter Cronkite - "The worlds most recognised" US television newsreader - Walter has an asteroid named after him
KB5UAC	Mike Foale - British born US astronaut
KB6LQR	Jeana Yeager - Pilot of non-stop, non-refueled flight around the world in the Rutan Voyager aircraft.
KB6LQS	Richard Glenn Rutan - Rutan Voyager aircraft designer and pilot for non-stop, non-refueled flight around the world
KC5VWK	Richard J. Abruzzo - World famous balloonist and world record holder; the first balloon voyage from North America to Africa.
KC5ZSU	Laurel Blair Salton Clark, M.D. - Crew member of the ill fated Space Shuttle Columbia on STS-107.
KC5ZTC	David M. Brown. - Crew member of the ill fated Space Shuttle Columbia on STS-107.
KD4WUJ	Patty Loveless - Country Music Singer
KG4UYY	James Lance Bass - 'N SYNC pop singer.
KD5PLB	Suni Williams - Suni has set a record for spacewalks by a female astronaut, a total of 29 hours, 17 minutes
KG6FZX	Dennis Tito - First space tourist
KX2Z	Tony Bonjovi - Cousin of Jon Bonjovi
K1ADJ	Peter Guber - Possibly Hollywood's most successful and powerful producer and executive.
K1AKE	James M. Moran - Leading researcher in the field of astronomical masers and black holes.
K1OKI	Mickey Schulhof - Head of Sony USA
K2AMH	"Bob" Moog - Invented the "Moog Synthesizer" amongst many other electronic instruments (sk)
K2HEP	John Sculley - former CEO of Pepsi
K4ZVZ	Paul Tibbits - pilot of the Ò Enola Gay Ò aircraft (The plane that dropped the first atomic bomb over Hiroshima in WW2)
K6BP	Software engineer with movie credits on "A Bug's Life" and "Toy Story 2" also holds Also WA2TNM
K9EID	Bob Heil - Legendary sound engineer to such The Eagles & The Who, Head of Heil Sound
LU1SM	Carlos Saul Menem - President of Argentina
M0SDX	Sergei Rebrov - Professional soccer player
M3HBM	Joshua Baxter - Youngest radio ham to activate Snowdon Mountain Summit at 9 years old in 2005 as MW3HBM/P
N5YYV	Kathryn Dwyer Sullivan Ph.D.- NASA astonaut. First American woman to walk in space 1984.
N6FUP	Stuart Alden Cook (Stu Cook) - Bass guitar player in American rock band, Creedence Clearwater Revival
N9FZX	Dr. Paul A. Flaherty - Co-inventor of the Alta Vista Search Engine.
N9LC	George Sweigert - Inventor of the mobile phone
NY6YOS	Priscilla Presley - (Lou Lou Beaulieu) Film star & businesswoman. Was Married to Elvis Presley
OD5LE	Emil Lahoud - President of Lebanon
ON1AFD	Count Dirk Fairmouth Ph.D. - Belgian Astronaut
ON1DWN	Frank De Winne. - European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut. Flight engineer on the newly designed Soyuz, Odissea mission.
PE1LFO	Wubbo Johannes Ockels - First Dutch citizen in space and payload specialist on 2 missions
RK3DUO	Col. Yuri Ivanovich Onufriyenko - Russian cosmonaut. Mir and ISS missions. He has been named a Hero of Russia, been awarded two Armed Forces medals and named a Chevalier in the French Legion of Honour
RK3DUP	Yuri Ivanovich Malenchenko - Russian cosmonaut. The first person to marry in space, on 10 August 2003, when he married Ekaterina Dmitrieva, who was in Texas,
RN3DX	Oleg Kononenko - Russian cosmonaut, flown on the ISS
RO3FT	Talgat Amangeldyuly Musabayev - Kazakhstan born cosmonaut, flight engineer of the Mir-25 mission. Later founded National Kazakhstan Space Agency and became Director of Aerospace Agency of Republic of Kazakhstan.
SP9VRC	Pawel Jalocha - Co- Inventor of the PSK31 digital transmission system
SU1VN	Prince Talal of Saudi Arabia
WA3SWS	Stephen E. Uhrig - Surveillance expert who appeared with Gene Hackman in 1998 movie "Enemy of the State"
WA6IOG	Vern Orr - Secretary of the USAF at The Pentagon
WB2LAV	Russell Alan Hulse - Co-winner with K1JT of 1993 Nobel Prize in Physics for discovery of binary pulsar
WB6ACU	Joe Walsh - Of The Eagles & James Gang
WD4LZC	Larnell Harris - Singer 7 Times Grammy Winner
WD4SKT	Donnie Osmond - Singer
W1AW	Hiram Percy Maxim - Prolific Inventor & most famous for inventing the firearms silencer & machine gun (sk)
W1GBE	Percy Lebaron Spencer - Inventor of the Microwave Oven, Senior Vice President of Raytheon Co.
W2JOF	Sir Cliff Richard - Singer (W2JOF is his USA callsign)
W2QBO	Wilson Greatbatch - Inventor of the cardiac pacemaker.
W5CY	Howard Hughes - Billionaire, Inventor, aviator, aircraft designer
W5LFL	Owen Garriott - First radio Amateur in Space, on Shuttle mission STS-9, launched November 28, 1983,
W6DOE	Clarence Leonidas Fender (Leo Fender) - He of Fender electric guitars. Prolific inventor & designer of instruments
W6RO	Queen Mary Ocean Liner - Wireless room operated by The Associated Radio Amateurs Of Long Beach Calif.
W6UK	Alvino Rey - Musician, reportedly invented / pioneered the electric guitar
W6VZA	Henry Richter - Brother of Charles Richter (He of the Richter Scale)
W6YX	Oswald Garrison - was the first to use the SSB mode for an amateur QSO with W0TQK in 1947
W7DUK	Nolan Bushnell - Inventor, Computer Pioneer, Founded Atari
W9GTY	Jack Kilby - Inventor, invented the microchip for Texas Instruments in 1958, then the hand held digital calculator
W0TQK	Mike Villard jr. - was the first to use the SSB mode for an amateur QSO with W6YX in 1947
UA1LO	Yuri Gagarin - First man in space (sk)
UV3AM	Musa Moronov - Russian Cosmonaut
VE2QS	Maurice Durieux - Canadian musician, composed CQ Serenade, possibly the only radio ham song?
VK2BL	Graham Conolly - Australian Radio broadcaster and former voice on VNG
VK2KB	Sir Allan Fairhall - Australian Statesman & Businessman
VK2AHU	Dick Huey - Professor - Emeritus (Previous callsign VK2HU)
VK2CAX	Dr. Ken McCracken - Founding Chief of CSIRO Mineral Physics
VK5AX	Alf Traeger - Inventor of the pedal powered wireless
VU2LC1	Permanent Lions Club Disaster station Bangalore India, operated by Lion Ajoy VU2JHM
VU2RBI	Bharathi Prasad - The only lifeline for thousands during the 2005 Tsunami. ~ "Teresa of the Bay of Bengal."
VU2RG	Rajiv Ghandi - Late Prime Minister of India (sk)
VU2SON	Sonia Ghandi - Widow of VU2RG
XE1GC	Guillermo Gonzalez Camarena - Inventor of the colour television Tri-colour Cathode Ray Tube 1940 (sk)
YU1RL	Radivoje Lazarevic - Yugoslav ambassador to Brazil
ZK1AN	Sir Thomas Davis - former Premier of The Cook Islands
1XS	Reginald Aubrey Fessenden - Made the first broadcast of the human voice and music, on Christmas Eve 1906
2CVJ	Robert Hart - First person in USA to receive a transatlantic T V image transmitted by John Logie Baird in 1928
2KZ	Station used by John Logie Baird in 1928 to transmit the first transatlantic TV signal from England to New York
2YT	Belonged to the Marconi Company, used by Marconi on his yacht?  Click this link. There is too much for this list
3A0AG	Prince Alberto Grimaldi - Monte Carlo, Monaco
3BEC	Arthur Middleton Young- Inventor of the first commercially practical helicopter, philosopher, poet and painter
7L2NJY	Dr Mamoru Mohri - Japanese astronaut
9DRV	David Packard - Co-Founder of Hewlett-Packard.(sk). Bill Hewlett was probably a radio ham, callsign not known.
9K2CS	Prince Yousuf Al-Sabah
9M1	King of Malaya (possible sk)

How Ham Radio Works

http://www.howstuffworks.com/ham-radio.htm

A teen in Florida makes friends over the airwaves with a ham in Germany. An aircraft engineer in Washington participates in an annual contest and exchanges call signs with hams in 100 countries during a single weekend. In North Carolina, volunteers pass health and welfare messages in the aftermath of a hurricane.

This mix of fun, public service, friendship and convenience is the main feature of amateur radio. The true origin of the term "ham" seems to have been lost, but there are several theories. It may simply be a shortcut way of saying the first syllable of amateur radio, or it may have originally been used as an insult. Hams start out in amateur radio for many reasons, but they all have in common a basic knowledge of radio technology, regulations and operating principles.

Ham radio can be very portable and affordable. In this article, we will look at ham radio and show you how to get started in this wireless world!

Why would I get into ham radio?

Ham radio is for anyone who likes to communicate with others via wireless technology. It is also for anyone who enjoys experimentation. Licensed amateur radio operators communicate with each other in nearby places, across the country, around the world or even with astronauts in outer space!

Amateur radio is a worldwide group of people who communicate with each other over a wide frequency spectrum using many different types of wireless transmitting modes.

Often, younger hams get a chance to meet other hams of various ages and professions. For example, Kid's Day is an annual event that encourages young people to get on the air, perhaps with a family member or a neighbor who is a licensed amateur radio operator. The frequent networking often helps teens when they are making career or education choices and wish to get some advice (from professionals in many technical fields) that maybe mom, dad or the guidance counselor may not be able to give.

Today, there are approximately 675,000 amateur radio operators in the United States, and more than 2.5 million around the world. To find out how to get started and who to contact in your area, call or write the non-profit organization:

Frequencies and Transmitting Modes

Hams use a variety of frequencies for communications. Non-hams can "listen in" via their own receivers orradio scanners. Hams are able to use many frequency bands across the radio spectrum -- these frequencies are allocated by the FCC for amateur use. Hams may operate from just above the AM broadcast band to the microwave region, in the gigahertz range. Many ham bands are found in the frequency range that goes from above the AM radio band (1.6 MHz) to just above the citizens band (27 MHz). During daylight, 15 to 27 MHz is a good band for long-distance communications. At night, the band from 1.6 to 15 MHz is good for long-distance communications. These bands are often referred to historically as short-wave bands (as in "short-wave radio"). Unlike frequencies used by FM radio stations and TV stations, which are line-of-sight and therefore limited to 40 or 50 miles, short-waves "bounce" off theionosphere from the transmitter to the receiver's antenna. The higher the frequency is, the "shorter" the wavelength is.

Some ham radio operators use the very reliable Morse code, while others use voice. Morse code signals (beeps) often get through when voice transmissions cannot. There are also very many digital modes as well, and hams use radio modems to communicate in various networks.

Ham Radio Activities

Although a ham radio does broadcast in all directions, hams generally do not use their radios in a broadcast kind of way as a disk jockey would at a radio station. In normal AM or FM radio, one disk jockey transmits and thousands of people listen. Hams, on the other hand, conduct two-way conversations, often with another ham or with a group of hams in an informal roundtable. The roundtable of hams may be in the same town, county, state, country or continent or may consist of a mix of countries, depending on the frequency and the time of the day. Hams also participate in networks, often called nets, at predetermined times and frequencies to exchange third-party messages. In the case of disasters, hams exchange health and welfare information with other hams. Some hams use radioteletype, (RTTY) with computer screensreplacing the noisy teletype machines of the past.

Many hams get their start on VHF FM, using battery-operated hand-held transceivers set to transmit on one frequency and receive on another frequency. They use FM repeaters, set up and supported by local radio clubs. These repeaters borrow antenna space from TV-station-tower owners on top of mountains and high buildings to receive and re-broadcast signals to extend the range.

The FM repeater receives one signal at a time and simultaneously rebroadcasts it on another frequency using many more watts of power than available from a small hand-held radio. This extends the range of the hand-held radio from a few miles to tens or hundreds of miles! The whole country has theserepeaters! (Listen to one with a radio scanner to learn a lot about ham radio.) When a ham is traveling, he or she can find a repeater to use (great for tips on local restaurants), and carry on a nice, static-free, FM-radio-quality conversation via a radio that fits in the shirt pocket or purse. Linked repeaters allow fun wireless communications across an entire state with a hand-held radio.

Repeaters use common transmit and receive frequency pairs. The frequency pairs in use are informally assigned by groups of hams so that any frequency pair in use is far enough from another repeater so as not to cause unwanted interference.

Amateur radio satellites are a cutting-edge use of technology in amateur radio. Radio amateurs use their hand-held radios to communicate through an amateur radio satellite when the satellite is overhead. A current British satellite has a receiver (uplink) at 145.975 MHz and simultaneously rebroadcasts (downlink) at 435.070 MHz for one station at a time, as a repeater.

Natural disasters like hurricanes or tornadoes disrupt normal telephone and cell phone systems. Ham radio operators pitch in to help with emergency communications, and you will often hear about them on news reports.

On Space Shuttle missions, each member of the crew usually has an amateur radio operator's license. During breaks, astronauts hold their 1- to 5-watt VHF FM hand-held radios up to the shuttle window and chat with other hams for a few minutes, often at schools while the shuttle is in an orbit overhead! VHF transmissions have a limit to line-of-sight communications and normally do not travel over the horizon, so a conversation is limited to the time when the shuttle is overhead. The space station MIR used 145.985 MHz for similar conversations. Future ham radio efforts in space will focus on the use of amateur radio within the International Space Station (ARISS) project.

License Requirements

You need an easy-to-earn license to transmit on an amateur radio frequency. License tests cover electronics theory and amateur radio rules and regulations. Study guides are readily available. There is no age restriction. Each country has its own licensing arrangements. Many countries share many of the same frequency bands with hams in the United States. Each license class allows operation in certain bands, using certain modes. The higher the class of license, the more allowable frequency bands that are available for use.

Recently, the FCC relaxed the Morse code requirements portion of the rules to make it easier to get an amateur radio operator's license. The FCC's new licensing plan means you will be able to become a ham by passing a single 35-question written examination. License study guides are readily available for the written test.

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) helps many get into amateur radio. The ARRL was organized in 1914 by H.P. Maxim to help relay radio messages. Most radio messages had a 25-mile range at that time and were transmitted around 1.5 MHz, at the high end of the AM broadcast band. The ARRL has many useful publications. Local volunteers around the country administer amateur radio tests. These volunteers are usually members of an amateur radio club.

What are the amateur radio operator exams like?

The FCC licensing requirements includes a mixture of written tests for several license classes and a Morse Code test of five words per minute for some license classes.

The written tests consist of multiple choice exams. You can access online study guides or you can buy them. Each type of license has specific operating privileges on each ham band.

Ham Radio Equipment

A typical ham radio is a transmitter and a receiver, usually purchased as one unit, called a transceiver. Newer transceiver models often have semi-complicated controls and menu systems that may take some reading of the manual. You may be able to find an older transceiver with controls that are easier to use as a beginner, having the usual analog controls.

Hand-held transceivers have their own antennas. Many hams choose to do most of their operating from their automobile during commute times, using a magnetic mount antenna connected to an under-dash transceiver or a hand-held radio.

Power Output

Depending on the size (hand-held or desktop), power can be from a few milliwatts to 1,500 watts. Many new hams are graduates from citizens band (CB) radio. Unlike the 5-watt limit on CB, hams can use quite a bit more power (1,500 watts).

The ham radio can fit in your shirt pocket, take up half of an attic or garage, sit on a desk next to the computer or go into a car. Right now, during the current sunspot cycle, it is possible to talk around the world during daylight hours running just a few watts of power. This particular type of radio-wave propagation is in the 28-MHz band (commonly called the 10-meter band) thanks to short-wave propagation (300 divided by the frequency in MHz is a quick way to convert to "meters").

Antennas

Little whip antennas, wire antennas in trees, and antennas atop a tower are all used, depending on the frequency in use. Lower frequencies have longer wavelengths. Longer wavelengths need larger antennas. The same antennas (used to transmit and receive) can be small, portable, put in trees or on the trunk of a car.

The common 146-MHz (2-meter) antenna is a 19-inch quarter-wave whip. A wavelength at 146 MHz is approximately 2 (300 divided by 146) meters, and a quarter wave of 2 meters is about 19 inches (50 cm). Hams enjoy the fun of experimenting with various types of antennas. Some antennas are made of wire strung between trees. Be sure to use lightning protection for outside antennas!

Hams, including the writer of this article, have communicated with other hams using the following types of antennas with antenna tuners:

• Metal window screens in upper floors of hotels and motels
• Aluminum extension ladders, insulated from the ground, leaning against a house (the lower the frequency, the longer the ladder)
• Soldered-together rain gutters and downspouts
• Flat copper "burglar-tape" hidden behind wallpapered walls
• Extended "Slinky" toys supported by a rope through the middle, in an attic
• Camera-tripod-supported whip antenna
• Disguised flagpoles fed with buried coaxial cable
• Fine wires cast with a fishing rod between dormitory buildings

What keeps ham operators from transmitting on the same frequency?

Many hams can be on the same frequency, but it depends on the propagation factors. VHF and UHF are line-of-sight, so many hams can be on the same frequency in one state. On short-wave bands, radios havevariable frequency tuning to allow moving your transmitted signal (in very small increments) in between two other transmitting stations. Hams often do a lot more listening than transmitting. Often, they listen for another ham that identifies the station as being in a sought-after county, state, or country.

Hams collect confirmations of contacts using QSL cards. Hams collect the QSL cards and receive awards for contacting so many countries on certain frequency bands. VHF and UHF hand-held radios typically use channeledcommunications, using selectable fixed frequencies.

Hamfests

There are frequent hamfests, or ham radio flea markets, in many areas. Hamfests are the best place to meet hams, buy equipment, and take your license test. It's a great way to find some terrific deals on used equipment. You will also find computer parts at hamfests. It is relatively inexpensive to get into amateur radio if you learn how to shop for used equipment with the aid of someone at a local radio club. Think of a hamfest as a real-time, in-person ham radio display like that found at eBay -- but you don't have to bid against others!

Look for a transceiver with a built-in general coverage receiver. That way, you get the versatility of two hobbies: ham radio and short-wave listening.

Each May, the world's largest ham radio convention is held in Dayton, Ohio.

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Space Hams

Space Hams

ARISS Frequencies

ARISS Frequencies

Voice	Uplink	145.200 MHz * IARU Region 1
	Downlink	145.800 MHz
Repeater	Uplink	437.800 MHz
	Downlink	145.800 MHz
Packet	Columbus	437.550 MHz **
	Svesda	145.825 MHz
		* In Region 2 (Americas) and in Region 3 (Asia, Australia, Pacific) the Voice Uplink frequency is 144.490 MHz
		** The amateur radio station located in the Columbus module is currently operational with the UHF Ericsson transceiver and packet system using the frequency of 437.550 MHz. To utilize the the packet system, operators need to set the UNPROTO path to ARISS (the id is RS0ISS) for digi relay or they may connect to the BBS using the callsign RS0ISS-1. The packet beacon is set for 2 minute intervals so it may not appear to be active over many parts of the world but keep listening and mind the Doppler shift (+ or – 10 KHz).

ARISS Callsigns

Voice	USA call sign	NA1SS
	Russian call signs	RS0ISS
		RZ3DZR
	European call signs	DP0ISS
		OR4ISS
Packet	Keyboard call sign	RS0ISS-3
	Mailbox call sign	RS0ISS-11
	Digipeater Alias	ARISS

Amateur Radio on the International Space Station

Amateur
   Radio  on the
         International
         Space
             Station

ARISS Contact Options

ARISS school contacts can be performed in one of two ways:

        - a DIRECT radio link between an amateur radio station set up in your school and the amateur station onboard the ISS

        - a TELEBRIDGE, where a dedicated ARISS amateur radio ground station, located somewhere in the world, establishes the radio link with the ISS. Voice
         communications between your students and the astronauts are then patched over regular telephone lines.

One of the goals of this program is to involve students with amateur radio. A direct contact will give your students an opportunity to speak via amateur radio and learn how the radio system works. If your school has an amateur radio station that you plan to use for a direct contact, then the station must meet certain technical requirements that are outlined in section I of the ARISS Contact Requirements form. If you do not have a station, then you may be able to work with a local ham radio club to have them temporarily install and operate a portable station at your school. To learn more about amateur radio and to locate an amateur radio club near you, please contact your ARISS representative.

If you are unable to support a direct contact then a telebridge can also be a very rewarding experience for students and faculty. The ARISS team will help the school set up the telebridge contact and give your students an opportunity to speak via amateur radio and learn about amateur radio and a little on how wireless technology works.

For either direct or telebridge contacts, please work with your local amateur radio operators who can mentor your school in technology lessons and many related skills.

The future of communications

http://www.astrosurf.com/luxorion/qsl-future-communications.htm

What is amateur radio?

Amateur radio is a form of communication, a hobby and a community service. An amateur radio operator could be a school teacher in Nova Scotia trading teaching methods over the radio with another radio amateur who is also a teacher, in New Zealand. An amateur radio operator could be a British teenager using her computer to upload a chess move through her radio which is retrieved by a fellow chess fan in Australia via an amateur radio space satellite. An amateur radio operator could be a Swedish truck driver speaking via amateur radio to a Russian scientist at the South Pole. Radio amateurs also save lives as part of an emergency communications network. Amateur radio is a unique, fascinating and friendly hobby that captivates the interest of millions of people around the world. It is fun for everyone!

Useful acronyms and terms

ATV	Amateur Television	SSTV	Slow Scan TeleVision
Break	Can I participate in the QSO ?	STN	Station
Big gun	Big antenna (very efficient)	SWL	Shortwaves listener
Booming	Very strong signal (over S9)	Traffic	The callsign
CQ	General call (I seek you)	TVI	TV related parasit
CQ DX	Call to another continent	TX	Transmitter
CW	Continuous wave or code work	VY	Very, much
DXCC	World countries as defined by ITU	WPX	The suffix of a callsign
DXing	Working a DX station	WX	The weather
DX	Other continent (other state in the USA!)	YL	Young Lady
FB	Fine business, very good	XYL	OM's wife
HI!	Hi (laughing, joking)	44	Happy celebration
OM	Old Man (licensed amateur)	51	Good DX
OT	Old Timer (> 20 years of practice)	55	Many QSO
Roger	Well received	73	Friendly !, The Best !
RTX	Transceiver (RX/TX)	88	Kisses
RX	Receiver	99	Leave the QRG
SHACK	Room where stands your station	105	Good health
SRI	Sorry	144	The bed
SSB	Single Side Band (LSB, USB)	600 ohms	Telephone