Amateur radio — "ham radio" — is a radio service set aside by international treaty and, in the United States, licensed by the Federal Communications Commission. Licensees may build, modify and operate their own transmitters on frequency bands from below the AM broadcast band to the microwave region, and may communicate directly with other amateurs anywhere in the world with no network, subscription or carrier in between.
What makes it different from other radio
- You are the operator, not a customer. No account, no monthly fee, no company that can turn
- You may build and modify equipment. Amateurs are explicitly permitted to design and use
- It is non-commercial. You may not be paid to pass messages and may not use the bands to
- It is a service, not just a hobby. The FCC's stated basis for the service includes
the service off.
homemade transmitters, which is unusual in radio regulation.
conduct business.
emergency communication, technical training and international goodwill.
What it sounds like in practice
A handheld radio talking through a hilltop repeater to cover a whole county. A wire antenna in a back yard reaching Europe on 20 meters. A laptop decoding a signal from New Zealand that is too weak to hear. A club providing communications for a marathon. A student tracking a satellite with a hand-held antenna. All of that is one license.
Where to go next
- Why get licensed
- What you can do with a license
- Licensing — the exam, the FRN and the paperwork