Beginning Radio Communications: Radio Projects and Theory

© Alex Wulff 2019

A. WulffBeginning Radio Communicationshttps://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4842-5302-1_7

7. Amateur Radio

Alex Wulff¹ 

(1)

Cambridge, MA, USA

 

You may have heard the term “ham radio” before; in this chapter, we will explore what exactly amateur, or “ham,” radio is and how you can get involved in it.

What Is It?

The best way to describe amateur radio is as a community. Amateur radio operators, or “hams” as they’re called, are individuals with an interest in radio that utilize special frequency allocations to do interesting things. All amateur radio operators have a special license to operate in these bands. In most countries, this license is obtained by taking a test. In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) oversees ...