Amateur radio, also known as HAM radio, is a type of radio communication service used for the purposes of self-education, mutual communication, and technical study by amateurs who are licensed individuals interested in radio technology solely for personal interest and without financial gain. It is a hobby, a noble pursuit that usually stays with a person for life. Although at first glance it might seem that people who engage in amateur radio are primarily concerned with transmitting ham radio signals over long distances—as the term “HAM” suggests—this is not the case. Adherents of this hobby engage in a whole range of activities, one of which is amateur broadcasting on the relevant segments of the radio spectrum allocated for these purposes.
What does the term “HAM,” so often used among amateur radio operators, mean? It is a simple acronym consisting of the first letters of the last names of three American amateur radio operators, members of the Harvard Radio Club— Messrs. Hyman, Alma, and Murray, who used it a hundred years ago to identify their station on the air. This abbreviation became so widely accepted that when Mr. Hyman lobbied the U.S. Congress in 1911 for more accommodating U.S. legislation regarding amateur broadcasting, nearly all the senators discussing the topic referred to the issue at hand in connection with “HAMs,” or radio amateurs. Over time, this term became established on a global scale and is still used today as an abbreviation for “radio amateur.”
The licensing conditions for amateur radio stations, which establish the rights and obligations of license holders to operate amateur radio stations, define amateur radio as the Amateur Service, which places radio amateurs on an equal footing with other services operating on the airwaves and guarantees them a certain degree of protection against undesirable influences, such as interference with their operations by other users of the radio spectrum. All amateur stations operating on a given band have equal rights; no one should claim any special privileges. Unfortunately, when operating on amateur radio bands, one occasionally encounters people who also call themselves amateurs but try to be “more equal” than others. No regulations can protect against the foolishness of such miscreants; ham radio operators must deal with this on their own.