What is Ham Radio and is Amateur Radio the Same Thing?

Imagine for a moment, that you could talk to anyone in the world. Someone you have never spoken with before. Someone you are very unlikely to ever meet in person. That someone is just like you – a radio ham – and waiting to talk with you.

What is Ham Radio and is Amateur Radio the Same Thing? Ham radio is a way to communicate with fellow hams around the world, or around the corner using the radio waves. With a transmitter and receiver in one box connected to an aerial, the world is, quite literally at your fingertips. You can communicate by voice, morse code, using your computer keyboard and even via the Moon. Ham radio and amateur radio are two names for the same thing.

Having your own ham radio station could be at home with a large outdoor aerial where you can talk to the world from the comfort of your armchair. A simple and inexpensive radio can be held in the palm of your hand as you walk around outdoors keeping in touch with new local friends. Perhaps you prefer to chat with people from the car. Interested?

What is the Attraction?

Human beings have communicated with each other since the first cavemen and cavewomen learned to say ‘Ugh’.

Ham radio is all about communication and comes in many shapes and sizes. In its most simple form, it can be a small portable radio you can carry around in your pocket. With one of these radios, known as transceivers, the range is a few miles and they are ideal for chatter with fellow local hams around town.

You have probably seen large aerials mounted on high masts as you’ve driven around. A set-up like this means that the owner is most likely having contacts with hams on different continents and countries most days with reasonable ease. At the other end of the aerial cable, you’ll find a quality transceiver plus an amplifier to boost the signal and a whole host of accessories and extras accumulated over many years.

Most ham radio stations fall somewhere between the two.

A more modest set-up might be a second-hand transceiver with a small wire aerial outside at a modest height, perhaps between two trees. Generally lower powered it is still quite possible to be making new contacts around the world, although it may take a little more time and patience. This has been my own experience for many years, and I’ve been able to use that set-up to contact almost 200 different countries.

Many hams have radios in their cars and chat while they are driving or parked up. It is easy to assume that being mobile will limit the range and number of contacts. With the right equipment and aerial mounted on the car, contacts can be as close as your town, or thousands of miles away on a different continent.

Do I Need to Learn 100 Languages?

Not at all. English is spoken by the majority of radio hams and it possible to hold a simple conversation where the person at the other end has little or no English. A contact using morse code with a series of abbreviations means you can share who you are, your town, how strong your radio signal is and more, without the need for a common language.

Three or four words learned in several languages makes things more fun but is by no means essential.

What Are the Basics of Ham Radio?

To make short distance local contacts, all you need is a small handheld radio which transmits and receives on VHF or UHF frequencies. These can cost as little as $40. You’ll need a ham radio license to transmit in your country and these tiny radios, known as transceivers, are a simple and fun way to start.

Greater distances come at a higher cost, but second-hand mains equipment can be found for around $200. Add an aerial, known in the jargon as an antenna, and the world is out there waiting for you.

Is Ham Radio an Expensive Hobby?

Like most hobbies and interests, the answer here is both yes and no. A set of second-hand golf clubs can be very cheap and picked up from a garage sale or flea market. Alternatively, you can spend thousands of dollars on the newest top of the range set of clubs, bags, and all the accessories.

Ham radio is much the same. You can spend as much or as little as suits your needs and pocket. While some of the top range transceivers and amplifiers come at eye-watering prices for some, it is the antenna that can be more important. Most of us grew gradually into the hobby over many years.

Do I Need a Licence for Ham Radio?

Wherever you are in the world you will need an amateur radio license. It’s the law everywhere.

The reason is so that radio hams learn some basics of communication, frequencies and how not to cause interference to other users of the radio or TV spectrum. Some basic technical knowledge is required but can be learned easily, often online or from printed books. Many local ham radio clubs run courses and you will always find people there willing to help you on your way.

Some countries have different levels of ham radio license, other just one. Different levels generally mean a difference in the frequencies or transmitter power you can use.

Do I Need to Learn Morse Code to be a Radio Ham?

The answer here is no, yes and maybe.

Taking no first. Many countries no longer require you to know morse code to hold any level of ham radio license. This has been a change in the past couple of decades, to encourage more people into the hobby.

Yes, you do need to learn morse code, is a two-part answer. The yes could be that your specific country still requires a morse test to hold a license. The other part of yes, is that learning and becoming proficient in morse code gives you access to communicating with hams who only use the code and for some of those contacts where English may not be spoken very well, or at all, at the other end of your contact.

For maybe? Well, if your country doesn’t have morse code as a license requirement, it’s a new skill or challenge. It took me some time to learn morse code and it isn’t for everyone, but it is most of the original means of radio communication and it’s fun!

How Else Can Ham Radio Be Used?

Speech is just one ‘mode’ on the ham bands. We have already suggested that morse is another and remains very popular,

Sending still pictures or moving pictures as television is another interest.

There are several digital modes when you use the keyboard on your computer and connect it to your radio. Many of these digital modes don’t require high power and are ideal when contacts are marginal due to propagation, (a subject all its own).

Some hams use satellites to communicate. In fact, there have been numerous dedicated amateur radio satellites with the first launched 1961 – who knew!

Talking of space, most of the astronauts on the International Space Station are licensed radios hams and sometimes spend their spare time making contacts. It is possible to use one of those $40 radios to speak to the ISS, although there are benefits of a better set up.

And then there is bouncing your radio signal off the Moon and having it arrive on the other side of the planet after rather a long journey.

The sky is, quite literally, the limit when it comes to ham radio and you will find your own interests and level of activity as you discover there is so much more explore in our wonderful hobby.

Is Ham Radio Competitive?

Another yes and no answer here.

Taking no first – there is no need for you to compete at all. There is no one out there who needs to beat you or take you on in a competition. You might compete with yourself to improve all the time and to learn how to make those more difficult contacts.

But, on the yes side – there are ‘Contests’ held on some of the ham bands, where things can become very competitive indeed. Some hams love them, others loathe the thought. Like so many aspects of amateur radio as a hobby, it is your choice as to whether you want to take part.

Can I Talk to Literally Anyone?

Pretty much. What I love about the hobby, is that you never know who you’ll contact next. It could be someone who is 99 years old, someone blind or otherwise disabled. Perhaps a youngster who is just 12 years old. You simply don’t know, unless they tell you! When the 12-year-old talks to the 99-year-old, it will always be using only first names.

Politics and religion are, thankfully, something that doesn’t happen in ham radio. During the Cold War, Americans would talk to Russians daily, while their government planned all sorts of conflict. Whatever religion you follow (if you do) or the colour of your skin, is of no interest to the person at the other end of your contact. Everyone talks to everyone. Ham radio is perhaps the only hobby in the world that is such a leveller of people – all power to that.

I’m Hooked – What’s Next?

Fantastic. One of the best ways is to seek out your local ham radio club and go along to a meeting. The folks there will be delighted to point you in the right direction and help you gain a license and offer advice on your first equipment.

If you don’t have an active club close-by, never fear. Every country in the world (well, almost every country) has a national ham radio society who will have a wealth of information to help you to get started.

And for My Final . . .

I look forward to contacting you on the bands soon, be it on voice, morse, digital, TV, satellite, via the Moon or in person at the local club. Just don’t expect me to appear on the ISS any time soon.

Listen out for G4KIU and give me a call.