HAM RADIO
Earlier today, I had mentioned that a few of the teachers in STESMA are hams. So, I am specially doing a post about the ham radio. Amateur radio, often called Ham radio, is a hobby and public service enjoyed by about 3 million people throughout the world. An amateur radio operator, also known as a ham or radio amateur, uses advanced radio equipment to communicate with other radio amateurs for public service, recreation and self-training. Ham Radio is a hobby that is distinguished by its unique mix of fun, public service and convenience. Although hams get involved in Amateur Radio for many reasons, they all have in common a basic knowledge of radio technology, regulations and operating principles, demonstrated by passing an examination for a license to operate on radio frequencies known as the "Amateur Bands."
Amateur radio operators enjoy personal wireless communications with friends, family members, and even complete strangers. They support the larger public community with emergency and disaster communications. Increasing a person's knowledge of electronics and radio theory as well as radio contesting are also popular aspects of amateur radio.
Why are they called Hams? Although the origin of the word "ham" is obscure, every ham has his or her own theory. One holds that early Amateurs were called hams because they liked to "perform" on the air, as in "hamming it up." Another proposes that the name came from the "ham-fisted" way some early Amateurs handled their code keys. The easiest to accept is that "ham" is a contraction of "Am," as in Amateur. One of the most exotic holds that "ham" is an acronym from the initials of three college students who were among the first Radio Amateurs. Actually, nobody really knows when Amateur Radio operators were first called "hams," but we do know that Amateur Radio is as old as the history of radio itself.
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 emergency communications. 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 an earthquake in Italy, a flood in India or a hurricane in the U.S.
For more information, please log on to :
http://www.dcarc.net/what_is_ham_radio.htm
http://www.hello-radio.org/whatis.html