K5LXP Amateur Radio Information

What is Amateur Radio?

Amateur radio is a community of people that use radio transmitters and receivers to communicate with other amateur radio operators. Activities in which amateur radio operators participate with their radios are as diverse as the people themselves. There are about 600,000 hams in the United States.

Ham radio operators are licensed by the United States Government. With these privileges come rules and responsibilities for the operation of an amateur radio station. Hams are not allowed to participate in the following:

1. Hams are not allowed to do anything with their radios that profits them in any way.
2. Ham radio operator cannot broadcast to the public.

Within these guidelines, hams are empowered to do just about everything that government and private radio stations are allowed.

Amateur radio activities:

1. Talk around the world - Hams can talk to other hams in almost any part of the globe with HF radios.
2. Talk around town - Hams enjoy extremely reliable communications within their local community using small portable VHF and UHF transceivers.
3. QRP - Communicating with very low power is a challenge that many hams enjoy.
4. Packet radio - Ham radio operators enjoy a wireless digital network of their own.
5. International morse code. You can get a license without knowing Morse code. Morse code is still practiced should you desire the challenge of communicating in this manner.
6. Amateur television - It's just like real television because it is real television.
7. Slow Scan TV - Send pictures around the world for little or no cost.
8. Contests - Test your radio operating skills against other hams and teams of hams.
9. Emergency and other volunteer services - Floods, hurricanes, mud slides, earthquakes, ice storms ... whenever `normal' communications go out, hams are ready to use their radios to provide emergency communication services to their communities.
10. Satellite communications - Hams have their own satellites ... really! (Amateur's satellites are easy to use too.)
11. Traffic handling - "Ham telegrams" are used to send messages to people around the world at no cost to the sender or the recipient; all done by ham radio operators volunteering their time and resources.

For more information, contact the Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL) or an amateur radio club in your area.