Free Download | Ham Radio For Dummies

Amateur or ham radio has been around for nearly a century. In that time, it’s grown, branched, morphed, and amplified itself into a worldwide community of licensed hams tickling the airwaves with every conceivable means of communications technology. Its practitioners range in age from preschoolers to septuagenarians. Ham radio’s siren call attracts those who have never held a microphone as well as deep technical experts who grew up with a soldering iron and computer. You may have come across ham radio in any number of ways: in movies such as Frequency or Contact, in books (the comic book hero TinTin is a ham), from seeing them in action performing emergency communications services, or maybe from a friend or relative who enjoys the hobby. Interestingly enough, ham radio has room for all of these activities. Yes, even a mad scientist or two are in the ham ranks. Most, however, are just like you. The storied vision finds the ham bent over a glowing radio, surrounded by all manner of electronic gadgets and flicking meters, tapping out messages on a telegraph key or speaking into a large, round, silvery microphone.