Amateur radio history
Encyclopedia
Throughout the history of amateur radio, amateur radio enthusiasts have made significant contributions to science
, engineering
, industry
, and social services. Research by amateur radio operator
s has founded new industries, built economies, empowered nations, and saved lives in times of emergency.
Amateur radio
is a hobby and, by law, completely non-commercial. Individual amateur "ham" radio operators pursue the avocation
for personal pleasure through building their own radio stations and commuicating with their fellows globally, and for self-improvement via study and practice of electronics, computers, and radio/tv wave behavior. Radio amateurs are, thus, "amateurs" in the true sense of the word: pursuit of an activity only for the love of it. Radio amateurs can not broadcast nor transmit music and other general public entertainment programming. The amateur radio use of the air waves is for personal satisfaction and for forwarding the "state of the art" of electronics and communication techniques. Amateur radio operations can be detected in designated bands throughout the radio spectrum
, using a variety of modulation
methods including Morse code
, voice and digital
modes, and image modes such as television
and facsimilie.
was mostly associated with various amateur experimenters. There are many contenders to being the inventor of radio
, that honor has been disputed between not only the original experimenters, Heinrich Rudolf Hertz
(1888), Nikola Tesla
, and Guglielmo Marconi
, but also Amos Dolbear
, Reginald Fessenden
, James Clerk Maxwell
, Sir Oliver Lodge, Mahlon Loomis
, Nathan Stubblefield
, and Alexander Popov. In the beginning of 1895, Tesla was able to detect signals from the transmissions of his New York lab at West Point (a distance of 50 miles). Marconi demonstrated the transmission and reception of Morse Code based radio signals over a distance of two or more kilometers (and up to six kilometers) on Salisbury Plain in England in 1896. Marconi, by 1899, sent wireless messages across the English Channel
and, according to his reports, the first transatlantic transmission (1902).
Following Marconi's experiments (1900–1908) many people began experimenting with radio. Communications were made in Morse Code
by use of spark gap transmitters. These first operators were the pioneers of amateur radio.
In 1910, the Amateurs of Australia
formed the first radio society, now the Wireless Institute of Australia
.
In 1912 after the RMS Titanic sank, the United States Congress
passed the Radio Act of 1912
which restricted private stations to wavelengths of 200 meters or shorter (1500 kHz or higher). These "short wave" frequencies were generally considered useless at the time, and the number of radio hobbyists in the U.S. is estimated to have dropped by as much as 88%. Other countries followed suit and by 1913 the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea
was convened and produced a treaty requiring shipboard radio stations to be manned 24 hours a day. The Radio Act of 1912 also marked the beginning of U.S. federal licensing of amateur radio operators and stations. The origin of the term "ham"
, as a synonym for an amateur radio operator, was a taunt by professional operators.
had put a stop to amateur radio. In the United States, Congress ordered all amateur radio operators to cease operation and even dismantle their equipment. These restrictions were lifted after World War I ended, and the amateur radio service restarted on October 1, 1919.
In 1921, a challenge was issued by American hams to their counterparts in the United Kingdom to receive radio contacts from across the Atlantic. Soon, many American stations were beginning to be heard in the UK, shortly followed by a UK amateur being heard in the US in December 1922. November 27, 1923 marked the first transatlantic two-way contact between American
amateur Fred Schnell and French
amateur Leon Deloy. Shortly after, the first two way contact between the UK and USA was in December 1923, between London
and West Hartford, Connecticut
. In the following months 17 American and 13 European amateur stations were communicating. Within the next year, communications between North and South America; South America and New Zealand; North America and New Zealand; and London and New Zealand were being made.
These international Amateur contacts helped prompt the first International Radiotelegraph Conference, held in Washington, DC, USA in 1927-28. At the conference, standard international amateur radio bands of 80/75
, 40
, 20
and 10 meters and radio callsign prefixes were established by treaty.
In 1933 Robert Moore, W6DEI, begins single-sideband
voice experiments on 75 meter lower sideband. By 1934, there were several ham stations on the air using single-sideband.
, the priest Fr. Maximilian Kolbe
, SP3RN was arrested by the Germans. The Germans believed his amateur radio activities were somehow involved in espionage and he was transferred to Auschwitz on May 28, 1941. After some prisoners escaped in 1941, the Germans ordered that 10 prisoners be killed in retribution. Fr. Kolbe was martyr
ed when he volunteered to take the place of one of the condemned men. On October 10, 1982 he was canonized by Pope John Paul II
as Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Apostle of Consecration to Mary and declared a Martyr of charity
. He is considered the Patron saint
of Amateur radio operators.
Again during World War II, as it had done during the first World War, the United States Congress suspended all amateur radio operations. With most of the American amateur radio operators in the armed forces at this time, the US government created the War emergency radio service
which would remain active through 1945. After the War the amateur radio service began operating again, with many hams converting war surplus radios, such as the ARC-5
, to amateur use.
band from 29.700 MHz to 30.000 MHz was taken away from amateur radio.
During the 1950s, hams helped pioneer the use of single-sideband modulation
for HF voice communication. In 1961 the first orbital satellite carrying amateur radio (OSCAR
) was launched. Oscar I would be the first of a series of amateur radio satellites created throughout the world.
Ham radio enthusiasts were instrumental in keeping U.S. Navy personnel stationed in Antarctica in contact with loved ones back home during the International Geophysical Year
during the late 1950s.
in Geneva, Switzerland, three new amateur radio bands were established: 30 meters, 17 meters and 12 meters. Today, these three bands are often referred to as the WARC bands
by hams.
During the Falklands War
in 1982, Argentine
forces seized control of the phones and radio network on the islands and had cut off communications with London
. Scottish
amateur radio operator Les Hamilton, GM3ITN was able to relay crucial information from fellow hams Bob McLeod and Tony Pole-Evans on the islands to British military intelligence
in London, including the details of troop deployment, bombing raids, radar bases and military
activities.
However, radio hams usually avoid controversial subjects and political situations and discussions as a part of the code of politeness of radio communications.
Major contributions to communications in the fields of automated message systems and packet radio
were made by amateur radio operators throughout the 1980s. These computer controlled systems were used for the first time to distribute communications during and after disasters.
American entry-level Novice and Technician class licensees were granted CW and SSB segments on the 10 Meter Band in 1987. The frequency ranges allocated to them are still known today throughout much of the world as the Novice Sub Bands even though it is no longer possible to obtain a novice class license in the US.
Further advances in digital communications occurred in the 1990s as Amateurs used the power of PCs and sound cards to introduce such modes as PSK31
and began to incorporate Digital Signal Processing
and Software-defined radio
into their activities..
(WRC) met in Geneva, Switzerland, and voted to allow member countries of the International Telecommunications Union to eliminate Morse Code testing if they so wished .
On December 15, 2006, the United States Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) issued a Report and Order eliminating all Morse code testing requirements for all American Amateur Radio License applicants, which took effect February 23, 2007. The relaxing of Morse code tests has also occurred in most other countries, resulting in a boosting in the number of radio amateurs world-wide.
While there is no longer a requirement for hams to learn "the Code," it remains a popular communications mode.
Most of Europe allows licensed operators from other countries to obtain permits to transmit in Europe during visits. Residential permits are available in many countries globally whereby a valid license from one country will be honored by other countries under international treaties.
In early 2010, only North Korea had an absolute ban on ham radio operator licenses, although many countries still maintain careful records of ham licensees, and limit their activities and frequency bands and transmit power output.
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, industry
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
, and social services. Research by amateur radio operator
Amateur radio operator
An amateur radio operator is an individual who typically uses equipment at an amateur radio station to engage in two-way personal communications with other similar individuals on radio frequencies assigned to the amateur radio service. Amateur radio operators have been granted an amateur radio...
s has founded new industries, built economies, empowered nations, and saved lives in times of emergency.
Amateur radio
Amateur radio
Amateur radio is the use of designated radio frequency spectrum for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication...
is a hobby and, by law, completely non-commercial. Individual amateur "ham" radio operators pursue the avocation
Avocation
An avocation is an activity that one engages in as a hobby outside one's main occupation. There are many examples of people whose professions were the ways that they made their livings, but for whom their activities outside of their workplaces were their true passions in life...
for personal pleasure through building their own radio stations and commuicating with their fellows globally, and for self-improvement via study and practice of electronics, computers, and radio/tv wave behavior. Radio amateurs are, thus, "amateurs" in the true sense of the word: pursuit of an activity only for the love of it. Radio amateurs can not broadcast nor transmit music and other general public entertainment programming. The amateur radio use of the air waves is for personal satisfaction and for forwarding the "state of the art" of electronics and communication techniques. Amateur radio operations can be detected in designated bands throughout the radio spectrum
Radio spectrum
Radio spectrum refers to the part of the electromagnetic spectrum corresponding to radio frequencies – that is, frequencies lower than around 300 GHz ....
, using a variety of modulation
Modulation
In electronics and telecommunications, modulation is the process of varying one or more properties of a high-frequency periodic waveform, called the carrier signal, with a modulating signal which typically contains information to be transmitted...
methods including Morse code
Morse code
Morse code is a method of transmitting textual information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment...
, voice and digital
Packet radio
Packet radio is a form of packet switching technology used to transmit digital data via radio or wireless communications links. It uses the same concepts of data transmission via Datagram that are fundamental to communications via the Internet, as opposed to the older techniques used by dedicated...
modes, and image modes such as television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and facsimilie.
Beginnings
The birth of amateur radio and radio in generalHistory of radio
The early history of radio is the history of technology that produced radio instruments that use radio waves. Within the timeline of radio, many people contributed theory and inventions in what became radio. Radio development began as "wireless telegraphy"...
was mostly associated with various amateur experimenters. There are many contenders to being the inventor of radio
Invention Of Radio
Within the history of radio, several people were involved in the invention of radio and there were many key inventions in what became the modern systems of wireless. Radio development began as "wireless telegraphy"...
, that honor has been disputed between not only the original experimenters, Heinrich Rudolf Hertz
Heinrich Rudolf Hertz
Heinrich Rudolf Hertz was a German physicist who clarified and expanded the electromagnetic theory of light that had been put forth by Maxwell...
(1888), Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla
Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor, mechanical engineer, and electrical engineer...
, and Guglielmo Marconi
Guglielmo Marconi
Guglielmo Marconi was an Italian inventor, known as the father of long distance radio transmission and for his development of Marconi's law and a radio telegraph system. Marconi is often credited as the inventor of radio, and indeed he shared the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics with Karl Ferdinand...
, but also Amos Dolbear
Amos Dolbear
Amos Emerson Dolbear was an American physicist and inventor. His patents interfered with Guglielmo Marconi's planned activities in the U.S. Dolbear researched electrical spark conversion into sound waves and electrical impulses. He was a professor at University of Kentucky in Lexington from 1868...
, Reginald Fessenden
Reginald Fessenden
Reginald Aubrey Fessenden , a naturalized American citizen born in Canada, was an inventor who performed pioneering experiments in radio, including early—and possibly the first—radio transmissions of voice and music...
, James Clerk Maxwell
James Clerk Maxwell
James Clerk Maxwell of Glenlair was a Scottish physicist and mathematician. His most prominent achievement was formulating classical electromagnetic theory. This united all previously unrelated observations, experiments and equations of electricity, magnetism and optics into a consistent theory...
, Sir Oliver Lodge, Mahlon Loomis
Mahlon Loomis
Mahlon Loomis was an early wireless telegraph experimenter.-Early history:...
, Nathan Stubblefield
Nathan Stubblefield
Nathan B. Stubblefield was an American inventor and Kentucky melon farmer. It has been claimed that Stubblefield invented the radio before either Nikola Tesla or Guglielmo Marconi, but his devices seem to have worked by audio frequency induction or, later, audio frequency earth conduction rather...
, and Alexander Popov. In the beginning of 1895, Tesla was able to detect signals from the transmissions of his New York lab at West Point (a distance of 50 miles). Marconi demonstrated the transmission and reception of Morse Code based radio signals over a distance of two or more kilometers (and up to six kilometers) on Salisbury Plain in England in 1896. Marconi, by 1899, sent wireless messages across the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
and, according to his reports, the first transatlantic transmission (1902).
Following Marconi's experiments (1900–1908) many people began experimenting with radio. Communications were made in Morse Code
Morse code
Morse code is a method of transmitting textual information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment...
by use of spark gap transmitters. These first operators were the pioneers of amateur radio.
In 1910, the Amateurs of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
formed the first radio society, now the Wireless Institute of Australia
Wireless Institute of Australia
The Wireless Institute of Australia was formed in 1910, and is the first and oldest national amateur radio society in the world. 2010 is the 100th anniversary of its formation...
.
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
passed the Radio Act of 1912
Radio Act of 1912
The Radio Act of 1912 is a United States federal law that mandated that all radio stations in the US be licensed by the federal government, as well as mandating that seagoing vessels continuously monitor distress frequencies....
which restricted private stations to wavelengths of 200 meters or shorter (1500 kHz or higher). These "short wave" frequencies were generally considered useless at the time, and the number of radio hobbyists in the U.S. is estimated to have dropped by as much as 88%. Other countries followed suit and by 1913 the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea
International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea
The International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea is an international maritime safety treaty. The SOLAS Convention in its successive forms is generally regarded as the most important of all international treaties concerning the safety of merchant ships.- History :The first version of the...
was convened and produced a treaty requiring shipboard radio stations to be manned 24 hours a day. The Radio Act of 1912 also marked the beginning of U.S. federal licensing of amateur radio operators and stations. The origin of the term "ham"
Etymology of ham radio
Ham is an informal term for an amateur radio operator, and, by extension, "ham radio" refers to amateur radio in general. This use of the word first appeared in the United States during the opening decade of the 20th century—for example, in 1909 Robert A...
, as a synonym for an amateur radio operator, was a taunt by professional operators.
World War I
By 1917, World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
had put a stop to amateur radio. In the United States, Congress ordered all amateur radio operators to cease operation and even dismantle their equipment. These restrictions were lifted after World War I ended, and the amateur radio service restarted on October 1, 1919.
Between the wars
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
amateur Fred Schnell and French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
amateur Leon Deloy. Shortly after, the first two way contact between the UK and USA was in December 1923, between London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and West Hartford, Connecticut
West Hartford, Connecticut
West Hartford is a town located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The town was incorporated in 1854. Prior to that date, the town was a parish of Hartford....
. In the following months 17 American and 13 European amateur stations were communicating. Within the next year, communications between North and South America; South America and New Zealand; North America and New Zealand; and London and New Zealand were being made.
These international Amateur contacts helped prompt the first International Radiotelegraph Conference, held in Washington, DC, USA in 1927-28. At the conference, standard international amateur radio bands of 80/75
80 meters
The 80 meter or 3.5 MHz band is a core amateur radio frequency band, allocated frequencies from 3.5 to 4.0 MHz in IARU Region 2, and generally 3.5 to 3.8 or 3.9 MHz in Regions 1 and 3 respectively. The portion of the band used for phone communications is sometimes referred to as 75 meters...
, 40
40 meters
The 40-meter or 7-MHz band is an amateur radio frequency band, spanning 7000 to 7300 kilohertz , allocated to radio amateurs in all countries worldwide.40 meters is considered one of the most reliable all-season DX bands....
, 20
20 meters
The 20-meter or 14-MHz amateur radio band is a portion of the shortwave radio spectrum, comprising frequencies stretching from 14.000 MHz to 14.350 MHz. The 20-meter band was first made available to amateurs in the United States by the Third National Radio Conference on October 10, 1924...
and 10 meters and radio callsign prefixes were established by treaty.
In 1933 Robert Moore, W6DEI, begins single-sideband
Sideband
In radio communications, a sideband is a band of frequencies higher than or lower than the carrier frequency, containing power as a result of the modulation process. The sidebands consist of all the Fourier components of the modulated signal except the carrier...
voice experiments on 75 meter lower sideband. By 1934, there were several ham stations on the air using single-sideband.
World War II
During the German occupation of PolandInvasion of Poland (1939)
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
, the priest Fr. Maximilian Kolbe
Maximilian Kolbe
Saint Maximilian Maria Kolbe OFM Conv was a Polish Conventual Franciscan friar, who volunteered to die in place of a stranger in the Nazi German concentration camp of Auschwitz, located in German-occupied Poland during World War II.He was canonized on 10 October 1982 by Pope John Paul II, and...
, SP3RN was arrested by the Germans. The Germans believed his amateur radio activities were somehow involved in espionage and he was transferred to Auschwitz on May 28, 1941. After some prisoners escaped in 1941, the Germans ordered that 10 prisoners be killed in retribution. Fr. Kolbe was martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
ed when he volunteered to take the place of one of the condemned men. On October 10, 1982 he was canonized by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
as Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Apostle of Consecration to Mary and declared a Martyr of charity
Martyr of charity
In the Catholic church, a martyr of charity is someone who dies as a result of administering Christian charity. While a martyr of the faith dies through being persecuted for being a Catholic or for being a Christian, a martyr of charity dies through practising charity motivated by Christianity...
. He is considered the Patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of Amateur radio operators.
Again during World War II, as it had done during the first World War, the United States Congress suspended all amateur radio operations. With most of the American amateur radio operators in the armed forces at this time, the US government created the War emergency radio service
War Emergency Radio Service
The War Emergency Radio Service was a precursor to the civil defense and Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service systems in the United States....
which would remain active through 1945. After the War the amateur radio service began operating again, with many hams converting war surplus radios, such as the ARC-5
ARC-5
The AN/ARC-5 Command Radio Set is a series of radio receivers, transmitters, and accessories used to provide two-way Morse code and AM radiotelephone communication for U.S. Navy aircraft during World War II and the years following. It was an improvement of the Navy's ARA/ATA command set. Similar...
, to amateur use.
Post war era
In 1947 the uppermost 300 kHz segment of the world allocation of the 10 meter10 meters
The 10-metre band is a portion of the shortwave radio spectrum internationally allocated to amateur radio and amateur satellite use on a primary basis. The band consists of frequencies stretching from 28000 to 29700 kHz.-History:...
band from 29.700 MHz to 30.000 MHz was taken away from amateur radio.
During the 1950s, hams helped pioneer the use of single-sideband modulation
Single-sideband modulation
Single-sideband modulation or Single-sideband suppressed-carrier is a refinement of amplitude modulation that more efficiently uses electrical power and bandwidth....
for HF voice communication. In 1961 the first orbital satellite carrying amateur radio (OSCAR
OSCAR
OSCAR is an acronym for Orbiting Satellite Carrying Amateur Radio. OSCAR series satellites use amateur radio frequencies to facilitate communication between amateur radio stations. These satellites can be used for free by licensed amateur radio operators for voice and data communications...
) was launched. Oscar I would be the first of a series of amateur radio satellites created throughout the world.
Ham radio enthusiasts were instrumental in keeping U.S. Navy personnel stationed in Antarctica in contact with loved ones back home during the International Geophysical Year
International Geophysical Year
The International Geophysical Year was an international scientific project that lasted from July 1, 1957, to December 31, 1958. It marked the end of a long period during the Cold War when scientific interchange between East and West was seriously interrupted...
during the late 1950s.
Late 20th century
At the 1979 World administrative radio conferenceWorld Administrative Radio Conference
The World Administrative Radio Conference was a technical conference of the International Telecommunications Union where delegates from member nations of the ITU met to revise or amend the entire international Radio Regulations pertaining to all telecommunication services throughout the world...
in Geneva, Switzerland, three new amateur radio bands were established: 30 meters, 17 meters and 12 meters. Today, these three bands are often referred to as the WARC bands
WARC bands
The WARC bands are three portions of the shortwave radio spectrum used by licensed amateur radio operators. They consist of 30 meters , 17 meters and 12 meters . They were named after the World Administrative Radio Conference, which in 1979 created a worldwide allocation of these bands for...
by hams.
During the Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
in 1982, Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
forces seized control of the phones and radio network on the islands and had cut off communications with London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
amateur radio operator Les Hamilton, GM3ITN was able to relay crucial information from fellow hams Bob McLeod and Tony Pole-Evans on the islands to British military intelligence
UK Joint Intelligence Committee
The Joint Intelligence Committee is the part of the British Cabinet Office responsible for directing the national intelligence organisations of the United Kingdom on behalf of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom and providing advice to the Cabinet related to security, defence and foreign affairs...
in London, including the details of troop deployment, bombing raids, radar bases and military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
activities.
However, radio hams usually avoid controversial subjects and political situations and discussions as a part of the code of politeness of radio communications.
Major contributions to communications in the fields of automated message systems and packet radio
Packet radio
Packet radio is a form of packet switching technology used to transmit digital data via radio or wireless communications links. It uses the same concepts of data transmission via Datagram that are fundamental to communications via the Internet, as opposed to the older techniques used by dedicated...
were made by amateur radio operators throughout the 1980s. These computer controlled systems were used for the first time to distribute communications during and after disasters.
American entry-level Novice and Technician class licensees were granted CW and SSB segments on the 10 Meter Band in 1987. The frequency ranges allocated to them are still known today throughout much of the world as the Novice Sub Bands even though it is no longer possible to obtain a novice class license in the US.
Further advances in digital communications occurred in the 1990s as Amateurs used the power of PCs and sound cards to introduce such modes as PSK31
PSK31
PSK31 or "Phase Shift Keying, 31 Baud" is a digital radio modulation mode, used primarily in the amateur radio field to conduct real-time keyboard-to-keyboard informal text chat between amateur radio operators.- History :...
and began to incorporate Digital Signal Processing
Digital signal processing
Digital signal processing is concerned with the representation of discrete time signals by a sequence of numbers or symbols and the processing of these signals. Digital signal processing and analog signal processing are subfields of signal processing...
and Software-defined radio
Software-defined radio
A software-defined radio system, or SDR, is a radio communication system where components that have been typically implemented in hardware are instead implemented by means of software on a personal computer or embedded computing devices...
into their activities..
Recent
For many years, amateur radio operators were required by international agreement to demonstrate Morse Code proficiency in order to use frequencies below 30 MHz. In 2003 the World radiocommunications conferenceWorld Radiocommunication Conference
World Radiocommunication Conference is organized by ITU to review, and, as necessary, revise the Radio Regulations, the international treaty governing the use of the radio-frequency spectrum and the geostationary-satellite and non-geostationary-satellite orbits. It is held every three to four years...
(WRC) met in Geneva, Switzerland, and voted to allow member countries of the International Telecommunications Union to eliminate Morse Code testing if they so wished .
On December 15, 2006, the United States Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) issued a Report and Order eliminating all Morse code testing requirements for all American Amateur Radio License applicants, which took effect February 23, 2007. The relaxing of Morse code tests has also occurred in most other countries, resulting in a boosting in the number of radio amateurs world-wide.
While there is no longer a requirement for hams to learn "the Code," it remains a popular communications mode.
Most of Europe allows licensed operators from other countries to obtain permits to transmit in Europe during visits. Residential permits are available in many countries globally whereby a valid license from one country will be honored by other countries under international treaties.
In early 2010, only North Korea had an absolute ban on ham radio operator licenses, although many countries still maintain careful records of ham licensees, and limit their activities and frequency bands and transmit power output.
See also
- Amateur radio licensing in the United StatesAmateur radio licensing in the United StatesIn the United States, amateur radio licensing is governed by the Federal Communications Commission under strict federal regulations. Licenses to operate amateur stations for personal use are granted to individuals of any age once they demonstrate an understanding of both pertinent FCC regulations...
- Contains history of U.S. amateur licensing by the Department of Commerce, the Federal Radio Commission and finally by the Federal Communications Commission. - Etymology of ham radioEtymology of ham radioHam is an informal term for an amateur radio operator, and, by extension, "ham radio" refers to amateur radio in general. This use of the word first appeared in the United States during the opening decade of the 20th century—for example, in 1909 Robert A...
.