Amateur radio, also called ham radio (ARRL), is a radio service for self-training, communication and technical experiments by people interested in radio for its own sake. The FCC describes operators around the world who communicate directly, through relay systems and through amateur satellites, by voice, Morse code (telegraphy), text and images, and who design, build, modify and repair their own stations. What they may not do is use it to make money (47 CFR 97.113).
What the service is for
The FCC rules for amateur radio are in 47 CFR Part 97. The first section, 47 CFR 97.1, says the rules exist to support five principles:
- the value of amateur radio to the public as a voluntary, noncommercial communication service, particularly for emergency communications;
- the amateur’s ability to contribute to the advancement of the radio art;
- advancing operators’ skills in both communication and technical work;
- expanding the pool of trained operators, technicians and electronics experts;
- enhancing international goodwill.
The definitions in 47 CFR 97.3 put it more briefly: the amateur service is for “self-training, intercommunication and technical investigations” by people “interested in radio technique solely with a personal aim and without pecuniary interest.” Keep that phrase in mind; most of the rules that follow from it are easy to remember once you know the purpose.
Where the ham bands are
Amateurs do not get one block of spectrum. Their bands are scattered from 135.7 kHz, in the low-frequency (LF) range, up to millimeter waves above 275 GHz (47 CFR 97.301). The same rule names each band by its approximate wavelength: the 2 m band is 144 to 148 MHz, and the 40 m band is 7.0 to 7.3 MHz.
Sources: 47 CFR 2.101, Frequency and wavelength bands (eCFR); 47 CFR 97.301, Authorized frequency bands (eCFR); 47 CFR 73.14 (AM) and 73.201 (FM broadcast) (eCFR); 47 CFR 15.247 (2400 to 2483.5 MHz) (eCFR); GPS SPS Performance Standard (L1 1575.42 MHz) (GPS.gov)
The map shows each band by the lowest license class that can transmit there. Technician licensees have privileges on every amateur band from 6 m (50 MHz) upward, including 2 m and 70 cm, while the General license adds privileges on every band from 160 m through 10 m (47 CFR 97.301). The guide to license classes and privileges covers the details, and the band chart lets you look up any frequency.
Every amateur frequency is shared. No frequency is assigned to any one station, and operators must cooperate in choosing where to transmit (47 CFR 97.101).
What hams actually do
There is no single way to be a ham. These are some of the things licensed operators do.
Local FM and repeaters
A handheld or car radio on 2 m or 70 cm can talk directly with nearby stations (simplex) or through a repeater, which Part 97 defines as a station that “simultaneously retransmits the transmission of another amateur station on a different channel” (47 CFR 97.3). The voluntary ARRL band plan sets aside parts of both bands for simplex and for repeater inputs and outputs.
Worldwide contacts on HF
Long-distance propagation by way of the ionosphere is far more common on HF than on VHF and higher frequencies (Technician pool question T3C02). The maximum usable frequency (MUF) between two points, and so which bands are open, depends on the time of day, the season and solar activity (General pool questions G3B02 and G3B08).
Digital modes
Connecting a radio to a computer opens up digital modes. Winlink, for example, relays messages using email addresses based on amateur call signs (Technician pool question T2C08). The free, open-source WSJT-X program, home of the FT8 mode, decodes signals too weak to hear; its developers say it lets you work the world on the HF bands with a few watts and a simple antenna.
Satellites and space
Some amateur satellites work as repeaters in orbit: you transmit on an uplink frequency and the satellite retransmits on a downlink. AMSAT’s list of FM satellites shows uplinks and downlinks in the 2 m and 70 cm bands, including an FM repeater on the International Space Station, so they are within Technician privileges (47 CFR 97.301). The ARISS program also arranges scheduled radio contacts between students and space station crew members.
Contests and field activities
In a contest, the goal is to contact as many stations as you can; the ARRL describes DX contests as events “where the object is to see how many hams in distant locations they can contact” (ARRL). The WA7BNM Contest Calendar lists the dates and times of contests throughout the world, with weekly contests in a separate section. ARRL Field Day, held on the fourth full weekend of June and an annual event since 1933, has hams set up temporary stations in public places. Parks on the Air (POTA) encourages portable operation from national and state parks, with activators setting up a station in the park and hunters anywhere else contacting them.
Emergency and public service
Through programs such as the ARRL’s Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), licensed volunteers support communications for walk-a-thons, parades and community events, work with local governments and other agencies, and serve their communities when storms or other disasters damage communication infrastructure. The emergency communications guide explains how this works and what the rules allow.
Building and experimenting
Experimenting is part of the service’s purpose: Part 97 lists contributing to “the advancement of the radio art” among its principles (47 CFR 97.1). The FCC notes that amateurs “design, construct, modify, and repair their stations” and that its equipment authorization program “does not generally apply to amateur station transmitters.” The station licensee is responsible for operating the station, home-built or not, within the rules (47 CFR 97.103).
Who can get a license
Under 47 CFR 97.5, any person who qualifies by examination is eligible, except a representative of a foreign government. The FCC describes the service as open to “qualified persons of any age.” There is no minimum age and no citizenship requirement in Part 97. The license requirement in 97.5 applies before a station may transmit, so you can start by listening on the amateur bands before you are licensed.
Three license classes are issued today: Technician, General and Amateur Extra (47 CFR 97.9, 97.17). Each requires passing a written exam given by volunteer examiners, and, as the FCC puts it, most new operators start at Technician.
Rules that set amateur radio apart
The FCC says some 1,300 emission types may be transmitted and that no frequency is assigned for the exclusive use of any amateur station, so operators cooperate in choosing where to transmit. In exchange for that freedom, a few rules are firm.
These rules, along with control operators, third-party messages and emergency exceptions, are covered in rules on the air.
Next step
If you want to try it, read how to get your license for the steps, fees and exam details.