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VE3ZT & VE3BBH
What is Amateur Radio?
Amateur radio is many things...
A form of communication;
A hobby;
A community service.
- It could be a
truck driver near Thunder Bay talking to another amateur radio operator
in Toronto
- a 16-year-old girl in Hamilton communicating with a ham
radio operator in England using Morse code
- a teenager living in
Edmonton talking to another teenager in Calgary using her 2-meter handy
talky and a repeater link
- or it could be a Radio Amateur making over 1000 contacts in 95 different countries during a weekend radio contest.
There are many reason why people of all ages become radio amateurs. Some are interested in talking to other Amateurs in other countries, while others communicate from their cars to others in their cars via repeaters. Many enjoy the technical aspects. Others get involved to provide communications in areas that have been devastated by hurricanes.
Amateurs all have in common a basic knowledge of radio technology, regulations and operating principles. We all have passed an examination which allows us to communicate on what are called, "Amateur Radio Bands." These frequency bands are reserved for use by Radio Amateurs all over the World at intervals from just above the AM broadcast band all the way up through the microwave frequencies.
Here's a link showing the Canadian Amateur Radio frequency allocations.
Amateur Radio, or "Ham Radio" as it is commonly called, is basically two-way communication, in any of several modes, between other Radio Amateurs. Some of the various "modes" of communication are AM and FM, ssb or "single side band," teletype, and by Morse Code, or "cw" as it is commonly called.
It is not unusual for amateur to speak with astronauts on space missions. Many ham radio operators build their own radios and antennas.
On this page you can listen to and control a short-wave receiver
"DX contests" are for those with a competitive streak where the object of the contest is to see how many distant Radio Amateurs they can contact—usually over a weekend. These days, many combine Amateur Radio with the Internet in various ways. Some amateur radio operators enjoy voice communication on a hand-held transceiver. Others prefer Morse Code through a low-power—commonly called QRP—transmitter/receiver (transceiver) while hiking. Communicating through satellites is very common.
Administered in Canada by the Industry Canada, through Industry Canada, Amateur Radio has grown over the years to more than 60 thousand ham radio operator.
Radio Amateurs of Canada
If you are interested in becoming an Amateur Radio operator,
or would like additional information on the subject, here is a
link to the RAC
or Radio Amateurs of Canada website.
