What is a ham radio?

Ham radio is a radio broadcast by licensed, amateur radio operators, called hams. Ham radio operators must pass an Federal Communications Commission examination in order to be able to broadcast on radio frequencies that are reserved for amateur operators.

Operating a ham radio is typically done as a hobby, but operators are sometimes used to help provide aid during natural disasters. Ham radios are allocated 26 bands for use by the FCC; and, they operate on different frequencies, depending on the distance operators want to broadcast. Some ham radio operators broadcast in Morse code, while others prefer to use voice communications.