An amateur radio operator

An amateur radio operator is an individual who has been assigned an amateur radio license by a governmental regulatory authority. An amateur radio operator uses the equipment at an amateur radio station to engage in two-way personal communications with other similarly licensed individuals using radio frequencies assigned to the Amateur Radio Service. As a condition of their license, most amateur radio operators are assigned a call sign that they use to identify themselves during communication. There are about three million amateur radio operators worldwide.^[1] ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 665 KB) Summary An amateur radio operator, copyright Yvette Cendes, 2005 Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 665 KB) Summary An amateur radio operator, copyright Yvette Cendes, 2005 Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... An amateur radio license is a legal document or permit giving official permission to the license holder to operate an amateur radio station. ... An amateur radio station is a facility equipped with the apparatus necessary for carrying on radiocommunications in the Amateur Radio Service. ... Two-way communication is a form of transmission in which both parties involved transmit information. ... Sine waves of various frequencies; the bottom waves have higher frequencies than those above. ... Ham radio station with modern solid-state transceiver featuring LCD display and DSP capabilities Ham radio station with vintage vacuum tube gear featuring separate transmitter, receiver and power supply Amateur radio, often called Ham radio, is a hobby and public service enjoyed by about 6 million people throughout the world. ... Call sign can refer to different types of call signs: Airline call sign Aviator call sign Cosmonaut call sign Radio and television call signs Tactical call sign, also known as a tactical designator See also: International Callsign Allocations, Maritime Mobile Service Identity This is a disambiguation page — a navigational...

Amateur radio operators are also known as radio amateurs or hams. The origins of the term "ham" as a synonym for amateur radio operator are a source of significant debate. An amateur radio operator who has died is referred to by other amateur radio operators as a "silent key". By the early 20th century, the term ham for an amateur radio operator was well established, although origins of the term remain obscure. ... Silent key refers to an amateur radio operator who has deceased. ...

Demographics of amateur radio operators

Few governments maintain detailed demographic statistics of their amateur radio operator populations, aside from recording the total number of licensed operators. The majority of amateur radio operators worldwide reside in Japan, the United States of America, Thailand, South Korea, and the nations of Europe. Only the governments of Yemen and North Korea currently prohibit their citizens from becoming amateur radio operators. In some countries, acquiring an amateur radio license is difficult because of the bureaucratic processes or fees that place access to a license out of reach for most citizens. Most nations permit foreign nationals to earn an amateur radio license, but very few amateur radio operators are licensed in multiple countries. World map showing Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of the Earth. ... Citizenship is membership in a political community (originally a city but now usually a country) and carries with it rights to political participation; a person having such membership is a citizen. ... This page is about the sociological concept. ...

Gender

In the vast majority of countries, the population of amateur radio operators is overwhelmingly male. In the United States, approximately 15% of amateur radio operators are women.^[3] In China, only 12% of amateur radio operators are women.^[4] Some amateur radio activities have a more balanced male/female ratio, such as Amateur Radio Direction Finding: 33% of the competitors at the 2004 World ARDF Championship were women.^[5] The shield and spear of the Roman God Mars are often used to represent the male sex In heterogamous species, male is the sex of an organism, or of a part of an organism, which typically produces smaller, mobile gametes (spermatozoa) that are able to fertilise female gametes (ova). ... Image of a woman on the Pioneer plaque sent to outer space. ... A German competitor on a two-meter ARDF course. ...

A male amateur radio operator can be referred to as an OM, an abbreviation used in Morse code telegraphy for "old man", regardless of the operator's age. A female amateur radio operator can be referred to as a YL, from the abbreviation used for "young lady", regardless of the operator's age. XYL was once used by amateur radio operators to refer to an unlicensed woman, usually the wife of a male amateur radio operator; today, the term has come to mean any female spouse of an amateur radio operator, licensed or not. Although these codes are derived from English language abbreviations, their use is common among amateur radio operators worldwide. 1922 Chart of the Morse Code Letters and Numerals Morse code is a method for transmitting information, using standardized sequences of short and long marks or pulses — commonly known as dots and dashes — for the letters, numerals, punctuation and special characters of a message. ... Optical Telegraf of Claude Chappe on the Litermont near Nalbach, Germany Telegraph and telegram redirect here. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

Age

In most countries there is no minimum age requirement to earn an amateur radio license and become an amateur radio operator. Although the number of amateur radio operators in many countries increases from year to year, the average age of amateur radio operators is quite high. In some countries, the average age is over 60 years old, with most amateur radio operators earning their license in their 40s or 50s.

Some national radio societies have responded to this by developing programs specifically to encourage youth participation in amateur radio, such as the American Radio Relay League's Amateur Radio Education and Technology Program.^[6] The World Wide Young Contesters organization promotes youth involvement, particularly amongst Europeans, in competitive radio contesting. The ARRL Logo. ... Alex Teimurazov, 4L5A, especially designed the D4B station on a Cape Verde mountaintop to win international radio contests. ...

See also

• Amateur radio in popular culture

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References