One of the most exciting aspects of ham radio operation and communications is that as your skill levels increase you will constantly be able to apply your imagination to new projects, all backed up by an ever expanding horizon of available technology, technology which is constantly becoming more accessible in terms of price and usability.

Amateur radio operator or ham radio operator basically refers to an individual broadcaster permitted to make communications but not for commercial purposes, in other words, not to make money from their broadcasting.

You might want to become a ham to develop skills with electronics and radio for the purpose of personal communication or as a safety measure in case of emergency. Ham radio operators might use a broadcast to request aid in an emergency when other power sources are disabled or act as a back up for the emergency services, both these facilities have saved countless lives over the years and show that although a large aspect of ham radio operation is fun and learning it serves more serious purposes as and when needed.

For many thousands of aviation enthusiasts part of the fascination of their hobby is the ability to listen in to the radio transmissions made by the Air Traffic Controllers and the aircraft under their control and another exciting facet of amateur radio is that space shuttle astronauts talk directly over ham airwaves while in orbit, this program used to be called SAREX, (Space Amateur Radio Experiment) and is now called ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station.)

With the advancement of technology and it's availability in homes as well as the growth of support networks, becoming an amateur radio operator has never been easier than it is now and just a few simple steps can get you on your way.

Standards and accreditation How to get a licence.

Whilst Morse code (a method of using a standardised code to transmit messages) is no longer a requirement for accreditation to become an amateur radio operator the code remains popular, in part because it facilitates communication across language barriers, however the most popular method of transmission is the human voice (also known as phone).

Until fairly recently it was required for all aspiring amateur radio operators to demonstrate a proficiency in Morse code in order to obtain amateur licenses for the high frequency bands but in 2003 changes to international regulations were made and many countries dropped the Morse code

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