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  "You've heard of it. You probably know that
Amateur Radio Operators are also called Hams. (Nobody knows quite why!*) But who
are these people and what do they?"
"Every minute of every hour of every day, 365 days a year, Radio Amateurs all over the world
communicate with each other. It's a way of discovering new friends while experimenting
with different and exciting new ways to advance the art of their hobby."
"Ham Radio is a global fraternity of people with common and yet widely varying interests, able
to exchange ideas and learn more about each other with every on-the-air contact. Because
of this, Amateur Radio has the ability to enhance international relations as does no other
hobby."
 ♦ Introduction from the 1985 ARRL
Handbook
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I was first licensed in 1961 as WN8AQL in
Marquette, MI. In addition, I operated from Biloxi, MS and Austin, TX, and held the
call-signs WB5FCO and WJ5MH. AJ8MH was issued September 26,
2008.
My wife was licensed March 20, 2009, and holds the call-sign KD8KMN.
AJ8MH is a member of ARRL, FISTS (14321), SKCC (5857) and the Hiawatha Amateur Radio Association
of Marquette County. AJ8MH has also been a member of AMSAT, YL - ISSB (9420), QRP - ARCI (3904) and 10-10 (5991).
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*A magazine called Home Amateur
Mechanic in the early 1900's featured many simple radio sets a person could build, and it's
likely that when asked what kind of radio the operator was using, he may have simply
replied...HAM. HAM, of course, meant that the radio was built from a circuit shown in
Home Amateur Mechanic magazine. ~ Joe, AJ8MH
In the very early days of radio you didn't need a license, so radio hobbyists just built
transmitters and started broadcasting. Listeners that had built receivers started using
the phrase: "Those guys are just hamming it up." About 1923, the government saw need for
an authority to regulate stations and formed the FCC. Since the hobbyist needed a place
to transmit, the ham bands were allocated. The term "ham" stuck.
I think the term "ham" was coined back in Vaudeville days. It meant "clowning
around." People would say, "He is a big ham or joker." If you think about it,
Vaudeville was at its peak in the pre-license days of radio. ~ Tom,
WØTO
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Old (very old) 12J5/12SA7GT Wireless Broadcaster/Phono
Oscillator
Calling All Ships At Sea
USS LST-522
PictureVillage Amateur Photography
The Woman of the House (Pamela)
Joe and Pam's Space
