As a community of communities, Amateur Radio can be whatever you want it to be. Whether you are looking for relaxation, excitement, enjoyment or a way to stretch your mental (and physical) horizons, Amateur Radio can provide it — even for those with time and money constraints. However it happens, communication between or among individuals is at the core of nearly all ham radio activities. In its most basic form, ham radio is two people saying “Hello!” to each other over the air, perhaps using inexpensive handheld transceivers or even homemade gear. In “Hamspeak,” a two-way, on-the-air communication is known as a “QSO” an old radiotelegraph, or Morse code, abbreviation often pronounced “CUE-so.” It’s nearly as simple for groups of hams with common interests to gather on the airwaves to share their thoughts and even pictures. These on-the-air get-togethers are called “nets” or “roundtables,” depending on their formality. When hams meet and engage in extended on-the-air conversations, they call it “ragchewing.”
Nets often provide an on-the-air venue to find other hams with similar interests both inside and outside of Amateur Radio. Topics may be as diverse as vintage radio, chess, gardening, rock climbing, railroads,computer programming, teaching or an interest in certain types of radio equipment. Religious groups and scattered friends and families may also organize nets. Nets form when like-minded hams gather on the air on a regular schedule. You can find your special interest in The ARRL Net Directory on the ARRLWeb.
With your ham radio license in hand, you can meet new friends, win awards, exchange “QSL cards” to confirm radio contacts by mail, challenge yourself and others, learn and educate, contribute to your community, travel, generate international goodwill and continue a century-old wireless communication tradition. Let’s take a closer look.
