Amateur Radio (ham radio) is a popular hobby and service that brings people, electronics and communication together. The term “amateur” describes the personal interest of a voluntary, non-commercial exchange of messages, although you will need to obtain appropriate license. Licensing requirements are different in every country, but every radio amateur gets a unique call sign.
Radio Amateurs are dealing with very different areas of activities. The stereotype that these are people who just sit every day and night behind the radio station is not entirely true. Radio amateurs practice a lot of different interests, so one could not give an exact answer to what ham radio really means. It just means that everyone can find some fun in it. A well known fact is that even your government uses it in cases of emergency.
International Amateur Radio Union – the beginnings
Amateur radio operators are people from all walks of life. There are over 3,000,000 licensed operators today, organised in strong communities. The first ones who were to discover the advantages of short waves were early experimenters who met in Paris on April 18, 1925. The International Amateur Radio Union was born and on this day we celebrate the World Amateur Radio Day.
The fields of interest
By definition there are no financial benefits, but yet radio amateurs have discovered a highly rewarding hobby. It has differing appeals to different people. They deal with radio propagation study, radio contesting, public service communication, computer networking, amateur television, technical experimentation, digital communications, education, obtaining diplomas, cooperation in various expeditions and the like. Areas of interest are large, so that almost anyone can find that this a great hobby. Radio amateurs even help in emergency situations, they back up government communication and even most NASA astronauts are radio amateurs.
Up to you
Are you already warming up to become radio amateur? Or you maybe already are one? Red Pitaya has proven to be the ideal tool for every radio amateur. We have already seen a couple of interesting projects using Red Pitaya, and it can certainly help you as well. Already using this unique tool? Share your story with us and our community! Simply connect via Facebook or Twitter, tell us a little something about your “ham” project and let’s celebrate World Amateur Radio Day together. We are already looking forward to your interesting stories!