Amateur radio is the non-commercial use of the radio frequency spectrum by licensed amateurs. In the early days of radio, professional radio operators snidely referred to amateurs as “hams” for their inexperience and exuberance. Amateurs adopted the term as their own and use it with pride.
According to the Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL), the number of licensed amateur radio operators has increased from 663,564 in 2008 to 735,405 in 2015. Many hams join ham radio clubs, such as the Amateur Radio Club of the National Electronics Museum near Baltimore, Maryland. (MaryLopez/Jour604)