What Is Amateur Radio?

Longtime telecommunications leader Scott Westerman is a recipient of the 2012 Michigan Association of Broadcasters Award for Radio Programming. In addition to leading Ramirez & Clark, a Florida-based publishing company, Scott Westerman is the founder and curator of RockAndRollRevisisted.com and Keener13.com, which pays tribute to a local radio station in Michigan.

Amateur radio brings people, communication, and electronics together. It is used to reach people in specific towns, across the world, and into space without any reliance on cell phones or the internet. Rather, it relies on using two-way personal communications equipment built and operated as a fixed ground station, temporary field station, space station, or mobile station.

Amateur radio stations can be set up virtually anywhere and are operated by people who have a basic knowledge of radio technology and radio operating principles. Despite being called “amateur,” such operators must still obtain a license from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to use its amateur radio frequencies. These frequencies are reserved solely for amateur radio operators, also known as hams since they were originally believed to have poor radio skills.