6 Reasons People become Ham Radio Operators - Amateur Radio Operators

There are many reasons why people get involved in Amateur Radio. Some of these reasons include:

1. Contesting - competitions where the goal is making contacts and exchanging specific information.

2. Rag Chewing - free for all conversations on a particular frequency

3. Experimentation - modifying equipment and antennas to maximize performance in a variety of applications.

4. Round-table nets - Net control station calls for check ins then each one gets to talk when called upon.

5. Traffic Handling - Passing formatted formal messages from one station to another

6. Emergency Operation - Operators volunteer to serve in a variety of situations assisting police, fire, Red Cross, Salv. Army, etc. In addition these operators volunteer to serve the community as storm spotters. Also, walk-a-thon type situations are frequented by Hams with Portable radios.

Whatever your reason for being a ham, I encourage you to (if you don’t already) get involved with traffic handling. Your practice could, one-day, enable you to pass a message notifying someone that a loved one is safe and sound.

This is just something to think about.