Our Hobby
Amateur radio is a unique activity which puts hundreds of thousands of people all over the world into direct contact with each other every day.
There several million licensed amateur radio enthusiasts in the world in virtually every country who are free to operate their radio stations from their homes or their cars or even on board ships. In some countries it is also possible
to operate from aircraft. National, political and ethnic barriers are non-existent, thus promoting international friendship and understanding. Amateur radio surely represents a priceless freedom which must be measured.
Because of the potency of radio, amateur radio, like all other radio services, has to be controlled on an international basis. The controlling body is the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) based in Geneva which is an agency of the United Nations. This body allocates strictly defined bands of frequencies on which amateurs may operate, in the same way in which it allocates frequencies for radio and TV broadcasting stations, aircraft communications, emergency services, military and many other users of the crowded radio spectrum.
The ITU recognises the importance of amateur radio in it's definition of the service - 'A service of self training in radio communication which encourages international friendship'. Because relatively simple low powered equipment in
skilled hands is capable of communicating all over the world, this potency must be matched by a responsible attitude by those using this marvellous facility. The amateur radio fraternity is represented at the ITU by the International Amateur
Radio Union (IARU). Each country has it's own organisation, in our case the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB), which is represented at the IARU. Some other noted members are the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), DARC of Germany, URE of Spain. All countries wisely demand that it's radio amateurs pass an examination before they can receive a licence to transmit. In Great Britain, the issuing body is the Office of Communications (Ofcom) which is part of the Department of Trade and Industry. The examinations are set by the Radio society of Great Britain (RSGB). A reasonable level on technical knowledge is required to design, build equipment and operate to a high standard giving a minimum risk of interference to other services. It is this technical training that differentiates amateurs from almost every other user of the radio services including members of the general public in those countries which allow citizen band (CB) operation. This may sound a little forbidding, but a learning and examination structure allowing amateurs
to start simply and get more privileges as they get more knowledge, is in place. One of the attractions of this hobby is that no-one is excluded and all kinds of people from Kings to school children, from US senators to spacemen, from celebrities to shop assistants can be found on the bands. Despite more than 100 years of radio history, the field is still wide open for these people to make genuine contributions to the radio art. This is rather remarkable in these over inhibiting days of red tape and bureaucracy.
There several million licensed amateur radio enthusiasts in the world in virtually every country who are free to operate their radio stations from their homes or their cars or even on board ships. In some countries it is also possible
to operate from aircraft. National, political and ethnic barriers are non-
The ITU recognises the importance of amateur radio in it's definition of the service -
Radio Union (IARU). Each country has it's own organisation, in our case the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB), which is represented at the IARU. Some other noted members are the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), DARC of Germany, URE of Spain. All countries wisely demand that it's radio amateurs pass an examination before they can receive a licence to transmit. In Great Britain, the issuing body is the Office of Communications (Ofcom) which is part of the Department of Trade and Industry. The examinations are set by the Radio society of Great Britain (RSGB). A reasonable level on technical knowledge is required to design, build equipment and operate to a high standard giving a minimum risk of interference to other services. It is this technical training that differentiates amateurs from almost every other user of the radio services including members of the general public in those countries which allow citizen band (CB) operation. This may sound a little forbidding, but a learning and examination structure allowing amateurs
to start simply and get more privileges as they get more knowledge, is in place. One of the attractions of this hobby is that no-