Well here we go with my simplistic explanation of this fascinating hobby. Amateur radio is a mixture of activities within radio, including receiving, and or transmitting to other amateur stations around the world, and in that respect could be likened to cb radio except that there is an examination to take in order for a licence to be granted. At least 95% of countries in the world allow their citizens to practice the hobby, and all have a method of licensing and allocation of call signs according to country. For example in England all call signs until recently commenced with "G". In the US they are "W", "K", or a mixture of these, and so it goes for each country. The purpose of the hobby is to promote the self teaching of the licence holder in the art of radio communication, together with the bringing together of all nationalities, and creeds. Every country has its own association or national society.
One of the many features of this hobby is the ability to use your own home made equipment, whether it be transmitters, receivers, test equipment, or aerial systems. It gives great scope for the intrepid experimenter!. The types of communication, or modes, can be voice, morse code, slow scan or fast scan tv, and digital modes. Not only using terrestrial communications, but a host of satellite links too!. For example TCP/IP is widely used within amateur radio, at baud rates from 300 baud upto 115 Kbaud, and higher on the microwave band of frequencies, where the channel bandwidth permits. In latter years there has been developments in VOIP ( voice over internet protocol) systems such as EchoLink, EQso, IRLP, and as of August 2006 a unique system simulating rf use in the internet called QSONET. These combined radio and internet linking systems provided for radio amateurs BY radio amateurs are an exiting and ongoing development of which must be the best hobby anyone would wish to become involved with.
I use the Echolink, and QSONET systems with my station call signs G3VFP or G3VFP-L.
To be involved is the theme of amateur radio even post Millennium. QRP or low power operation has always been a founding facet of our great hobby, and there are many more qualified than I to speak on the topic, but one in particular speaks volumes in few words, and that is Peter DL2FI, who is known as QRPeter, and a radio amateur operator since 1964. This is Peters philosophy, one shared by many of us I am sure. " Amateur radio will be true again, when it is true to its roots. (Amateurfunk wird wieder wahr, wenn Amateurfunk wird, wie er war). In other words I guess we promote more involvement by building our own equipment, and by so doing we enjoy, and learn along the way.
If you hold an amateur radio licence, and intend to visit the UK with a view to operating under a reciprocal agreement, or if you simply want information concerning ham licencing in the uk then send an email to Ofcom the licencing authority in the UK licensingcentre@ofcom.org.uk or enter OF346 in your browser.
Or take a look at Ofcom's home pages at http://www.ofcom.org.uk