Amateur radio is a hobby for everyone interested in communicating.

When the hobby began 100 years ago the only form of communication radio amateurs (they were then known as amateur wireless experimenters) was Morse code, the same method used by the telegraph operators. This form of communication still in use today - and has become an international language, enabling people who can't speak the same language, to communicate using 3 letter 'Q' codes.

Up until the 1920's wireless telegraphy was the only way to transmit and receive information on the airwaves, but radio amateurs pioneered voice communications in the mid-1920s at the time when radio broadcast stations began. Although the transmission and reception techniques have changed over the years with technical developments, voice communication remains the major method of communicating on the amateur bands.

Amateur Radio operators come from all walks of life -- movie stars, missionaries, doctors, students, politicians, truck drivers and just plain folks. They are all ages, sexes, income levels, abilities and nationalities. They all have one common interest in radio.

Amateur radio is responsible for putting hundreds of thousands of people all over the world into direct contact with each other every day. There are over two million licenced radio amateurs spread across virtually every country. Age, profession, nationality, political and ethnic barriers are non-existent, thus promoting international friendship and understanding. Amateur radio can be enjoyed by young and old, male and female and even the most severely disabled can make friends around the world from their own home. Contacts may be made using speech or Morse code, between computers and even by television. Radio amateurs have built satellites for their own use.

Radio amateurs are permitted to use a wide range of frequencies and types of transmission, so they must be qualified operators. Training is offered at many clubs including ours, please contact our Secretary Craig for more information.