Amateur radio

Communicating by ham radio today is a little like hooking up a black-and-white TV and antenna to watch your Friday night shows. In an era of simple, swift, worldwide communication with cell phones, instant messaging and Internet calling, amateur radio seems like a quaint hobby.

Amateur radio used to be the only way to communicate cheaply with people around the world. In the 1950s and 1960s, ham radio attracted a lot of young boys who liked the mechanics and being able to talk to people thousands of miles away. They studied technical manuals and learned Morse code so they could get their own amateur radio license and call sign. Many of them went on to become engineers. But today, kids can use computers and cell phones to do much of what ham radio does.