For radio hobbyists and people who spend a lot of time broadcasting independently for local communities, amateur radio means ham radio. Public service and recreation are the elements that stimulate the activity of the service participants, furthermore, ham radio proves priceless in times of crisis, emergency or disaster. Estimations indicate that some six million people around the world are regularly part of ham radio, and although the purpose of broadcasting is not commercial, their reward is the ability to get on air. It is the non-commercial feature the one to distinguish ham radio from other radio stations, and not the lack of skills as one may believe.

Ham radio is believed to go back to the end of the 19th century particularly since at the beginning of the 20th there were around ninety amateur stations registered only in the United States and Canada. The appearance of ham radio is tributary to hobby practices and experiments, and one cannot deny that very often, amateur radio founders have given significant contributions to science, services and industry. Moreover, lots of people owe their lives to ham radio operators who saved them in emergency cases.

Ham radio uses the Morse code in its more classic forms, but basically, the AM and FM frequencies remain the most popular particularly for local or regional amateur radio stations. Presently, computers have changed the evolution of ham radio for ever, with the introduction of the digital modes and the development of the packet radio. Last but not least, ham radio operators manage to use the low power communications on shortwave bands while staying in real-time mode.

Ham radio through satellite signal is no longer out of reach with the existence of the orbiting satellites carrying amateur radio (OSCAR); all one needs is a basic hand-held transceiver to make the broadcast possible. Another interesting aspect is that ham radio operators use the aurora borealis and the moon for the reflection of the radio waves. It was a real pleasure for some ham radio operators to get in contact with the International Space Station that counts licensed radio amateurs among the crew members. On-air talks are frequent as many individuals use ham radio only to communicate with other enthusiasts.