amateur radio

amateur radio, noncommercial two-way radio communications. Messages are sent either by voice or in International Morse Code.

Interest in amateur radio arose around the turn of the 20th century, shortly after Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi successfully sent the first transatlantic wireless signal in 1901. The interference of amateur broadcasts with commercial and military transmissions led to the institution of government control in 1911. After World War I, amateurs became active in radio experimentation, contributing to developments in long-distance broadcasting and becoming the first radio operators successfully to exploit the upper medium-frequency and lower high-frequency radio bands. Over the years, amateur radio operators have also provided emergency communications during forest fires, floods, hurricanes, and other disasters. They serve as an important link between stricken communities and the outside world until normal communications are reestablished.

Amateur radio operators in the United States are subject to international and federal regulations. There are three classes of licenses; all require a knowledge of radio theory and regulation. Amateur radio is allocated frequency bands across the radio spectrum, from medium frequency (e.g., 1.8–2 megahertz) to ultrahigh frequency (up to 1300 megahertz). There are restrictions on the power of the transmitters, and certain frequencies must be shared with due regard for the needs of other users.