From Wikipeadea

Amateur radio, commonly called "ham radio", is a hobby enjoyed by many people throughout the world (as of 2004 about 3 million worldwide, 60,000 in UK, 70,000 in Germany, 5,000 in Norway, 57,000 in Canada, and 700,000 in the USA). A holder of an Amateur Radio license has studied and passed required tests in his or her country and been issued a call sign by its government. This call sign is unique to the operator and is often a source of pride. The holder of a call sign uses it on the air to legally identify all voice and data communications. Amateur Radio should not be confused with CB radio, General Mobile Radio Service or Family Radio Service, which are limited to voice operation only, lower power limits, fewer frequency allocations, and are unlicensed in most countries.

According to the Federal Communications Commission, the agency that regulates radio and telecommunications in the United States, amateur radio serves the following purposes:

• Promotion and enhancement of the Amateur Radio Service as a voluntary noncommercial public communications service.
• Continual advancement of the art of radio communication.
• Expansion of the reservoir of trained radio operators and electronic experts.
• Enhancement of international goodwill at the grass roots level.

Our group here is a gathering place for folks to enjoy speaking with each other about any and all facets Amateur Radio. We've listed a number of these many ways to enjoy this hobby: PACTOR, AMTOR, Packet Radio, ARRL, APRS, Morse Code and much much more