Amateur radio as a hobby? What's that?

An amateur radio operator is a person who has passed a radio amateur exam which in Finland is arranged by The Finnish Amateur Radio League. Radio amateur licence gives you a permission to transmit on certain radio frequencies. This does not mean general broadcasts or CB transmissions, radio amateurs have their own frequencies which are allocated primarily for radio amateur use or are shared with other users.

So what is transmitted then? Radio amateurs have traditionally taken contacts (QSO:s) all over the world using speech or morse code. More exotic methods have been radio teletype and computer connections with special modems. Even satellites are used nowadays. The traditional methods to talk and interact with other countries and cultures are still used. There is another more local aspect in this hobby, too. Radio amateurs usually sponsor a local club where they can meet friends. Clubs also give training to people who want to get a licence.

After you have passed the radio amateur exam, you probably want to set up your own station. You can buy everything you need from commecial vendors, but the more interesting way is to build at least something by yourself. The home made part is usually an antenna, power supply or maybe radio itself. No one is a born artisan, but you can get help from the people at your local radio amateur club.

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