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Isn’t a handheld radio an “amateur” radio? Or is there a nuanced distinction between the two? It also does seem odd that this requires licensing. Why is that?

Isn’t a handheld radio an “amateur” radio? Or is there a nuanced distinction between the two? It also does seem odd that this requires licensing. Why is that? And if you were not licensed how would they even identify you or track you down?

sokoloff 6y ago
Answer 9 gives some info on which radios require a license to operate. Direction finding/fox hunting is a way to get caught. In reality, if you’re not causing trouble, you’re never going to get looked for, of course.
chrisseaton 6y ago
‘Amateur’ in this context means ‘requires a licence to operate but at lower tier of licence’. So no most handheld radios aren’t ‘amateur’.
wiml 6y ago
"Amateur radio" or "ham radio" is a class of noncommercial radio licensees in the US and many other countries. There are reserved radio bands, various rights and obligations, and perhaps most importantly a large community of people using similar technology. Think of it as the open-source version of CB radio. The radio might be handheld or vehicle-mounted or a fixed installation occupying hundreds of feet on a side. (Conversely just because something is handheld doesn't make it amateur: your cell phone is a commercial radio service; walkie-talkies and FRS and wifi are unlicensed services; etc. Type-approval is different from licensing.)
Mister_X 6y ago
Q: "And if you were not licensed how would they even identify you or track you down?" A: Ham radio uses a frequency band plan that everyone agrees to adhere to, so if someone shows up on those frequencies who doesn't belong, we will notice. Hams are also required to broadcast their FCC allocated "call sign" about every 10 minutes, or when starting and ending a transmission, if you're not doing that, then licensed Hams will notice. If you think you're being "clever" and make up a fake call-sign, we will notice, we know who the regulars on the Ham frequencies are in our geographic areas. If you're producing "harmful interference", i.e. illegally broadcasting on a licensed Amateur Radio Band, then some of "us" Hams will get together and Track your signal, via triangulation, and eventually we Will find your transmitting location. Then we notify the FCC, and eventually... they will contact you, and you Will stop, or face legal consequences. A lot of Hams enjoy tracking down hidden transmitters, we even set up "games" to practice doing just that, we call it a "Hare & Hound" practice. I'm quite good at tracking down harmful interference on the VHF Ham bands. Ham radio has a lot of places to explore, but do avoid the H/F bands, it's full of "rag chewers", and you'll want to poke out your eardrums if you listen to them. 73, KE6---
- underseacables 6y ago
  Oh, a 2x3. Did you get into Amateur Radio late?
  - Mister_X 6y ago
    Oh look... another amateur radio Snob. I'm sure you'll also want to belittle me because I'm a lowely Tech, thats usually how commenters like you follow up.
    - jlgaddis 6y ago
      On the other hand, I don't care which license class you are, whether you passed a code test or not, or even if you just got your ticket yesterday. Welcome to the hobby, it needs more folks like you (if nothing else, it'll help out the signal-to-noise ratio!).
      - Mister_X 6y ago
        Thanks for that, I tried getting my ticket when I was 12, but I have a probelm with numbers and time, difficult to explain until I got a brain scan years later. But years later, thanks to the FCC dropping the CW requirement, I was able to pass the test, but I'm stuck as a Tech due to the brain injury, and plenty of Older Hams give me greif about being a Tech. I do what I can and promote Ham radio, I started a Ham club that lasted 2.5 years, taught classes, had them building 5 element, 2 Meter beams out of old TV antennas, I've tried for years to contact the ISS when a Ham was on board (still trying). It's way more than a hobby for me though, it's an intellectual persuit where one can build things too. If you're ever on the Mendocino coast, I always monitor 146.520, one of the few that does anymore. 73-
- GekkePrutser 6y ago
  To be honest I hear a lot more ragchewing on the local repeaters than on HF. On HF it's just people trading 5/9s and signing off for the next contact (and as I find contesting really boring I stay away from HF for that reason :) ). I also don't understand why HF operators always say 5/9 when the signal is clearly nowhere near that good.

sokoloff 6y ago

Answer 9 gives some info on which radios require a license to operate. Direction finding/fox hunting is a way to get caught. In reality, if you’re not causing trouble, you’re never going to get looked for, of course.

chrisseaton 6y ago

‘Amateur’ in this context means ‘requires a licence to operate but at lower tier of licence’. So no most handheld radios aren’t ‘amateur’.

wiml 6y ago

"Amateur radio" or "ham radio" is a class of noncommercial radio licensees in the US and many other countries. There are reserved radio bands, various rights and obligations, and perhaps most importantly a large community of people using similar technology. Think of it as the open-source version of CB radio. The radio might be handheld or vehicle-mounted or a fixed installation occupying hundreds of feet on a side. (Conversely just because something is handheld doesn't make it amateur: your cell phone is a commercial radio service; walkie-talkies and FRS and wifi are unlicensed services; etc. Type-approval is different from licensing.)

Mister_X 6y ago

Q: "And if you were not licensed how would they even identify you or track you down?" A: Ham radio uses a frequency band plan that everyone agrees to adhere to, so if someone shows up on those frequencies who doesn't belong, we will notice. Hams are also required to broadcast their FCC allocated "call sign" about every 10 minutes, or when starting and ending a transmission, if you're not doing that, then licensed Hams will notice. If you think you're being "clever" and make up a fake call-sign, we will notice, we know who the regulars on the Ham frequencies are in our geographic areas. If you're producing "harmful interference", i.e. illegally broadcasting on a licensed Amateur Radio Band, then some of "us" Hams will get together and Track your signal, via triangulation, and eventually we Will find your transmitting location. Then we notify the FCC, and eventually... they will contact you, and you Will stop, or face legal consequences. A lot of Hams enjoy tracking down hidden transmitters, we even set up "games" to practice doing just that, we call it a "Hare & Hound" practice. I'm quite good at tracking down harmful interference on the VHF Ham bands. Ham radio has a lot of places to explore, but do avoid the H/F bands, it's full of "rag chewers", and you'll want to poke out your eardrums if you listen to them. 73, KE6---

underseacables 6y ago
Oh, a 2x3. Did you get into Amateur Radio late?
- Mister_X 6y ago
  Oh look... another amateur radio Snob. I'm sure you'll also want to belittle me because I'm a lowely Tech, thats usually how commenters like you follow up.
  - jlgaddis 6y ago
    On the other hand, I don't care which license class you are, whether you passed a code test or not, or even if you just got your ticket yesterday. Welcome to the hobby, it needs more folks like you (if nothing else, it'll help out the signal-to-noise ratio!).
    - Mister_X 6y ago
      Thanks for that, I tried getting my ticket when I was 12, but I have a probelm with numbers and time, difficult to explain until I got a brain scan years later. But years later, thanks to the FCC dropping the CW requirement, I was able to pass the test, but I'm stuck as a Tech due to the brain injury, and plenty of Older Hams give me greif about being a Tech. I do what I can and promote Ham radio, I started a Ham club that lasted 2.5 years, taught classes, had them building 5 element, 2 Meter beams out of old TV antennas, I've tried for years to contact the ISS when a Ham was on board (still trying). It's way more than a hobby for me though, it's an intellectual persuit where one can build things too. If you're ever on the Mendocino coast, I always monitor 146.520, one of the few that does anymore. 73-
GekkePrutser 6y ago
To be honest I hear a lot more ragchewing on the local repeaters than on HF. On HF it's just people trading 5/9s and signing off for the next contact (and as I find contesting really boring I stay away from HF for that reason :) ). I also don't understand why HF operators always say 5/9 when the signal is clearly nowhere near that good.