5 ms·
Just ham, not HAM, not H.A.M.
by kmbfjr 5y ago
Just ham, not HAM, not H.A.M.
- chrisseaton 5y agoWhere does it come from?
- iNate2000 5y agoLike a goofy person “hamming it up” Amateur radio operators can seem undisciplined compared to professional or military operators.
- theandrewhead 5y agoHam was a term likely coined by professional radiotelegraphers to mean ham-fisted (with 'fist' being a term referring to technique used when sending Morse code) An early example of elitism in radio that is still very prevalent today - Professionaly trained telegraphy operators talking down amateurs who are involved for the fun of it, for having sloppy technique when sending code.
- lozaning 5y agoHam comes from pigs =) Put originally it was a pejorative used by professional telegraph operators to make fun of 'ham fisted' amature radio oporators who were bad at morse code.
- mattowen_uk 5y agoThis is the correct answer. Source: My father was very active in UK ham radio circles back in the 1980s.
- wrycoder 5y agoIt’s shorthand for amateur radio operator (as opposed to professional, e.g. ship to shore.)
- bencollier49 5y agoI read something online about it coming from a Harvard callsign. Is that nonsense?