3 ms·

Where did the "HAM" nomenclature come from, then? I have wondered what the letters stand for. I do share your disdain for stupid and/or incorrect nomenclature.

Where did the "HAM" nomenclature come from, then? I have wondered what the letters stand for. I do share your disdain for stupid and/or incorrect nomenclature. Like "Wi-Fi." WTF, there's no use of "fidelity" that this is short for.

jlokier 3y ago
Wi-Fi™ was never intended to describe anything. It is a commercial trademark brand, chosen to sound good and be easy to recognise. There's a Wi-Fi™ logo too. In a similar way, ThunderBolt™ links don't use thunder, or bolts.
- ShadowBanThis01 3y ago
  Sure, that was the same excuse used for the flip-flopping on the meaning of "DVD." "ThunderBolt" is an invalid comparison because it's not a rip-off of a known earlier and widely-used term, the way "Wi-Fi" is.
ansonhoyt 3y ago
The ARRL Ham Radio License Manual, 3rd edition, section 1.1 explains the term: > How did “amateur” become “ham”? The real answer is unknown! Even before radio, telegraphers referred to a poor operator as a ham. Perhaps this was derived from a poor operator being “ham-fisted” on the telegraph key — an operator’s “fist” referred to his or her distinctive style over the wires. With all radio stations sharing the same radio spectrum in the early days, commercial and military operators would sometimes refer to amateurs as hams when there was interference. Regardless, amateurs adopted the term as a badge of honor and proudly refer to each other as “hams” today. While you'd buy the latest 5th edition from the ARRL [1] to prepare for the exam, the older 3rd edition is freely available online [2]. [1] https://www.arrl.org/ham-radio-license-manual https://www.arrl.org/ham-radio-license-manual [2] https://macaloney.blogspot.com/2019/06/how-to-prepare-for-ham-radio-technician.html https://macaloney.blogspot.com/2019/06/how-to-prepare-for-ha...

3 ms·

Where did the "HAM" nomenclature come from, then? I have wondered what the letters stand for. I do share your disdain for stupid and/or incorrect nomenclature.

by ShadowBanThis01 3y ago

jlokier 3y ago
Wi-Fi™ was never intended to describe anything. It is a commercial trademark brand, chosen to sound good and be easy to recognise. There's a Wi-Fi™ logo too. In a similar way, ThunderBolt™ links don't use thunder, or bolts.
- ShadowBanThis01 3y ago
  Sure, that was the same excuse used for the flip-flopping on the meaning of "DVD." "ThunderBolt" is an invalid comparison because it's not a rip-off of a known earlier and widely-used term, the way "Wi-Fi" is.
ansonhoyt 3y ago
The ARRL Ham Radio License Manual, 3rd edition, section 1.1 explains the term: > How did “amateur” become “ham”? The real answer is unknown! Even before radio, telegraphers referred to a poor operator as a ham. Perhaps this was derived from a poor operator being “ham-fisted” on the telegraph key — an operator’s “fist” referred to his or her distinctive style over the wires. With all radio stations sharing the same radio spectrum in the early days, commercial and military operators would sometimes refer to amateurs as hams when there was interference. Regardless, amateurs adopted the term as a badge of honor and proudly refer to each other as “hams” today. While you'd buy the latest 5th edition from the ARRL [1] to prepare for the exam, the older 3rd edition is freely available online [2]. [1] https://www.arrl.org/ham-radio-license-manual https://www.arrl.org/ham-radio-license-manual [2] https://macaloney.blogspot.com/2019/06/how-to-prepare-for-ham-radio-technician.html https://macaloney.blogspot.com/2019/06/how-to-prepare-for-ha...