In many cases, "amateurs" are the professionals. At a local university, all electrical engineering students are required to get a ham radio license. Many radio

In many cases, "amateurs" are the professionals. At a local university, all electrical engineering students are required to get a ham radio license. Many radio engineers are also licensed amateurs (how else do we get an amateur repeater on a 750 foot commercial tower?). It is designated as "Amateur" by international treaty, and that refers to its purpose, not necessarily the people involved. For example, if you read the original article, I certainly wouldn't call the people doing all of that work "amateurs" in any sense other than the laws that apply. Edit: I'm sorry, I can't leave this one alone. Amateurs do not "clutter" the bands. They have specific frequencies they can use that do not interfere with military or other use. And as a first responder, I can tell you that a lot of "professional" radio usage is very unprofessional to the point of causing problems and even endangering lives. There are many cases where an experienced "amateur" can make much more efficient use of bandwidth than many professionals.