Why are we HAMS?

[druid]

The name, I mean.

How did Amateur Radio become "Ham Radio"? Is it because we love to hear ourselves talk (which would be ironic cuz when we transmit, we're the only ones who CAN'T hear ourselves!)? Some long-lost acronym? (Home AMateur? Has Amplitude Modulation?)

Anybody know the story? Or can make one up - I'm sure we couldn't tell the difference!

druid
VA7LAS

[K7KBN]

The initials of three pioneers in electronics and radio: Hertz, Armstrong and Marconi. That's about as good as any other explanation you're likely to find.

[druid]

The initials of three pioneers in electronics and radio: Hertz, Armstrong and Marconi. That's about as good as any other explanation you're likely to find.

What about Fessenden? Good Canadian Boy, did the first voice transmissions. Then we'd be HAMFs...

druid
VA7LAS

[G6NHU]

That would mean that 'ham' has to be capitalised though when it really shouldn't. I shudder slightly every time I see it written as HAM, that's just wrong.

[M0WAO]

i think this tells enough to be ham

[M0TTB]

Unfortunately, there's a reasonable possibility that the 'ham' in ham radio originates from the traditional English language use of the word ham, eg 'ham actor', 'ham fisted'.... basically as a derogatory term to convey amateur, inept, incompetant. Professional radio operators long ago may have coined the phrase as a disparaging insult.

Many older licencees in the U.K. cringe whenever some says 'I am a ham'.
Personally speaking, it seems such a widespread term for amateur radio today, with the origins of it lost, that it doesn't bother me... albeit I rarely use the term myself.

[M6FAX]

When I'm asked what sort of hobbies I have I always list it as "Amateur Radio"..although I have yet to qualify..(I take my Foundation exam on Saturday 12th November) the hobby itself has many facets..Shortwave listening..scanning..(Yes I can hear the wincing from here) so I always say Amateur Radio..My fascination with radio started as a young lad and I've been involved one way or another with radio since my very early years...Ham Radio..Amateur Radio..I reckon we are all proud of it in one way or another

[AB3NK]

If you look at my profile on QRZ, you will see a neat picture of a old radio my family owned.

The radio was a Hammarlund Super Pro ( 200 series) 10, it was made in 1936 in the height of the Great Depression and was very costly, I believe it was $650.00 American.


Most American's did not have $650.00 - hence there was not many ever produced ( almost 1000 according to company records ) and the ones that were in inventory were sold at a loss for about $350.00 ( it almost broke the company)..

The difference between the SP 10 and the SP 12 was that the 10 had a 10 inch speaker and the 12 had a 12 inch speaker.
The radio produced about 15 watts output CW / AM and was the industry standard for many years.

A similiar model ( 600?) with Collins filter was still being made in the 1950's with a little more transmit power and a few bells and whistles.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammarlund

Quote - The Hammarlund Super Pro was put in production in 1936. Hammarlund expanded when World War II broke out. More than 2000 people were employed a 14 different Hammarlund plants. It has been estimated that almost 90% of American wartime military electronic equipment employed Hammarlund capacitors. In addition to Super-Pro receivers (Signal Corps model BC-779) and capacitors, Hammarlund produced radar and electronic counter-measures equipment for the armed forces. At the end of World War II, the market was flooded with surplus Super-Pro receivers at bargain prices, which may be a reason many working examples of this model are still found today.

Nothing accelerates technology faster then a war.
Before the Hammarlund - commercial transceivers were not generally readily available to the general public, most radio equipment was hand made one of a kind and were reserved for the socially elite, radio engineers and electronic's geniuses, not the general public with a $15.00 ham radio license and a two meters walkie talkie.

If you ever want another look at a origional ham radio station, watch the origional version of the movie Captains Courageous with Spencer Tracy. In the movie the rich child (Freddie Bartholomew ) had a ham radio outfit in his bedroom, sitting on a desk.

[AB3NK]

Points to ponder -

What Things Cost in 1936 in the USA
Car: $600
House: $6,200
Bread: 8 cents/loaf
Milk: 48 cents/gal
Postage Stamp: 3 cents
Stock Market: 180
Average Annual Salary: $1,600

http://www.tvhistory.tv/1936%20QF.htm

http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1936.html

Average Cost of new house $3,925.00
Cost of a gallon of Gas 10 cents
Average Cost for house rent $24.00 per month
A LB of Hamburger Meat 12 cents
Studebaker Car $665.00

Unemployment 16.9 %

$650.00 in 1936 had the same buying power as $10,323.65 in 2011.

Annual inflation over this period was 3.76%.

http://www.hammarlund.info/histpage.html

[G6NHU]

What does any of that have to do with the original post?

[techiesteve]

I've no idea of the origin, I doubt you will find a definitive answer. I detest the name ham, preferring amateur radio. How could a name used as an insult have been associated with our hobby. Whenever I type 'ham radio' into to eBay for a broad based search I wince.

[M6PAP]

I always understood it to be linked along the same lines of Amateur Dramatics, although their group name seems to be Am Dram as opposed to ham!
As in Amateur's, Hamming it up!!

[M6FAX]

What does any of that have to do with the original post?

I was reading through all the pre-amble expecting some really top answer to Amateur radio life and the universe..but no..what an anti-climax..But then again he's american so he has to be excused !!

[2E0JTP]

What does any of that have to do with the original post?

I believe he's suggesting that because Hammarlund radio equipment was omnipresent in the post WWII era, that people referred to radio operators as "ham radio operators", shortened to "ham" because we are linguistically lazy.

Much in the same way people talk about "hoovers" when referring to vacuum cleaners.

Of course, I'm not sure if this is accurate. I was under the impression that the term "ham" originated much earlier than WWII.