Amateur radio is a community of people who use radio transmitters and receivers to communicate with other Amateur radio operators. If you were to ask a dozen different amateurs what ham radio meant to them chances are you would get 12 different answers. Amateur radio operators are often called ham radio operators or simply "hams" and frequently the public is more familiar with this term than with the legal term Radio Amateur. The source of this nickname is for all practical purposes lost from the beginning.

Amateur (HAM) Radio is truly a hobby but often one that makes a difference especially in emergency or disaster situations. It is an activity of Self Learning, Inter-Communication & Technical Investigation carried on between Amateur Radio Operators. Amateurs talk to local friends over the radio waves using a hand-held transceiver, communicate digitally with packet radio to exchange personal messages or vital information in an emergency, talk to other hams anywhere in the world, or engage in contests with other Radio Amateurs over the airwaves. There is something for everyone.

There are over Lakh people all over the world who pursue this activity in their free time.