Amateur radio operator

An amateur radio operator is someone who uses equipment at an amateur radio station to engage in two-way personal communications with other amateur operators on radio frequencies assigned to the amateur radio service. Amateur radio operators have been granted an amateur radio license by a governmental regulatory authority after passing an examination on applicable regulations, electronics, radio theory, and radio operation. As a component of their license, amateur radio operators are assigned a call sign that they use to identify themselves during communication. About three million amateur radio operators are currently active worldwide.[1]

NASA astronaut Col. Doug Wheelock, KF5BOC, Expedition 24 flight engineer, operates the NA1SS ham radio station in the Zvezda Service Module of the International Space Station. Equipment is a Kenwood TM-D700E transceiver.

Amateur radio operators are also known as radio amateurs or hams. The term "ham" as a nickname for amateur radio operators originated in a pejorative usage (like "ham actor") by operators in commercial and professional radio communities, and dates to wired telegraphy.[2][3] The word was subsequently adopted by amateur radio operators.

Demographics
Country Number of amateur
radio operators		 % population Year of
Report		 Source
 United States 757,610 0.227 2023 [4]
 Japan 381,899 0.304 2021 [5]
 Thailand 101,763 0.147 2018 [6]
 China 150,000 0.010 2019 [7]
 Germany 63,070 0.073 2019 [8]
 Canada 70,198 0.187 2018 [9]
 Spain 58,700 0.127 1999 [6]
 United Kingdom 75,660 0.114 2018 [10]
 South Korea 42,632 0.082 2012 [11]
 Russia 38,000 0.026 1993 [6]
 Brazil 32,053 0.016 1997 [6]
 Turkey 32,000 0.037 2023 [12]
 Italy 30,000 0.049 1993 [6]
 Indonesia 27,815 0.011 1997 [6]
 France 13,500 0.019 2022 [13]
 Ukraine 17,265 0.037 2000 [6]
 Argentina 16,889 0.042 1999 [6]
 Poland 15,395 0.040 2023 [14]
 Australia 15,068 0.059 2020 [15]
 India 15,679 0.001 2000 [6]
 Sweden 12,859 0.114 2021 [16]
 Netherlands 12,582 0.07 2018 [17]
 Malaysia 10,509 0.04 2016 [6]
 Denmark 9,079 0.152 2022 [18]
 Slovenia 6,500 0.317 2000 [6]
 Austria 6,930 0.077 2022 [19]
 New Zealand 6,000 0.12 1994 [6]
 South Africa 6,000 0.012 1994 [6]
 Norway 6,818 0.125 2022 [20]
 Czech Republic 5,332 0.05 2023 [21]
 Finland 5,000 0.090 2016 [22]
 Serbia 3,962 0.056 2020 [23]
 Romania 3,527 0.018 2017 [24]
 Hungary 3,234 0.033 2023 [25]
 Ireland 1,945 0.039 2020 [26][27]
 Slovakia 1,745 0.032 2023 [28]
 Estonia 700 0.052 2020

Few governments maintain detailed demographic statistics of their amateur radio operator populations, aside from recording the total number of licensed operators. The majority of amateur radio operators worldwide reside in the United States, Japan, and the nations of East Asia, North America, and Europe. The top five countries by percentage of the population are Slovenia, Japan, the United States, Canada, and Denmark. Only the governments of Yemen and North Korea currently prohibit their citizens from becoming amateur radio operators. In some countries, acquiring an amateur radio license is difficult because of the bureaucratic processes or fees that place access to a license out of reach for most citizens. Most nations permit foreign nationals to earn an amateur radio license, but very few amateur radio operators are licensed in multiple countries.

Gender

In the vast majority of countries, the population of amateur radio operators is predominantly male. In China, 12% of amateur radio operators are women,[29] while approximately 15% of amateur radio operators in the United States are women.[30] The Young Ladies Radio League is an international organization of female amateur radio operators.

A male amateur radio operator can be referred to as an OM, an abbreviation used in Morse code telegraphy for "old man", regardless of the operator's age. A single female amateur radio operator can be referred to as a YL, from the abbreviation used for "young lady", regardless of the operator's age. A licensed married female is sometimes referred to as an XYL.

Age

Most countries do not have a minimum age requirement in order to earn an amateur radio license and become an amateur radio operator. Although the number of amateur radio operators in many countries increases from year to year, the average age of amateur radio operators is relatively high. In some countries, the average age is over 80 years old, with most amateur radio operators earning their license in their 40s or 50s.

The unfavourable age distribution has led to a slow decrease in amateur operator numbers in most industrialised countries due to attrition, but in countries which do not apply yearly licence fees, the effects are not immediately noticed. It has been estimated from German statistics, which are considered the most reliable, that the net decrease currently is in the order of 1 to 1.5% per year. Average age is approaching 70 in most European countries.

Some national radio societies have responded to the aging ham population by developing programs specifically to encourage youth participation in amateur radio, such as the American Radio Relay League's Amateur Radio Education and Technology Program.[31] The World Wide Young Contesters organization promotes youth involvement, particularly among Europeans, in competitive radio contesting. A strong tie also exists between the amateur radio community and the Scouting movement to introduce radio technology to youth. WOSM's annual Jamboree On The Air is Scouting's largest activity, with a half million Scouts and Guides speaking with each other using amateur radio each October.[32]

US amateurs by state
StateTotal %RankClub
AA40.00590
AE1570.02560
AK38470.464580
AL132281.5922244
AP1440.02571
AR89141.0731129
AS250.00583
AZ221662.7812249
CA11578713.9311528
CO203692.4516222
CT81780.9832188
DC5870.075254
DE19300.235038
FL468565.643610
GA206502.4814390
GU3340.045413
HI43860.5343117
IA69930.8435119
ID104041.252885
IL214672.5813367
IN167982.0218303
KS79530.9633143
KY103761.2529147
LA68230.8237166
MA146411.7621272
MD121391.4625184
ME49800.604181
MI228342.759375
MN125201.5123185
MO166992.0119262
MP3530.045318
MS58490.7039131
MT44500.544263
NC235492.838337
ND17290.215153
NE40830.494481
NH60350.7338112
NJ148341.7820295
NM72370.8734131
NV89181.0730112
NY295883.566531
OH301483.635511
OK107011.2927152
OR222422.6810354
PA261323.147437
PR51170.6240108
RI21430.264871
SC108441.3026147
SD21220.264933
TN204162.4615261
TX584157.032737
UT195132.3517116
VA222172.6711298
VI2980.045527
VT23070.284659
WA374944.514515
WI121781.4724215
WV68540.823678
WY22810.274737

NOTE:[33]
AA..US Armed Forces Americas
AE..US Armed Forces Africa/Canada/Europe/Middle East
AP..US Armed Forces Pacific
AS..American Samoa
GU..Guam
MP..Mariana Islands
PR..Puerto Rico
VI..US Virgin Islands

Canadian amateurs by province
ProvinceTotalRank
AB77004
NL147310
ON232701
YT21412
BC188273
NS26475
PE31111
ZZ17747
MB21616
NT9513
QC190392
NB16888
NU2814
SK16249

NOTE:[33]
ZZ..Canadian amateurs outside of Canada

Silent Key

When referring to a person, the phrase Silent Key, and its abbreviation SK, is a euphemism for an amateur radio operator who is deceased.[34] The procedural signal "SK" (or "VA") has historically been used in Morse code as the last signal sent from a station before ending operation,[35] usually just before shutting off the transmitter. Since this was the last signal received by other operators, the code was adopted to refer to any amateur radio operator who is deceased, regardless of whether they were known to have used telegraphy in their communications.

  • An operator working HF
    An operator working HF
  • An operator working HF
    An operator working HF
  • Amateur Radio station equipped for reception of VLF signals.
    Amateur Radio station equipped for reception of VLF signals.
  • Amateur radio students
    Amateur radio students

Notable amateur radio operators

References
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  2. Hall, L. C. (January 1902). "Telegraph Talk and Talkers". McClure's Magazine. Vol. 18, no. 3. pp. 230–231.
  3. "Word Origins - Ham". United States Early Radio History. Archived from the original on 15 November 2019.
  4. "FCC License Counts". arrl.com. Archived from the original on 21 October 2023. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  5. "Hamlife.jp Database Ministry of Communication". Retrieved 13 October 2021.
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  8. "Amateurfunk". Bundesnetzagentur. 2019.
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  11. "Triennial Report from KARL". iaru-r3.org. Archived from the original on 2 February 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
  12. "Deprem sonrası amatör telsizci başvuruları arttı". www.trthaber.com (in Turkish). 14 March 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  13. REF preliminary callsign statistics
  14. "UKE Radioamator". amator.uke.gov.pl. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  15. "ACMA Radiocomms license data". acma.gov.au. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  16. SSA callsign statistics published in QTC 12/2021
  17. Agentschap Telecom - Ministerie van Economische Zaken en Klimaat "Staat van de Ether 2018". Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  18. "Energistyrelsen Frekvensregister". frekvensregister.ens.dk.
  19. "Rufzeichenliste österreichischer Amateurfunkstellen" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  20. Nkom callsign statistics
  21. "Individual licenses and call signs of Radio Amateur Service stations". ctu.cz. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  22. "Mitä radioamatööritoiminta on?". SRAL.fi. Archived from the original on 1 June 2004. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
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  27. "Population and Migration Estimates April 2020 - CSO - Central Statistics Office". www.cso.ie. 20 August 2020. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  28. "List of Slovakia Radio Amateur call signs". teleoff.gov.sk. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  29. Chinese Radio Sports Association (2004). "The Current Status of Amateur Radio in the Mainland of China". Proceedings of the International Amateur Radio Union's Region 3 Twelfth Regional Conference. Document No. 04/XII/057. Archived from the original on 6 March 2006. Retrieved 2 June 2006.
  30. Harker, Kenneth E (15 March 2005). "A Study of Amateur Radio Gender Demographics". ARRL.org. Archived from the original on 23 February 2007. Retrieved 13 July 2007.
  31. "The ARRL Amateur Radio Education & Technology Program". ARRL.org. Archived from the original on 25 June 2007. Retrieved 13 July 2007.
  32. "All about JOTA". Scout.org. September 2006. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 30 April 2008.
  33. Amateurs by State generates a SSL_ERROR_UNSUPPORTED_VERSION error message
  34. "Reporting a Silent Key". Amateur Radio Relay League. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  35. "CW Operating Aids". AC6V. Archived from the original on 28 February 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  36. "David Packard and Amateur Radio" (PDF). Stanford University. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  37. "List" (PDF). ariss.org. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  38. "ULS License - Vanity License - K6FLM - Maytag, Frederick L".
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