09-10-2023, 05:55 PM
(This post was last modified: 09-10-2023, 05:56 PM by Mike Watterson.)
Jokers say Ham stands for Haven't Any Money. It's likely it comes from 19th C. Telegraph, describing poor operators as ham-fisted. Ham was also used in this sense for poor Actors.
Originally Amateur in sport, acting, technology vs professionals just meant not commercial or not paid. Amateur Radio was called such because no commercial application was allowed, no 3rd party messages (except emergency service), no commercial music, no drama, no adverts. But Amateur got a similar meaning to ham-fist or ham-actor, as something inferior to Professional (which originally wasn't about proficiency but being paid).
I think Radio Ham was more a USA term than UK originally. I can only deduce from magazines for earlier periods than mid 1960s. I was first shown an Amateur "station" in about 1966 and got my Amateur Licence in 1972 (GI8JTR). I sat a UK City & Guilds exam which had a part on regulations and a part on radio related electronics. The current tests look easier. I didn't hear the term Ham till later. I didn't even hear of the (in)famous 1961 Tony Hancock "The Radio Ham" till the 21st C! So obviously in 1961 Ham was also a term for Radio Amateur. The mind boggles at the idea of the fictional Mr Bean being a Radio Ham!
The first computers I used were interacted with by punched cards and getting a print out (a week or two at school and a few days at Polytech if you were allowed to punch your own cards).
Now EI9FEB and I must get some aerials up before the weather breaks.
Originally Amateur in sport, acting, technology vs professionals just meant not commercial or not paid. Amateur Radio was called such because no commercial application was allowed, no 3rd party messages (except emergency service), no commercial music, no drama, no adverts. But Amateur got a similar meaning to ham-fist or ham-actor, as something inferior to Professional (which originally wasn't about proficiency but being paid).
I think Radio Ham was more a USA term than UK originally. I can only deduce from magazines for earlier periods than mid 1960s. I was first shown an Amateur "station" in about 1966 and got my Amateur Licence in 1972 (GI8JTR). I sat a UK City & Guilds exam which had a part on regulations and a part on radio related electronics. The current tests look easier. I didn't hear the term Ham till later. I didn't even hear of the (in)famous 1961 Tony Hancock "The Radio Ham" till the 21st C! So obviously in 1961 Ham was also a term for Radio Amateur. The mind boggles at the idea of the fictional Mr Bean being a Radio Ham!
The first computers I used were interacted with by punched cards and getting a print out (a week or two at school and a few days at Polytech if you were allowed to punch your own cards).
Now EI9FEB and I must get some aerials up before the weather breaks.
