David Spoelstra, N9KT, demonstrates ham radio satellite communication at Philmont Scout Ranch.

Actions – there are several ways to break down amateur radio communication. One is by what we do with radio:

• Make Global Connections: Meet people all over the world, from every walk of life and every generation. Over 3 million smart and inspiring people are on the amateur airwaves and eager to talk to you!
• Satellite Communication: Hams may use inexpensive equipment to bounce voice or Morse code off satellites to talk to other hams on Earth. You may even talk to an astronaut on the International Space Station.
• Rag Chewing: this is talking to random people around the world on the radio about anything you want.
• Public Service and Emergency Communications: Community events, such as parades and road races, require radio communications along their routes for logistic support, scoring, and first aid. Hams also provide emergency communications during natural disasters and work with the National Weather Service to provide on-the-spot weather reports. When cell phones, the internet, and other systems are down, amateur radio still gets the message out. It is a vital service that can save lives when regular communication systems fail.
• Contesting – From “foxhunting” for hidden radio signals to on-the-air contests for awards, amateur radio offers many challenging & fun ways to compete. Almost every weekend there is a ham radio contest. They last from an hour up to 48 hours straight for the big ones. Some are international contests and others are within the US or North America. Each one has its own rules and regulations, but the goal is to talk to as many stations as possible and accurately exchange some pieces of information that you record in a log. After the contest, you upload your log and the computer verifies that the information was exchanged accurately and scores your log. Most contests have certificates and plaques on a state, regional, or national level.
• Paper Chasing – when we make contact with another station, we log the contact information in a worldwide database. If the other station verifies that information, then you get credit for the contact. There are many awards, plaques, and certificates for achievements like contacting someone in each state to contacting someone in 100 countries to contacting someone in 100 countries on five different bands.
• Explore Technology – many hams like to experiment with RF hardware or come up with new digital modes or amateur radio applications. You can design, build, and test your own gear – whether from scratch or a kit.
• DXpeditions – this is where a group of amateur radio operators go to a rare location without amateur radio to give out contacts from that rare location to other amateur radio operators.
• Enjoy the Great Outdoors – Parks On The Air (POTA), Summits On The Air(SOTA), and Islands On The Air(IOTA). This is where amateur radio operators go to a registered park, summit, or island and give out contacts to other amateur radio operators so they can get credit for that location and get awards, certificates, and plaques.
• Special Event Stations (SES) – this is where a group of amateur radio operators will give out contacts in coordination with a special event in their location. Amateur radio operators who contact them usually receive a special picture card about the event. An example is W9IMS which hosts a SES for the Indianapolis 500 race.
• Radio Direction Finding (“fox hunting”):  A transmitter is hidden by organizers and contestants try to find it using radio direction finding techniques and directional antennas.
• Develop New Skills: Try new things and learn new skills. Through amateur radio, you can develop communication skills to improve your career, friendships, and life!

Modes – another way to define amateur radio is by the modes that we can transmit. Here are just a few:

• Phone – This is voice communication using AM (Amplitude Modulation), FM (Frequency Modulation), or SSB (Single Side Band).
• CW (Continuous Wave) – this is Morse code.
• Digital – there are a host of different digital communications. Everything from keyboard-to-keyboard chatting to packet radio to weak signal modes like FT8 or MT63.
• Image – we transmit and receive images via radio.
• ATV (Amateur TV) – we transmit and receive real-time TV!

Bands – yet another way to define amateur radio is by the bands (a range of frequencies) we use. Amateur radio has 29 dedicated bands ranging from LF (low frequency – 136 kHz) up to EHF (extra high frequency – 250 GHz). The most commonly used are:

• HF (high frequency) – these are bands in the 1.8 MHz to 54 MHz range that allow worldwide communications.
• Very High Frequency (VHF) / Ultra High Frequency (UHF) – these are bands in the 144 MHz to 3 GHz range. These normally allow local communication. However when you use a repeater, you can link to another repeater worldwide and therefore talk anywhere in the world. You can also use an amateur radio satellite (a repeater in the sky) to talk to people within the USA for a Low Earth Orbit satellite (LEO) up to about half the world for a Middle Earth Orbit (MEO) satellite.