WHY ARE RADIO AMATEURS CALLED "HAMS"?
Edited by KB5PWL
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CALCUTTA VHF AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY
87, Rashbehari Avenue; Calcutta -700 026
INDIA

From "Florida Skip Magazine", 1959 [Edition not specified.]


	Have you ever wondered why radio amateurs are called "HAMS"?
Well, it goes like this...

	The word "HAM" as applied to 1908 was the station callsign of
one of the first amateur wireless stations operated by some amateurs
in the Harvard Radio Club. They were ALBERT S. HYMAN, BOB ALMY and
POOGIE MURRAY.
	At first they called their station "HYMAN ALMY MURRAY".
Tapping out such a long name in code soon became tiresome and called
for a revision. They changed it to "HYALMU", using the first two
letters of each of their last names.
	Early in 1901 some confusion resulted between signals from
amateur wireless station "HYALMU" and a Mexican ship named "HYALMO".
They then decided to use only the first letter of each name and the
station call became "HAM".
	In the early pioneer days of unregulated radio, amateur
operators picked their own frequency and call letters. Then as now,
some amateurs had better signals than commercial stations. The
resulting interference came to the attention of congressional
committees in Washington and Congress gave much time to proposed
legislation designed to critically limit amateur radio activity.
	In 1911, ALBERT HYMAN chose the controversial WIRELESS
REGULATION BILL as the topic for his thesis at Harvard. His
instructor insisted that a copy be sent to Senator DAVID L. WALSH,
a member of one of the committees hearing the Bill. The Senator was
so impressed with the thesis that he asked HYMAN to appear before
the committee.
	ALBERT HYMAN took the stand and described how the little
station was built and almost cried when he told the crowded committee
room that if the BILL went through, they would have to close down the
station because they could not afford the license fee and all the
other requirements which the BILL would impose on amateur stations.
	Congressional debate began on the WIRELESS REGULATION BILL
and little station "HAM" became the symbol for all the little amateur
stations in the country crying to be saved from the menace and greed
of the big commercial stations, who didn't want them around. The bill
finally got to the floor of Congress and every speaker talked about
the "... poor little station HAM."
	That's how it all started. You can find the whole story in
the Congressional Record. Nation-wide publicity associated station
"HAM" with amateur radio operators. From that day to this, and
probably until the end of time, in radio, an amateur is a "HAM."
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