An amateur radio operator is an individual who has been assigned an amateur radio license by a governmental regulatory authority. An amateur radio operator uses the equipment at an amateur radio station to engage in two-way personal communications with other similarly-licensed individuals using radio frequencies assigned to the Amateur Radio Service. As a condition of their license, most amateur radio operators are assigned a call sign that they use to identify themselves during communication. There are about three million amateur radio operators worldwide.

Amateur radio operators are also known as radio amateurs or hams. The origins of the term "ham" as a synonym for amateur radio operator are a source of significant debate. An amateur radio operator who has died is referred to by other amateur radio operators as a "silent key".

Demographics of amateur radio operators

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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 Japan, the United States of America, Thailand, South Korea, and the nations of Europe. 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.

Country	Number of amateur radio operatorsInternational Amateur Radio Union (2000). "Status Summary of Radio Amateurs & Amateur Stations of the World 2000". Retrieved June 2, 2006.''	Year of Report
Japan	1296059	1999
USA	679864	2000
Thailand	141241	1999
South Korea	141000	2000
Germany	79666	2000
Taiwan	68692	1999
Spain	58700	1999
United Kingdom	58426	2000
Canada	44024	2000
Russia	38000	1993
Brazil	32053	1997
Italy	30000	1993
Indonesia	27815	1997
France	18500	1997
Ukraine	17265	2000
Argentina	16889	1999
India	10679	2000
South Africa	6000	1994
Norway	5302	2000
China	800	2000

Gender

In the vast majority of countries, the population of amateur radio operators is overwhelmingly male. In the United States, approximately 15% of amateur radio operators are women.Harker, Kenneth E. (2005) "A Study of Amateur Radio Gender Demographics". ARRLWeb, March 15, 2005. Retrieved June 2, 2006. In China, only 12% of amateur radio operators are women.Chinese Radio Sports Association (2004). "The Current Status of Amateur Radio in the Mainland of China" Proceedings, International Amateur Radio Unions Region 3 Twelfth Regional Conference. Document No. 04/XII/057. Taipei, Taiwan. Feb. 16-20, 2004. Some amateur radio activities have a more balanced male/female ratio, such as Amateur Radio Direction Finding: 33% of the competitors at the 2004 World ARDF Championship were women.Czech ARDF Association (2004). 12th World Amateur Radio Direction Finding Championship. Retrieved June 20, 2006.

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 female amateur radio operator can be referred to as a YL, from the abbreviation used for "young lady", regardless of the operator's age. XYL was once used by amateur radio operator to refer to an unlicensed woman, usually the wife of a male amateur radio operator; today, the term has come to mean any female spouse of an amateur radio operator, licensed or not. Although these codes are derived from English language abbreviations, their common use is familiar to amateur radio operators worldwide.

Age

In many countries, such as the United States and Canada, there is no minimum age requirement 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 quite high. In some countries, the average age is over 60 years old, with most amateur radio operators earning their license in their 40s or 50s.

Some national radio societies have responded to this 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.American Radio Relay League (2006). Amateur Radio Education and Technology Program. Retrieved June 20, 2006. The World Wide Young Contesters organization promoted youth involvement, particularly amongst Europeans, in competitive radio contesting.

See also

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• Amateur radio in popular culture

References

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Amateur radio