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For More Information Contact:
Field and Educational Services Department
The American Radio Relay League
225 Main Street
Newington, CT 061111
860 594 0236 and 0272
E-mail: reginfo@arrl.org
The FCC definition of the Amateur Service is "A radiocommunication service for the purpose of self-training, intercommunication and technical investigations carried out by amateurs, that is, duly authorized persons interested in radio technique solely with a personal aim and without pecuniary interest." Amateur Radio operators, licensed by the FCC, can be found in every corner of the US. They use Amateur Radio as a hobby and contact other Amateur Radio operators halfway around the world or even across town! "Hams", as they are known, are known for their public service activities. Amateurs may not transmit communications on behalf of their employer. For a brief overview of Amateur Radio, see http://www.arrl.org/pio/bwhatis.html. See the PowerPoint presentation, written and produced by William J Barrett, W1WJB, on the basics of Amateur Radio. Not all the audio/video clips mentioned in the presentation are available for download. This also does not include the information on Hurricane Katrina.
Narrated by former CBS news anchorman Walter Cronkite, KB2GSD, Amateur Radio Today is a video which showcases the public service contributions made by hams throughout the country. Amateur Radio Today, which is available for download on the ARRL Web site is ideal for presentation at clubs, government meetings, civic organizations and any other venue where you want to vividly illustrate what Amateur Radio has to offer the public. The total running time is just 6 minutes.
Amateur Licenses by State through February 2001
(sorted by state postal code, ascending)
|
State |
Population |
Amateurs per |
Total |
|
AA |
|
|
67 |
|
AE |
|
|
307 |
|
AK |
626,932 |
5.13 |
3,215 |
|
AL |
4,447,100 |
2.38 |
10,583 |
|
AP |
|
|
302 |
|
AR |
2,673,400 |
2.60 |
6,949 |
|
AS |
63,000 |
1.67 |
105 |
|
AZ |
5,130,632 |
3.07 |
15,726 |
|
CA |
33,871,648 |
3.03 |
102,788 |
|
CO |
4,310,261 |
2.83 |
12,203 |
|
CT |
3,405,565 |
2.44 |
8,322 |
|
DC |
572,059 |
0.73 |
416 |
|
DE |
783,600 |
1.77 |
1,385 |
|
FL |
15,982,378 |
2.50 |
40,007 |
|
GA |
8,186,453 |
1.78 |
14,605 |
|
GU |
156,974 |
3.29 |
516 |
|
HI |
1,211,537 |
2.73 |
3,306 |
|
IA |
2,926,324 |
2.23 |
6,520 |
|
ID |
1,293,953 |
3.40 |
4,397 |
|
IL |
12,419,293 |
1.83 |
22,777 |
|
IN |
6,080,485 |
2.46 |
14,930 |
|
KS |
2,688,418 |
2.71 |
7,292 |
|
KY |
4,041,769 |
2.19 |
8,849 |
|
LA |
4,468,976 |
1.52 |
6,790 |
|
MA |
6,349,097 |
2.28 |
14,473 |
|
MD |
5,296,486 |
2.12 |
11,204 |
|
ME |
1,274,923 |
3.47 |
4,419 |
|
MI |
9,938,444 |
2.13 |
21,172 |
|
MN |
4,919,479 |
2.18 |
10,701 |
|
MO |
5,595,211 |
2.28 |
12,753 |
|
MP |
50,865 |
7.16 |
364 |
|
MS |
2,844,658 |
1.65 |
4,707 |
|
MT |
902,195 |
3.42 |
3,087 |
|
NC |
8,049,313 |
2.31 |
18,615 |
|
ND |
642,200 |
2.42 |
1,556 |
|
NE |
1,711,263 |
2.28 |
3,898 |
|
NH |
1,235,786 |
4.00 |
4,939 |
|
NJ |
8,414,350 |
1.87 |
15,769 |
|
NM |
1,819,046 |
2.98 |
5,417 |
|
NV |
1,998,257 |
2.36 |
4,722 |
|
NY |
18,976,457 |
1.71 |
32,475 |
|
OH |
11,353,140 |
2.67 |
30,291 |
|
OK |
3,450,654 |
2.67 |
9,209 |
|
OR |
3,421,399 |
3.83 |
13,105 |
|
PA |
12,281,054 |
1.98 |
24,357 |
|
PR |
3,808,610 |
1.68 |
6,387 |
|
RI |
1,048,319 |
2.24 |
2,344 |
|
SC |
4,012,012 |
1.71 |
6,858 |
|
SD |
754,844 |
2.08 |
1,569 |
|
TN |
5,689,283 |
2.47 |
14,033 |
|
TX |
20,851,820 |
2.01 |
41,908 |
|
UM |
|
|
3 |
|
UT |
2,233,169 |
3.90 |
8,717 |
|
VA |
7,078,515 |
2.40 |
17,011 |
|
VI |
97,120 |
3.19 |
310 |
|
VT |
608,827 |
3.66 |
2,228 |
|
WA |
5,894,121 |
4.10 |
24,139 |
|
WI |
5,363,675 |
1.98 |
10,610 |
|
WV |
1,808,344 |
3.58 |
6,468 |
|
WY |
493,782 |
3.28 |
1,619 |
|
Total |
285,607,475 |
2.39 |
683,794 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Traditionally, trained volunteer Amateur Radio operators have provided communication support services to government and private relief agencies in times of major local and national disaster. Amateur Radio operators are organized through two primary organizations: Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), and Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services (RACES). In addition to assisting local authorities and emergency relief operations with radio communication services, amateurs also organize "health and welfare" networks to relay messages from victims in the affected area to loved ones in other locations.
Amateur Radio emergency communications in the wake of the World Trade Center terrorist strike made the country aware of the emergency communications Amateur Radio operators have been providing for decades. See World Trade Center and Pentagon terrorist attacks. Even before the WTC attack, ARRL was already working on preparations for the Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Courses which help train Amateur Radio operators as how to best use their skills in emergencies through the ARRL Certification and Continuing Education Programs. These courses have trained thousands of amateurs. This is why the Department of Homeland Defense called Amateur Radio operators the "first of the first responders". ARRL is now an official affiliate of the Citizen Corps, an initiative within the Department of Homeland Security to enhance public preparedness and safety.
President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, signed the formal Statement of Affiliation between DHS, President Bush's Citizen Corps and ARRL during the ARRL 2003 National Convention June 21. Chief Operating Officer of the Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate (FEMA) Ron Castleman represented Under Secretary for Emergency Preparedness and Response Michael D. Brown at the signing. Citizen Corps Liaison to the White House Liz DiGregorio called ham radio operators the "first of the first responders."
Some recent emergencies where amateurs have helped out include:
Statement
of Understanding between the
American Radio Relay League, Inc.
and
the
American National Red Cross
since 1940 and updated 1994
Memorandum
of Understanding between the
American Radio Relay League, Inc.
and
the
Federal Emergency Management Agency
since 1984
Memorandum
of Understanding between the
American Radio Relay League, Inc.
and the
National Communications System
since 1983
Memorandum
of Understanding between the
American Radio Relay League, Inc.
and
the
Associated
Public Safety Communications Officers, Inc.
since 1984
Memorandum
of Understanding between the
American Radio Relay League, Inc.
and
the
National
Association of Radio and Telecommunications Engineers, Inc.
since 2000
Memorandum
of Understanding between the
American Radio Relay League, Inc.
and
the
Salvation Army
Revised 1996
Memorandum
of Understanding between the
American Radio Relay League, Inc.
and
the
Society
of Broadcast Engineers, Inc.
Since 2000
Memorandum
of Understanding between the
American Radio Relay League, Inc.
and
REACT
International, Inc. (Radio Emergency Associated
Communications Teams)
Since 2000
Additional information on these organizations can be found on the ARRLWeb.
Since the earliest days of radio, new technology and the activities of Amateur Radio operators have gone hand-in-hand. Driven by scientific curiosity and unconstrained by bureaucracy, self-funded amateur experimenters have found better ways to utilize the radio spectrum. In professional capacities in research organizations, Amateur Radio operators work as engineers and researchers, often motivated by their early enthusiasm as "hams." Among their well-known contributions:
Here is a good overview of the goals of ARRL with respect to homeland security. These are the comments submitted by ARRL to the subcommittee on Science and Technology of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and were prepared for hearings on Senator Wyden's NetGuard proposal and submitted on December 5, 2001. Further, the November 2001 QST article on the events of September 11 appears on the Web. The Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) brochure gives a very brief overview of the Amateur Service with respect to emergency.
"When a disaster strikes...amateur systems assist with relief operations immediately. Often, it is from an amateur...that the world first learns of the disaster."
"Many of our engineers, scientists, astronauts, educators and technicians took their first steps toward their careers when they became amateur operators."
"The concept of broadcasting began when listeners overheard amateur stations exchanging weather reports and baseball scores. The first land mobile systems were built by amateurs. The first hand-held radios were built by amateurs."
"The first satellite station authorized by the FCC was an amateur station. Today, more than 30 [amateur] satellites have been launched."
"This service is ever at the forefront of communications technology."
Remarks by FCC official during an FCC hearing on Amateur Radio issues, 1990
