Why Radio Amateurs Are Called "HAMs"

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 CALL of the first amateur wireless

stations operated by some amateurs of 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

"HY-AL-MU", using the first two letters of each of their 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 I. WALSH, a member of one of

the committees hearing the Bill. The Senator was so impressed with the thesis is 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 that they would have to close down

the station because they could not afford the license fees and all the other

requirements which the BILL imposed 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 will 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"