wow, now there is a good question. I hope you know what you just got yourself into...

What is ham radio? Amateur radio is a hobby so vast and varied it defies an easy description of all it is and can be.

At it's most basic, amateur radio is simply this: amateur radio consists of one person, with a collection of parts and some wire, communicating wtih another person somewhere else, whether down the street, or across the world, with another collection of parts and wires.

A great resource for getting started in ham radio is the American Radio Relay League; you might want to check out their resources and materials on-line at www.arrl.org

Ham Radio is the best kept secret. (Sad to say). Any ham will tell you it's the "king of hobbies". That is, if you like radio communications. There's something for everyone. And if you look into it, you'll even find hobbies within the hobby: some people collect QSL (stamps & postcards) from all over the world. Some people like digital communications (computer). There's sattelites. Radio direction finding ("fox" hunting). Some like CW (morse code) - there's magic in turning all that dit-dah noise into intelligible information. Good luck!

Hey Juke,,
Can't tell you what ham radio is, but I can tell you what it is like.
Have you seen snowflakes falling from heaven, each is the same make up but each is different. They all work towards a common goal, ( fall to earth) but each of them will fall at their own volosity, wiggling and twisting as the fall. Each of them lands and accepts the other flakes as they lay also.
I dont believe ther is a such thing as "ham" radio, rather the collection of the many asspects of the hobby is called ham radio. If you like to meet new people, different cultures, different ideas, or if you want to meet ones like you, enjoying the same cultures, the same values, or a mixture of all, then that might be ham radio. Me, I am still in awe that I can say a word, have it travel through wires in my radio, get thrown in the air to a reciever thousands of miles away to have it jump from a speaker just the way I said it. After over 40 years in electronics I am still in awe of the process. But then how does a red blooded cow make white milk?
If you want an answer, think of what you might like to do in communications, then look for that in Google, and read up or meet with a "ham" and talk about it. I knew a man that loved to build train track and buildings and such for HO gauge, but he wasn't interested in being the engineer. Bet you will find what you like. Use the TRIBE for questions and answerss also.. JR>)