How have HAM radios evolved over time?

The Golden Age of HAM Radios

People often call the time between the two World Wars and the 1950s the "golden age" of HAM radios. After World War I many soldiers came back with technical skills and a love for radio communication and they set up home stations. There were a lot more licensed amateurs and the new technology was amazing for the time.

Ham radio operators were very important for sending messages across the country. They even made the first communications across the Atlantic. Electronics made quick progress and crystal controlled transmitters made signals better. The superheterodyne receiver which came out in the 1930s changed the game by making radios more sensitive and selective. As technology got better so did the community. It went from people working alone to groups of people sharing ideas and new things. The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) played a big role in this change. You can learn more about how those new ideas grew here.

Solid state electronics changed technology in the 1960s and 1970s. Transistors replaced vacuum tubes in radios making them smaller more efficient and more reliable. For HAM operators this was a huge change. Radios were no longer big and hard to use. They could be carried around even in your hand and were much easier for most people to get to.