From: jmilhoan@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (JT)
Subject: Finally!!! History of the word "HAM"
Organization: The Ohio State University
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 23:28:51 GMT

Some of you know about where the term "ham" came from.  I was one who didn't, and even the ARRL text I used to study didn't know.

Anyways, I just read this on packet about 10 minutes ago.  It says the story is verifiable.

Here goes:

From    : N2JBO @ KA2MSL.#ENY.NY.USA.NA
To      : INFO @ ALLUS
Date    : 920913/0226
Msgid   : BF 14161@KA2MSL, 7046@W8CQK $14161_KA2MSL
Subject : Meaning of the word "HAM"
Path    : WB8BII!WA8BXN!WB8LVP!W3IXR!KA3OEM!NM3G!KA3SFC!VE3SNP!N2CVQ!WB2VPH!WB2WXQ!WA2TVE!WA2PVV!N1API!N4GAA!N2BQF!W2NRE!KA2MSL
 
 
             WHY    RADIO    AMATEURS    ARE    CALLED     "HAMS"
 
 
             ********* From Florida Skip Magazine  -  1959
 
 
   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 1908 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 signal 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 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 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 the 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 Congressinal Record.   Nationwide publicity associated station   " HAM " with amateur radio operators.   From that day to this, and probably til the end of time in radio: An amateur is a  " HAM ".
 
 
.......Thanks to Ray, WA2EYH,  for submitting this article.......
 
Sent to me Dave, N2JBO, by request from Tony, N2GVB........ 73   TO  ALL
 
 
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