Hams operating on the amateur shortwave bands have the ability to talk all over the world. While long distance communications does occasionally take place on the VHF ham bands, these usually used for local communications. Above the VHF portion of the radio spectrum lie still higher frequencies. Hams have additional bands in this region. Hams use UHF for local contacts, transmission of TV signals, satellite communications and experimentation.
Hams use several methods to communicate with each other.
When ham radio began over 60 years ago, all hams utilized Morse code. Morse remains a popular mode among amateur radio operators. Transmission by Morse code is an efficient, reliable and fun way to contact distant stations. Morse code operators use a set of standard abbreviations and procedures that virtually eliminates the language barrier. This mode requires extra equipment.