People call it 'ham' radio just like your friends might have a 'nickname' because it is shorter and quicker to say. Like a boy named William is often called Bill, for short. If you ever had a 'walky-talky' you would have a basic idea what ham radio is like. With a ham radio, you can talk to people who are too far away to hear your voice by itself. Ham radio operators use walky-talkies almost like the ones used by police.
Hams have their own channels, different from the police.
With a ham radio walky-talky you can keep in touch with friends and family in your area. Your friends can be in cars, or at home. It's both fun, and useful. Other, larger kinds of ham radios let you talk to people in far away countries, and on the Space Station. Your new ham radio friends can help you learn how to do this.