Amateur Radio LEARN ABOUT AMATEUR* RADIO - EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS AND WHY THERE IS NOTHING "AMATEUR" ABOUT IT HERE © 2010 Tim Stevens The term "amateur" means these radio operators are not paid for their services (it is illegal). You will not find a more professional, capable group of communication experts anywhere. Many of today's communication technologies came into being from the efforts of the ham radio community. The hobby draws people from all walks of life, all cultures, all income levels, all types of business, and all scientific, academic, and technical disciplines, which creates an incredibly rich body of experience and knowledge available to those requiring amateur radio communication services. A list of notable amateur radio operators includes: Walter Cronkite (CBS), Art Bell (talk radio), Joe Walsh (The Eagles), Paul Harvey (radio commentator), Gary Shandling (actor/comedian), Patty Loveless (c/w singer), Arthur Godfrey (TV), Ronnie Milsap (c/w singer), Nolan Bushnell (Atari founder), Barry Goldwater (senator), Juan Carlos (King of Spain), Marlon Brando (actor), Queen Noor (Queen of Jordan), Yuri Gagarin (first cosmonaut), Rajiv Ghandi (PM of India), and many, many more. Amateur Radio operators serve in a number of emergency communication roles, including storm spotting for the National Weather Service, backup communications for police/fire and other emergency responders, and they create the most reliable network for communications on the planet. In many cases, their communications take place through internet, satellite, and tropospheric tunneling operations that connect locations all around the world.