On July 22, 2024, The MIT Press Reader published an excerpt from Ham Radio’s Technical Culture; a book by Auburn University Assistant Professor of History, Kristen Haring.

This book (an MIT Press publication) provides an inside look at ham radio culture—and its impact on hobbyists’ lives—through personal accounts found in magazines, newsletters, and trade journals,

Introduction to the article

Every night thousands of men retreat to radio stations elaborately outfitted in suburban basements or tucked into closets of city apartments to talk to local friends or to strangers on the other side of the world. They communicate by speaking into a microphone, tapping out Morse code on a telegraph key, or typing at the keyboard of a teletypewriter. In the Internet age, instantaneous, long-distance, person-to-person communication seems ordinary. But amateur radio operators have been completing such contacts since the 1910s. The hobbyists often called “hams” initially turned to radio for technical challenges and thrills. As the original form of wireless technology became more reliable and commonplace in the 1930s, ham radio continued as a leisure activity. Hams formed a community through the same general practices of other social groups. They set conditions for membership, established rules of conduct, taught values, and developed a specialized vocabulary known only to insiders. What made hams’ culture different was its basis in technology. In her book “Ham Radio’s Technical Culture,” … historian of science and technology Kristen Haring draws on a wealth of personal accounts found in radio magazines and newsletters and from technical manuals, trade journals, and government documents to illustrate how ham radio culture rippled through hobbyists’ lives. ¹

This article includes numerous historical photographs of QSL cards, hams, and their rigs / shacks.

Read The Article…

Where to buy this book

ℹ️ Purchasing links may be found on the book’s MIT Press Catalog Listing.