Making money with ham radio can certainly be an interesting idea because individuals who are really into their amateur radio activities might see it as a good way to earn a little extra cash on the side. Many people wonder though, about the legalities of whether or not you can earn money through ham radio, and then if you can, how exactly do you do that. Well, this guide will seek to answer those questions directly to make clear what is and isn’t legal, and provide you with ideas on how to make money with ham radio.
Legality of making money via ham radio
Let’s make this part perfectly clear. Ham radio is for amateur radio enthusiasts to use for the purpose of a fun hobby. It is NOT legal to use ham radio to buy or sell consumer goods. This is because you would then be using ham radio for a commercial or business purpose which is not the intended purpose of ham radio for individual use. Likewise, it is forbidden to run advertisements that may earn you money as you use ham radio frequencies. In short, you absolutely cannot use ham radio for earning money.
That being said, you can use the skills you have picked up thanks to your knowledge of ham radio as a way to make money, so we’ll list those below for your consideration. Remember though, even simply reaching out to potential clients via ham radio is against the law. In many ways, this might be frustrating to those individuals who are hoping to make money with ham radio, but when you think about how useful ham radio is in emergency situations, you can understand why not clogging the radio waves with advertisements and business requests make sense. So, how can ham radio be useful in making you money?
Selling ham radio parts
Whilst people might not see this as a genuine way to make money, you’d be surprised by how much money you could make by refurbishing old parts for spares, or even fixing old ham radio equipment for others. Yes, you might be more of a radio enthusiast than a radio technician, but if you are truly passionate about amateur radio pursuits, then why not try to learn a little more about how exactly the components work. This idea might not be for everyone, but for those with a more technical mind, it should not be ignored.
Teach the skills you have picked up to others
Despite the popular misconception, you do not actually need to have a formal teaching qualification to teach others a skill that you are an expert in. You should think about how knowledgeable you are beforehand, of course, to make sure that you aren’t providing a service that is not helpful to others, but if you know a lot about ham radio then you could make money with ham radio by teaching others about it. You don’t need to create a curriculum per se, but we’d definitely recommend sitting down and thinking about the sorts of things you’d have liked to have known as an amateur ham radio user, so you can pass this knowledge on to the next generation of ham radio enthusiasts.
Product reviews or buyers guide style blog
Not many people would think of this, but it is possible to make money with ham radio by advising others about the best tech equipment to get started. It is possible to be paid for advertisements on a blog if it becomes popular enough, and if you associate your Amazon account with certain products, people clicking the link you provide in your blog to purchase the products you recommend could result in a small commission coming your way for every purchase made. Of course, this route would take some work to have companies interested in your advertising potential, but it’s still worth thinking about if you’re truly passionate about ham radio. You might even have a blog already, so why not try and make a little money off of it?
So unfortunately no, you can’t make money by using ham radio, but you can certainly make money using your skills in ham radio by sharing your expert knowledge and experiences. People will pay good money for instructions from others, as starting a new hobby can be scary without the proper guidance. So, why not be that guidance for somebody else and make money with
