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by treve 2689 days ago
Not sure if this was a joke or serious, but 'amateur radio' refers basically to people who are into HAM radio. It doesn't necessarily preclude them from also working with radio professionally.
1 comments

I recently learn, and therefore want to tell everyone, the ham in Ham radio isn’t an acronym.

It means ham as in ham fisted, as in amateurish or unskilled.

See the Wikipedia entry for more info https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amateur_radio

As per the linked wikipedia article.. it used to mean that (as a pejorative term coming from professional wired telegraphy in the 19th century). From the article ".. by the mid-20th century it had lost its pejorative meaning." But yes, it's not an acronym.
It can still mean ham as in ham fisted while not being pejorative.