...You can totally listen in to HAMs using RTL-SDR. 10m, 6m, 2m, 1.25m, 70cm, 33cm, and 23cm all fall within the ranges mentioned.
As much as the HAM radio is traditionally an HF affair, the easiest to obtain licence (Technician class) actually pretty much only allows for VHF and UHF transmission. Not only that, but even among Generals and Extras, 10, 6, and 2 are very popular, especially for local communication (usually through a repeater), whereas HF is more commonly used for DXing.
You can even listen in to APRS, which is message stream that carries a lot of interesting data (mostly GPS stuff, but you'll catch a few text, email, or general messages through it every once in a while).
Yes that's about right. For technician's 2 meters and 70cm are by far the most popular. Just tune into a local repeater using a $50 handheld and you can chat all day. You can also use echolink and IRLP to chat world-wide via your local repeater or even connect to a repeater from your smartphone or PC.
As much as the HAM radio is traditionally an HF affair, the easiest to obtain licence (Technician class) actually pretty much only allows for VHF and UHF transmission. Not only that, but even among Generals and Extras, 10, 6, and 2 are very popular, especially for local communication (usually through a repeater), whereas HF is more commonly used for DXing.
You can even listen in to APRS, which is message stream that carries a lot of interesting data (mostly GPS stuff, but you'll catch a few text, email, or general messages through it every once in a while).