HAM Night at Heartland Brodcasting
Zolfo Springs, FL (November 16) - Members of the Desoto Amateur Radio Club and Hardee County Amateur Radio Group conducted a rare joint monthly meeting on 17 November 2009 at the studios of WZZS 106.9 The Bull and 105.3 LaZeta, located on the Desoto/Hardee county line. Following the business meeting, the attendees were treated to doughnuts and soda, along with a complete tour of the facilities, including the studios for both stations, and the co-located Bull 106.9 transmitter site. Amateur radio is more than a bunch of people playing with something resembling “CB” sets. These people are all licensed following the passing of a Federal exam containing both technical information as well as pertinent rules of the Federal Communications Commission. To compare Amateur radio operators (also called “HAMS”) to “CB” or Citizens Band is common but completely untrue. CB operators require no training, need no special technical abilities, and require no special licensing today, and are limited to only 5 watts of power, and generally have very short range of communications. HAMS, however, require a license to operate, and advanced licenses carry significant skill requirements of transmitter and antenna theory which require many hours of study to master. Even the minimum, or Novice license, requires a certain level of technical knowledge of transmitters, receivers and antennas, plus, of course, FCC rules. Some HAM frequencies can communicate throughout the world. While most consider Amateur Radio a hobby, in special times of need, these people perform an invaluable service to society. For instance, during natural disasters such as hurricanes or earthquakes, major flooding or in other instances where the normal communications infrastructure is not functioning, HAMS come to the rescue with their communications equipment and set up temporary facilities to restore emergency communications quickly. They may operate with voice, data, or Morse Code. Locations such as law enforcement offices, Emergency Operations Centers, Red Cross Shelters and hospitals are a few examples where a temporary emergency facility would be installed. In some cases, like the EOC, equipment may be installed permanently. Some people may have heard of something called “Field Day”. It often receives coverage in newspapers. These are held annually throughout the country, sponsored by many local amateur radio organizations. Field Day (which is usually a long weekend) is actually a rehearsal for an emergency communications setup which replicates what might be needed in a major disaster. Hams from the area come together and pool their equipment and resources. There are rules including that all power must be generated by portable generators (just like you would have to in an emergency). They rig towers and antennas on the spot, set up equipment and start making contacts around the country and around the world. This is called “contesting”. These HAMS compete with themselves and other field day exercises to see who can contact the most and the farthest HAMS. It is not unusual to contact amateur radio operators in South America, Europe, or Asia during these operations. Many of the people involved with Field Day are members of RACES which is Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services, and to be a member you receive special certification from local law enforcement agencies, typically a city or county government. A relatively recent example of RACES deployment would be Hurricane Charley in 2004. Remember that because of the long range of communications, HAMS can also help with disasters in other countries by relaying information for relief efforts. If you have an interest in Amateur Radio, please contact one of these local organizations, or an Amateur Radio group near you. The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) is a good place for additional information. You will find HAMS are not just into radio, but transmit data, television video, and engage in satellite communications as well. There have been HAMS on the International Space Station who communicate with other amateur radio operators world-wide. HAMS are all ages, from all walks of life, and are both male and female. HAMS are people with disabilities, or famous people. Some famous people who were active include Senator Barry Goldwater, and Walter Cronkite. The meeting was hosted by Hal Kneller, President of WZZS/WZSP who’s Amateur Radio call sign is KD4RLX, and by station sales representative Jack Mihall - K4KKW. Amateur radio operators are assigned call signs by the FCC, just as are radio and television stations. HAMs typically end their conversation (or contact as it’s called) with a friendly 73 which is a respectful closing, and is said to originate back in the early days of Morse Code operations in the 1800s, and literally meant “my love to you”. It morphed to be a friendly word of fraternalism over the years, a respectful “good bye”. So I say to you – 73. Hal Kneller – KD4RLX
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