Dusk is arriving, and as you hike, the sky is becoming painted with hues of gold and pink as the sun fades behind the horizon. Suddenly, your sense of direction is gone. You’re lost or worse yet, have become injured and unable to walk back to the trailhead on your own. It’s time to pull out that cell phone, right? Wrong. There is no signal, or the phone is dead and there is no way to contact anyone for help – unless you have been trained as a “ham” radio operator.
Amateur Radio, also known as ham radio, is a popular hobby and licensed radio service that enables people to communicate all around the world and even through outer space without the use of the internet or cell phones, but instead, by using your own equipment and a radio frequency spectrum.
On a lighter side, imagine you are in the comfort of your own home and are listening to astronomy reports from the North Pole or visiting with friends in New Zealand as if they were sitting right next to you. These dialogues are not over a cell phone with outrageous roaming fees attached, but instead, the communication is through ham radio with no fees.
Both these scenarios may seem extraordinary, but for members of the Walker County Amateur Radio Group in Huntsville, Texas, they have been and can be a reality. After sitting down with some WCARG members, their passion and enthusiasm for amateur radio and the club itself became evident. Stories with laughter, joy, and the desire to help others filled the conversations.
While club members have found documents dating back to the 1950s, WCARG Vice President Rene Roman said the club has been truly active for more than 20 years. With around 70 members, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit club meets weekly for breakfast. They also have a regular meeting on the second Saturday of each month at 9:00 a.m. at the Walker County Storm Shelter in Huntsville. For those who can’t make a meeting in person, the club meets on the air each Monday at 7:00 p.m. at on-call station 146.860 DCS 631 negative offset.
Currently, there are over 700,000 ham operators in the United States. Those members are not just military veterans and old men reliving war stories over the radio; they include women and even the younger generation. In fact, the Huntsville Club has 10 and 12-year-old members. There is no age limit on ham radio operators, as long as they take the test and pass.
“We help people learn how to use their radios or even phone app and practice with them,” explained Roman. “We are open to anyone who is interested or wants to learn about the hobby.” Roman explains that it is a broad hobby, with many avenues, but for him, the human mind amazes him most. “What I enjoy most is the sheer inventiveness of humans,” comments Roman. “Some ‘hams’ are able to bounce signals off the moon, access the International Space Station, or serve the National Weather Service as weather spotters.” Roman even recalled seeing a ham radio made from a metal bed frame and crystals or barbed wire used as an antenna.
While some might imagine elaborate radios and equipment when they envision a ham radio setup, it is not always necessary. “It doesn’t take much to get into it,” said Laura McDonald, WCARG secretary, and ham operator since 2020. “You can get set up with an antenna and a handheld radio to talk to people in the club. You can find a good handheld for less than $100.”
Ham radio operators can also use their skills through various outlets, including an “Echo Link” app on their cell phones or “Winlink” for sending emails on computers independent of the internet.
Operation of amateur radio requires an amateur operator license granted from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the operation of ham radios does have some restrictions set by the FCC including no broadcasting (such as podcasts or music) is allowed. Everything on the ham radio is heard by anyone who tunes in.
Before receiving a license grant, you must pass an examination administered by a team of volunteer examiners that includes a series of questions, with a specified passing rate for each level. The three licensing levels for amateur radio are technician, general, and extra. On the technician level, ham radio operators are able to communicate with other local operators and club members. The general license has more bandwidths, and the technology is a little more sophisticated. It usually includes a single desktop unit at 100 watts and is about the size of an alarm clock radio. McDonald says she also recommends a tuner that helps align the radio frequency with the antenna. With each level, the radio operator’s bandwidth increases, allowing them to communicate with others near and far.
McDonald, who has an extra amateur license, has taken her handheld ham radio to New Zealand, and was able to talk to locals.
“It’s great when you’re traveling, because the other “hams” are so friendly, and I’ve met nothing but helpful people on it,” says McDonald. “When we were in New Zealand, there was a ferry situation with a long delay, and by using the ham radio and with help from the local operators, we were able to avoid it.”
Roman, who has an extra amateur license, talks about listening to reports from the Middle Atlantic–while Diane Roman visits with people from Alaska, Scotland, and Japan – all on the ham radio, from the comforts of their homes in Huntsville, Texas.
Diane Roman also has an extra amateur license and is the WCARG social director. “I just want to emphasize how much fun it is,” said McDonald. “We spend 99 percent of the time laughing and joking about silly mistakes as we’re learning about amateur radio. We are never bored and share great stories.”
McDonald does say one drawback is that it’s like fishing. “Since the amateur radio works off radio waves, it is affected by weather, solar storms, and other variables, so you don’t always know what you’re going to get,” explains McDonald. “You don’t always know where your radio contacts are going to come from. They can be pretty random at times. Sometimes you can’t get out of the U.S., and sometimes you can reach people in other countries.”
For McDonald and Diane, one of the most fascinating parts of amateur radio is its application in science and astronomy. “The radio waves we use are interlinked with the atmospheric condition,” says Diane. “Operators use it to give reports to the National Weather Service, chase hurricanes, and give updates–or you can even talk to astronauts in space.”
Along with the sheer joy of socialization and conversing with people around the world, for many, one of the big draws to amateur radio is being able to serve their communities in the event of emergencies.
“When Hurricanes Rita and Katrina hit, cell phones would not work, so the U.S. Navy was using ham radio operators to communicate; and, during 9/11 when cell phone towers were jammed, ham radio operators were used for communication. When the wildfires ravaged parts of Northern California, amateur ham radio operators responded at shelters and county radio centers; and, in the aftermath, helped one community develop a radio communication network,” explained Roman who was a member of the U.S. Army Reserve and an emergency preparedness liaison officer. “When natural events pose a threat to people’s ability to communicate with family, neighbors, and with responders, amateur radio addresses that threat.”
Diane says the club wants to be more involved with the community and teach people how to use the ham radios in the event of a disaster. “We want to help prepare them for if, or when, something does happen,” said Diane. “If I’m in an emergency somewhere, there is someone out there who can help me with ham radio. I want others to know how to do that also and be able to get help.”
For more information, visit. www.wcarg.org.
Postcards Magazine
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PO Box 690
Huntsville, TX 77342
