The 1930s may have been the Golden Age of radio, but for “hams,” amateur radio enthusiasts, connecting with people on frequency bands never gets old.
“You can sit down and you never know who you’re going to talk to or where they’re at,” said Tom Storer, who has been a radio amateur for the past 40 years.
Field Day, which takes place this weekend, is how people across the United States like Storer have shared their passion for radio with their communities every year since 1993. This will be the 85th Field Day organized by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL).
In Moscow, the Palouse Hills Amateur Radio Club (PHARC) will participate in Field Day 2107 between 11 a.m., June 24 and 11 a.m., June 25 at the Latah County Fairgrounds, south of the ice rink. The public is invited.
Participants not registered with the Federal Communications Commission can operate a radio with the supervision of a licensee.
“It’s always good to speak with other people and share our hobby,” said PHARC treasurer Eric Bechtel. “It’s actually more than a hobby, it’s a public service.”
Other than exposing communities to something new, Field Day also teaches participants “to operate in abnormal situations in less than optimal conditions,” according to the ARRL website. Bechtel said teams get extra points if they use an emergency power source like hydraulics or wind power. Knowing how to do this can be important during natural disasters.
“During Hurricane Katrina … the amateur radio community provided all the communications for that town for the first seven days,” Storer said.
Bechtel said participants will contact other radios on amateur frequency bands throughout the U.S., and maybe some in other countries.
Bechtel, who started working with amateur radios in the late 1970s as a high school student, said he has contacted all but five states and every continent except Antarctica.
“I have heard Antarctica, but I wasn’t able to work the guy,” he said.
Storer has connected with Antarctica as well as the International Space Station. He said the American astronauts at the station are all licensed radio amateurs.
“In their off-time they have a radio station set up as they go around the world,” he said.
Both Bechtel and Storer are Extra Class licensees. Extra Class is the highest level of amateur radio licensing, and the holder has more opportunities to make connections. Bechtel said with each level of licensing, amateur radio gets more exciting.
“But even as a technician you can have a lot of fun,” Bechtel said.
For those interested in amateur radio beyond Field Day, there are opportunities to get involved.
PHARC provides exams for licensure, which can be taken individually or all at once, Bechtel said. He said the fee for an exam period is $15, and while he has seen someone do all three exams in one sitting, it is more common to take them at different times.
One way to prepare for the exam is to attend club meetings, which PHARC holds at 7 p.m. the fourth Wednesday of every month at the American Legion Cabin in Moscow. Mingling usually begins around 6:30 p.m., Bechtel said. He said the club has around 50 club members listed, though only about a dozen are active.
“You can share techniques, you can learn new things, learn better ways to operate,” he said.
The University of Idaho and Washington State University also have clubs for people interested. Both clubs are active during the school year.
Nina Rydalch can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @NinaRobin7