[NJARC] Nice AP Story on Ham Radio

[John Ruccolo]

It's unusual to see a newswire story on ham radio. Here's a nice example:

^Hospital has a ham radio station
^By DAVID A. FARRELL=
^The Picayune Item=
   PICAYUNE, Miss. (AP) _ Mention the term ``Ham radio operator''
to most people, and they will envision an old codger, puffing on a
pipe or cigar, sitting in his shed by the house with a set of
headphones on, talking to someone on the other side of the world,
with a massive antenna shooting up right beside his hobby shack.
   But did you know that Highland Community Hospital has a ham
radio station. So does the Pearl River County Hospital in
Poplarville. So does the Emergency Operations Centers in
Poplarville and Picayune. So does the Pearl River County Baptist
Association Shelter out from McNeill, and the fire stations.
   Why?
   It's because, says Larry Wagoner, when all other communication
systems go down in an emergency such as a hurricane, ham radio
operators are the last ones who are still ``talking to one
another.''
   As a matter of fact, the local Pearl River County Amateur Radio
Club, helped install the stations here.
   Wagoner, a ham radio enthusiast and club public relations
officer, says he first got interested in amateur radio as a young
lad of seven because a few member of his family urged him to start
looking into it.
   Later he read more about it and then ``took the plunge.'' He now
is the vice president of the county club, and the club just
recently held what is called a ``Ham Fest'' at the old National
Guard Armory at Poplarville.
   The club has about 34 members, with some members from Washington
and St. Tammany parishes in Louisiana and also from nearby Stone
County.
   At the fests, amateur radio operators get together and talk
about each others' ``rigs'' and vendors also show up hawking the
latest ham radio gadgets and communication gear.
   While the county club here just held their fest, and it won't be
until next December when the locals get together again, there are
other club fests planned nearby in Hammond in January and Slidell
in July.
   Used to be, it wasn't easy to become a ham radio operator. The
main obstacle was having to learn Morse Code (CW or continuous wave
for short), which was a stumbling block for many. Wagoner said that
in 2007 the Federal Communication Commission phased out that
requirement, and the licensed amateur operators shot up in numbers.
   ``I was one of the last of the coded generals. Right after I
qualified with the code, they did away with it,'' said Wagoner.
   Wagoner, who lives in the Henleyfield Community and on his day
job works for a private hospice company, says that as a ham radio
operator, he has talked to other enthusiasts in about 100 countries
and to residents in all 50 states.
   There are an estimated 6 million ham radio enthusiasts in the
world.
   ``Some of our guys have talked to persons in over 300 countries,
so what I have accomplished is not that big a deal,'' he said.
   Wagoner said that most people think that it is very expensive to
become a ham radio operator. ``They envision a big, expensive radio
tower outside their home, a big, powerful, high-priced radio, but
you can really get into it without a lot of expenses,'' he said.
   Wagoner said the local county-based club offers classes for
those interested in getting their license and also shows members
how to string an inexpensive antenna that will allow them to
communicate with the world just ``with a string of wire and some
insulators.''
   ``In fact, most guys prefer the inexpensive homemade antennas
and radios, as opposed to the manufactured varieties, although you
can get some deals there, too,'' he said.
   Wagoner says there are three levels of licenses one can qualify
under: tech, general and amateur extra.
   The basic tech license allows one to operate on most bands,
among them the most popular 2-meter band. The general license
allows an operator to get into bands that are used worldwide and
the amateur extra class license expands band usage even more, he
says.
   He said the local club offers a three-Saturday course to get
started and to earn a license.
   Wagoner said that most people don't realize that the amateur
bands occupy more space in the frequencies regulated by the FCC
than just about any other. Only the military occupies more space.
   Wagoner said some enthusiasts get into antique radioing, like
operating the old tube-type radios, called ``boat anchors.'' Says
Wagoner, ``Those guys say it ain't real radio if it don't glow.''
   Radios first operated using vacuum tubes that warmed up hot
enough for the wires inside the glass bulb to glow. Transistors
later replaced the old tubes.
   Ham radio can be traced back to the early 1900s when radio first
began. Amateurs have always blazed a trail in new uses of the
medium, and they do it as a hobby and not for money.
   Ham radio really took off here after Katrina when not only
government officials, but the general public, found out how
valuable amateurs were after all types of communications failed and
went down.
   ``They were called the 'unsung heroes' during and after the
storm,'' said Wagoner.
   Said Joe Spraggins, Harrison County's EOC director, ``If it
hadn't been for the amateur radio operators, we would not have had
communications with other agencies. . .ham radio saved the day.''
   Pearl River County Emergency Management Director Danny Manley
said that the local amateur operators are definitely necessary to
round out the readiness of the emergency system here that would go
into operation in case of a disaster.
   ``In case of a disaster that knocks everything out, they have a
network to communicate between the cities, the county and the
state. In addition, most of them are weather spotters, which is
another necessary capacity we need here during emergency
situations,'' said Manley.
   He said that the emergency management headquarters and offices
in Picayune and Poplarville are equipped with ham stations. ``They
set it up for us, all by themselves. They are a great asset for the
county,'' said Manley.
   AP-CS-01-10-10 0002EST