BECOME AN AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR
Free online classes prepare people for FCC licensing exam
Amateur radio has been around for more than 100 years and, in this day of cell phones, computers and other high-tech devices, ham radio, as it is also known, continues to play an important role in the world of communication.
“In an emergency when normal communication links are down, hams with stations operating with off-grid backup power sources can serve as a communication resource,” said longtime amateur radio operator Don Campbell (call sign KE6HEC).
“Amateur radio,” he said, “is a component of most emergency action plans and ham equipment is installed in Humboldt County Office of Education schools, fire departments, the Humboldt County Emergency Operations Center, Humboldt State University and Caltrans.”
Jaye Inabnit (KE6SLS), an
avid ham operator and past president of the Humboldt Amateur Radio Club, said, “Hams around Humboldt County and across the USA communicate without the need for electrical grid. Be it a quick call to advise of our situation or full email and
pictures, hams can and do this every day without our grid or cell phones.”
Ham radio operators also provide communication support for community events such as parades, races and bike rides, take part in “contesting,” which involves
attempting to make as many contacts as possible within a set time frame, and are involved in many other activities, too.
Local ham radio operator Cliff Vancott (KN6CEJ) said, “We coordinate our local training sessions. We build a network of communicators via scheduled nets now, so that when a disaster hits, we already know who and how to reach out. By preparing in advance, we are better situated to respond to immediate needs more rapidly.
“We also have fun,” Vancott noted. “Contests, field days, swap meets, weekly lunches, monthly meetings, etc., all build a social structure across which many lifelong friendships are built. Boy Scouts have a radio merit badge. Many colleges have radio clubs. It’s not all work and no play.”
Inabnit said, “I’ve been en
joying making voice contacts with the International Space Station … and some of our newer satellites in orbit. I also have fun sending and receiving from hams around the planet. Finally, I really enjoy just chatting with my friends from Arizona to Montana in the evenings. It’s like having hundreds of your best friends over all at the same time.”
In March, the Humboldt Amateur Radio Club will offer a free class to help prepare people for the Federal Communications Commission’s Amateur Radio Technician Class license examination on May 15.
Technician Class is the entry-level license for amateur radio, said Campbell. Because of the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis, the class will be conducted via Zoom, meeting for 10 consecutive Mondays from 7 to 9 p.m. beginning March 8. Everyone is welcome.
“All ages can and do participate. There is no age requirement to obtain a license,” Campbell said. “That said, in spite of ongoing efforts to bring younger people into the hobby, the age demographic is trending older.”
The class will introduce radio and electronic fundamentals, tips on operating station equipment, procedures for communicating with other hams, license and operating regulations and radio safety. Students are encouraged to purchase the textbook used for class. “ARRL Ham Radio License Manual 4th Edition” is available from the American
Radio Relay League at www.arrl.org. The cost is $29.95 plus shipping for soft cover or $32.95 plus shipping for spiral bound.
Those attending class will also get tips for setting up their own ham radio operating station — which can vary greatly depending on each operator’s needs.
“By the time a student has completed an initial course, such as the upcoming tech class, they have the fundamental understanding to set up a radio shack equal to their wants,” Vancott said. “Some simply work with a simple handheld transmitter … looking similar to a traditional walkie talkie but with significantly longer range, broader spectrum of frequencies and much larger collection of features. Others set up ‘comm shacks’ … consisting of entire rooms of radios and amps and tuners and (more).
“It’s also important to note that the experienced people are very willing to help. … Experienced radio operators frequently mentor new members with advice
and guidance. You’re never on your own, unless you want to be,” he said.
Amateur radio operator Sherry Lisby (KM6YRQ), who serves on the Humboldt Bay Fire Community Emergency Response Team, said, “In my case, I got on the air with a simple handheld. … My first one cost $70. … That’s all I needed to get on the air the first time and is a great way for someone to get on the air and see if they want to invest more money in more equipment, etc. I still don’t have a permanent setup. … I’d love to eventually get more equipment and set up a more permanent station to participate in even more ham radio contests and activities, as well as make contacts further away.”
Currently, there are three amateur radio clubs in Humboldt County — the Redwood Amateur Radio Club in Fortuna, Southern Humboldt Amateur Radio Club in Garberville and the Humboldt Amateur Radio Club.
“Additionally, the Far West Repeater Association, with 68 members,
maintains a linked system of four repeaters providing countywide coverage,” Campbell said.
The Humboldt Amateur Radio Club — founded in 1947 — has 45 members who meet monthly right now over the air due to the pandemic. In addition to a host of other activities, the club annually sponsors two licensing classes, said Campbell who was first intrigued by the communications field years ago.
“I was interested in shortwave listening as a youth in the early ’60s and pursued licensure at that time, but it proved to be a daunting task,” he said. “At that time, one had to travel to a Federal Communications Commission office — San Francisco being the closest — and learning Morse Code was a requirement. In the mid-’80s the FCC delegated testing to the amateur community so testing could be done locally, an entry-level license class was created and, eventually, Morse Code was no longer required, all
of which contributed to a mini-boom of radio amateurs. In 1993, not long after the 1992 earthquakes, a friend and his wife suggested that my wife and I, along with another couple, take a licensing class that was being offered by HARC, and that was all it took — my youthful dream was realized.”
Vancott got involved with amateur radio after taking a Humboldt Amateur Radio Club Technician Class exam training session like the one coming up in March.
“I’m the team leader for the Mckinleyville CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) and wanted to expand my skill set and also be able to communicate farther, more dependably and more self-sufficiently in time of crisis,” he said. “I’ve since found the HARC to be a wonderful collection of like-minded people pursuing many common goals.”
Inabnit’s interest in the field started in the early
1990s when he purchased an RV to camp in the mountains.
“I wanted to buy one of the new cell phones in case of roadside emergency, but learned those phones don’t work in the mountains. ‘What you need is ham radio,’ a guy at a Radio Shack store told me. That sparked my interest then. Now, I can’t imagine not being a ham operator,” he said. “I dropped into a HARC radio class and, about two months later, I earned my first Technician Class FCC license. Of course, ham radio came with us on every RV trip we made, sometimes surprising us when we would arrive at a distant location and find several hams waiting to meet us in person.”
Lisby said, “I’d always been interested in ham radio since I grew up using CB radios and knew ham was out there, too, but I hadn’t really had any exposure to ham radio. When I was going through my training for CERT, there were several instructors and students there that were ham radio operators. That piqued my interest again. After I completed my training and joined the Humboldt Bay Fire team, Don announced an upcoming class for the technician license. I signed up immediately and have gone on to get the highest of the three licenses, the amateur extra.”
For more information about the Amateur Radio Technician Class license examination preparation class, contact Don Campbell at ke6hec@arrl.net or 707-834-0042.
For more information about ham radio in Humboldt County, visit https:// www.humboldt-arc.org.