An International Radio Station in Your Basement

Some folks may remember being able to talk to astronauts in the space station from school. Others maybe knew someone with an international ham radio setup in the basement.

What you didn't know is that you can still do that (minus astronauts) for about $15 for the license and starting at $90 for the handheld style of ham radio or cheaper if you hit an amateur radio flea market like the one I went to this morning in South Milwaukee (with roots in the military, these ham things start at the crack of dawn).

But why now, what else does it do, and how does it work, you may ask?

I just found out that parades, bike races, marathons are being managed by understated folks with ham radios. The kind of guy that may not want to tell you his last name, but who has an internationally recognized call sign that ties to his home address at qrz.com. 

It makes sense — routes are long, and walkie-talkies only reach so far. Cell phones do not have an open line and cannot broadcast. However, a ham operator at a route juncture can signal others about conditions and race details.

Here it is in Federal Communications Commission techno speak:

“During events such as bike-a-thons, marathons, and parades, tactical call signs are often more useful than regular call signs. 'Milemarker One' and 'Water Point One' are more descriptive in these situations. Remember that all stations must still ID with their FCC call signs every 10 minutes. The repeater's call sign and group's name are normally used by the Net Control Station when used in this manner. For example, 'this is Net Control station WW4VA for the Stafford County Amateur Radio Association operating in support of the Parkridge Elementary 5K Run.'"

Those same operators can also tackle bigger jobs, too. There is a volunteer nexus that includes, of course, volunteering during catastrophes. It's called Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters or VOADS. When networks go down, this is the most trusted form of communication there is.

Jeff, at N9EDQ, is just such a guy. He wouldn’t give me his last name. He works at the nation’s largest amateur radio supply store here in Milwaukee, called AES, Amateur Electronic Supply. They have it all. But his home address is in the ham radio database at www.qrz.com, and he has QSL (call sign) cards from all over the world.

There is a ham flea market happening this morning in South Milwaukee. Bill Hindin, Shorewood High School graduate, aka W2BH, is there with friend Bob Dizak, N9VGH. One shorter letter puts Hindin in a higher rank of ham. The two were 11-years-old when they got into it here in Shorewood (Dizak is a Whitefish Bay High School graduate).

“The thought of talking all over the world from my bedroom was pretty neat as this was long before computers," Hindin said. "We had an older ham who was our mentor, but we didn't do it then because you had to learn Morse code. So we did CB instead.”

The two decided to take the plunge to ham in 1996, and both learned the required Morse code that separates the unlicensed CB user from the ham radio licensed operators (among a few other things).

Why is Bill a higher order than Bob? He is also a volunteer examiner and can give the test for ham radio. He has also been active in emergency communications in New York City and was active during 9/11. He's a professional entertainer and pianist. Radio has been a lifelong hobby for him, especially since 1996, and he's proved his chops in that realm as well.

Nowadays, a newbie is lucky. To start off, you need an "old ham" to get started. You can click on this link on the “getting started” page of the National Association for Amateur Radio.

You'll need a license to operate your own call sign, which is a worldwide address for you and you only. No sponsorships, marketing, PAC money, or other sources can affect your call number. You have to pass a 35-question, multiple-choice test. Registration is about $15 and lasts 10 years, though your call sign is good for life. According to Jeff, there are about 500,000 licensed ham operators in the country. You get the ability to make up your own QLS cards to send all over the world if another operator asks for one. It's a bit of ham culture that remains exciting to this day. Receiving international mail as a kid still gives parents and siblings a bit of amazement.

There is a Milwaukee Radio Amateurs Club at www.w9rh.org if you want to find other, real people doing ham.

According to Jeff, Walter Kronkite, apparently pursuing the reporting of Grenada via ham when the airwaves were blocked, had to stop and get his ham radio license before being allowed on the airwaves. The FCC is serious about monitoring the accuracy and integrity of ham radio.

When things aren’t merry in Mayberry, the same operators can make a world of difference.

With a ham radio license, you can start communicating with the world. How does it work? Check the site, they'll tell you everything. Essentially, when you start out, you can send a CQ — send out a “who’s out there.”

And people respond.

One guy from Japan last week caught Jeff's handle, and told him he was seeking to communicate with every county in the US. He sent his card. And got a packet of neat things from Japan, including the guy's QSL card in return.

When normal operations are suspended, emergency areas need ham-licensed operators as volunteers.

"They're the hardest to find but the ones they need the most," beamed Jeff from AES.

Mississippi needed ham people because communication was defunct — ham was the only way to transmit the news on the ground.

And, unlike Google, ham can’t scramble messages or suspend service based on content.

If you're interested, check out the site, it is well acclimated for surfing.

"Get your stuff from a flea market for $20 you can get a setup that will instantly open up the world," Jeff said. 

The store also has maps of call signs by country and region, and other charts that are useful to start getting a "handle" on this interesting form of communication.