Radio buffs ham it up
By SEAN BARRON
NEW SPRINGFIELD
Many amateur-radio operators enjoy the thrill of talking to one another all over the world, but their communications are often more than idle chatter.
Sometimes, the information they dispense can be lifesaving.
“We’re part of the response team for the National Weather Service,” noted Frank Sole of Youngstown, one of dozens of ham-radio operators who took part in the two-day National Association for Amateur Radio’s Field Day 2010 event that began Saturday at the Chapman farm, 12712 Unity Road.
The annual gathering, sponsored by the Mahoning Valley Amateur Radio Association, is open to the public. It wraps up at 2 p.m. today.
The event has given ham-radio operators an opportunity to demonstrate their emergency capabilities and showcase the latest in digital and satellite abilities, voice communications and Morse code. It’s also allowing people to talk to the operators and, among other things, learn more about amateur radio.
Sole recalled hearing over his radio that a tornado had touched down near Ravenna on May 31, 1985, and that Newton Falls and Niles were hit soon after. After the tragedy, he assisted with communications and helped the Red Cross and a homeless shelter in Niles, he said.
Sole, who described amateur-radio personnel as “minutemen of communications,” noted that such operators often are the first people to provide details about tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, wildfires and other disasters.
Communicating via Morse code with fellow operators in states throughout the South, Midwest and East Coast was Jim Hartzler, who received his first license in 1957 while in high school.
Hartzler, of New Springfield, used a computer and equipment that included a transceiver — it’s a receiver and transmitter — to communicate with people from as far away as Georgia. On Saturday, Hartzler said he expected to widen his reach to include people in California, for example, after sunset, when atmospheric conditions allow for longer-distance communications.
Hartzler said he continues to enjoy operating the controls of his equipment after a 40-year career as a broadcasting engineer that included being director of engineering for WKBN-AM 570.
“I still have my fingers in it but don’t have to go to work anymore,” he said with laughter. “It’s a fun hobby.”
All amateur-radio operators have their own call signs in much the same way TV and radio stations have specific call letters, noted Joe Vasko, chairman of the field-day event.
The gathering also is a contest in which operators earn points for those they contact. They also have opportunities to rack up bonus points, Vasko pointed out.
The main object is for participants to work as many stations on as many amateur bands as possible and to operate under challenging and abnormal conditions, he continued. An emphasis is on developing skills to face the challenges of emergency preparedness, he said.
The Mahoning Valley Amateur Radio Association, established in 1919, has roughly 70 members. MVARA also works with the county’s Emergency Management Agency and Skywarn, a weather warning system that uses public spotters in conjunction with the National Weather Service and community emergency agencies to alert the public to dangerous weather.