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Radio operators ‘ham’ it up
By Bob Jackson
CANFIELD
The Hartzlers are hams, and proud of it.
That’s hams, as in amateur-radio operators, and their involvement spans three generations, going back nearly 60 years.
“I grew up with it,” said Dave Hartzler, 45, of Springfield. His father, Jim Hartzler, 74, began doing amateur radio work in 1957, and Dave’s 11-year-old son, Noah, also recently has gotten involved.
All three are participating in the Mahoning Valley Amateur Radio Association’s 24-hour Field Day at Mill Creek MetroParks Farm, just across from Canfield Fairgrounds on state Route 46. The event began at 2 p.m. Saturday and will conclude this afternoon.
Wes Boyd of Girard, club president, said the event has been conducted annually since the late 1930s. It’s a chance for amateur radio operators, also known as hams, to set up and test their equipment and skills under simulated emergency conditions. It’s also an opportunity for the public to come out and watch and learn about their work, said Boyd, 70.
“We just grab whatever equipment we can, we bring it out here and set it up,” said Boyd, noting that similar drills were taking place simultaneously all across the United States and Canada. Locally, drills took place at Elser Airport in Beaver Township and at Austintown Township Park, he said.
Boyd said that in cases of emergencies and natural disasters such as earthquakes, fires, storms or tornadoes, electricity often is among the first things to go, taking with it telephone, TV and cable service. Loss of those services takes away vital communication abilities.
That’s where the hams come in, racing to the scene and setting up communication services for local, state and federal authorities as needed.
“We never self-deploy,” Boyd said. “We only go out when we’re called on by the authorities. And when they call, we have to be ready.”
Jim Hartzler said he got interested in ham radio as a high-school student, through a teacher who taught him about electronics.
“My dad owned a radio repair shop back then,” he said. “He wasn’t involved in ham radio, but when I got interested in electronics, he encouraged me. It’s been a great hobby.”
He said it was his ham- radio background that led to his career as a broadcast engineer in local radio, which he did for some 45 years.
Likewise, Dave Hartzler’s interest in ham radio came from watching his dad over the years, and wanting to learn the skills himself. He’s been involved for the past 14 years.
Noah, who will enter seventh grade in Springfield schools in the fall, said he’s trying to obtain his license so he also can be a ham-radio operator.
Jim Hartzler, who lives near Columbus, said he has been emergency coordinator for several Ohio counties over the years and has responded to countless emergencies.
Even though they’re volunteers, amateur-radio operators have to be trained and certified through the Federal Communications Commission. They’re tested on things such as technical knowledge of their equipment, and FCC rules and regulations.
Boyd said he’s begun to see more young people taking an interest in ham radio, which he attributed to the fact that robotics and other new technology are coming into play.
He said operators often set up solar panels to generate electricity to power their equipment, which includes laptop computers. Those come in handy when field operators are trying to relay medical information about an injured person who needs medication.
“Some of the names of those prescriptions are awfully long and complicated,” and can be difficult to describe over voice radio. Instead, they can have an on-site doctor enter the information into a form on the computer, and send it digitally, which helps eliminate mistakes.