Amateur radio’s heroes unsung
Published: August 21, 2007
Many times unheralded and unrecognized, ham radio operators become heroes during times of emergency, often when they are the only means of communication in and out of a disaster area.
“We’d like for people to realize that ham radio is not your grandfather’s radio anymore,” said Rod Kittleman, of Nixa, spokesman for the Southwest Missouri Amateur Radio League. “We use satellite and data technology, the Internet — all the new stuff of the day.”
Kittleman said he can connect to the Internet from his hand-held ham radio to someone on the other side of the world.
“We can also talk to the international space station in orbit and send TV pictures or video through the radio,” he said. “It’s come a long way.”
He said that after hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the U.S. Congressional Report stated that the only communication that worked during the disaster was through about 1,000 ham radio operators in the disaster area. There are about 30,000 hams nationwide.
“Ham radios have been brought to the forefront to be a part of Homeland Security,” Kittleman said.
Kristin Kubitschek, public relations director for Convoy of Hope, based in Springfield, agreed.
“Ham operators are often called upon during times of disaster because they have proved they can be relied upon to build a communications system from the ground up when all other communications systems and devices have failed.”
They are essential during disasters like January’s ice storm, tornadoes and hurricanes, she added.
Volunteer ham radio operator Dave Beckler, of Nixa, is one of the few who know Morse Code.
“The FCC has made it easier now,” he said. “There are fewer rules and regulations so you can get your ham license without knowing Morse Code. All you have to do now is take the test.”
Beckler said that he passed a message from President George Bush on to the mayor of New Orleans after Katrina.
Kittleman mentioned that during the ice storm, ham operators were the backup communication for Greene County Emergency Management — ready and standing by in case Greene County’s system failed.
No age limit
The Southwest Missouri Amateur Radio League encourages anyone who is interested to get involved. That includes young people, said Kittleman.
Emily Kerr, 10, and her father Jeff Kerr, of Springfield, are members of the Nixa amateur radio club. At age 9, Emily took the same test that adults must take to get a license.
She has her own call, as does every other operator, her father said.
“I’m on the first level now — technician,” Emily said. “I’m aiming for the second level, which is general.”
Jeff Kerr said, “She came to me and asked, ‘Daddy, what do I have to do to talk on the radio like you do?’”
She studied for about six months, took and passed the practice test with 90 percent, he recalled. She then took the written test online and passed with flying colors.
“After my dad got his radio, I started listening while he talked and asking questions,” Emily said. “It’s most interesting when he talks to people in Cuba or China or other countries.”
The Horace Mann Elementary fifth-grader admitted the farthest away she has talked to anyone was Illinois. “I like to talk on the radio because you get to know people from all over,” Emily said.
At club meetings, she said they receive information on the Nixa repeater and how it’s running.
She described a map that shows the most active transmitting areas and where a certain frequency is used most.
Her friends show an interest when they see the radio in her room, she said, but “most of them get kind of bored when I try to tell them about it.”
Emily said she knows of only two other girls her age who are into ham radio. One is 10-year-old Brooke Morrissey, of Nixa, who also has her license.
Skywarn network
Kittleman said that SKYWARN is a network of ham radio operators who spot severe thunderstorms and tornadoes and report back to the National Weather Service.
“This system is the one used throughout southwest Missouri for tornado tracking and severe weather communications,” Kittleman said.
Over the last year, the system had to be replaced at a cost of more than $30,000. Insurance helped, but it drained the club’s funds, Kittleman said.
Ham radio clubs
The public was recently able to get a sample of what the Amateur Radio League is all about. Clubs conducted their 75th annual field day — an event designed to practice emergency communications and check equipment to be ready in case of a disaster.
A part of the annual test involves building a communications tower from the ground up. Stations were located in Aurora, Ava, Willard, Nixa, Springfield and rural Christian County.
During the exercise, local members tried to contact as many ham operators around the world as possible, Kittleman said.
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