Radio operators sharpen skills for the day

It’s easy to imagine the American Radio Relay League’s Field Day isn’t just practice.

The small group fiddling with radios in Valleyford Park could be responding to a natural disaster – an earthquake, a storm, maybe even a zombie apocalypse.

But until that day comes, members of the Kamiak Butte Amateur Repeater Association kept their amateur radio skills sharp at the annual field day on Saturday. They joined more than 1,600 groups in the United States and Canada to make contact by radio.

If a disaster strikes and communication is impossible, KBARA club members are prepared to set up radio equipment and reach out to other amateur radio operators across the globe.

“The whole idea is in an emergency, we’re available to help out without requiring a source of power,” club member John Dempster said.

Dempster has been a certified amateur radio operator since 1964, when his neighbor noticed he and a friend had set up a wire intercom system across an alley. His neighbor helped him study for the license, and he’s been operating radios since.

On Saturday, Dempster tapped Morse code into the radio, listening for contacts. In just a few moments, he’d jotted down a call signal from the Sacramento Valley, another in Maine, then moved on to reach out to other operators across the country.

Wires snaked through the trees at the park, shot from a homemade potato gun to reach the top branches to serve as makeshift antennas. Operators sat at small tables just long enough to fit a few radios and a battery.

Amateur radio operators – often referred to as hams – don’t need much to communicate, said KBARA secretary Glen Ahlborn. If disaster strikes, they can set up almost anywhere to aid in emergency communication.

But it’s also an excuse to have fun while talking to people across the world, Ahlborn said. A close friend of Ahlborn’s is from Australia. The two started communicating through radio, giving him a way to learn about another culture.

“You get a chance for free to just sit down and (talk) with people,” he said.

Club member Kevin Albaugh sat with his radio, twisting the dial, looking for a signal.

“Kilo Seven Yankee Yankee,” he repeated into the radio, trying and failing to connect. The club’s call signal went unheard over the airwaves. Then suddenly, someone acknowledged him, welcoming him to the feed.

Albaugh earned his radio license in 1971, when his neighbors and uncle introduced him to the hobby. It was always a fun thing to do, he said.

Some ham radio clubs across the country were seeking to make the most connections, called scores, Albaugh said. But that’s not why he joined.

“Some people are in it to hit big scores,” he said. “I think we’re in it to have fun.”