It may come as a surprise to some that amateur radio has not been supplanted by newer forms of technology such as the internet and cell phones.
“Amateur Radio [ham radio] is a popular hobby and service that brings people, electronics and communication together,” the National Association of Amateur Radio website states. “People use ham radio to talk across town, around the world, or even into space, all without the internet or cell phones. It’s fun, social, educational, and can be a lifeline during times of need.”
Sean Michael, a fireman and medic with the Grassy Knob Volunteer Fire Department, said he and his wife, Natalie Rolph, first got into amateur radio for practical reasons. After retiring, they were bluewater sailors and found amateur radio the best way to get news and weather reports at sea.
There are no cell or internet communications in most ocean areas, and satellite phone has its drawbacks in that it is a direct communication between you and the person you are calling – you aren’t able to hear other people weigh in.
“The upside of radio is that other people are listening,” Michael said. “We used to subscribe to a weather and routing information update when we were in the Bahamas. But we found out that if we wanted to go somewhere and there was bad weather in the forecast, people on the radio would tell us where to go and how to get around bad weather.”
The radio also made it possible for friends back home to check in on the couple about where they were and what they were doing. In that case, their signals were bouncing off the ionosphere covering several thousand miles at the speed of light.
After moving off the sailboat into their home in Grassy Knob, Michael stayed involved. In addition to the radio being practical for emergency communications regarding his work with the fire department, he finds it is interesting communicating with people near and far. It is great for social engagement.
“Amateur radio is very much alive and well in Northwest Arkansas,” Michael said. “Our local Little Switzerland Amateur Radio Club (littleswitzerlandarc.org/) probably has one of the longest running daily nets. We have been getting the network in our region for 43 years non-stop. We get together at 7 a.m. each morning just to chit chat. We don’t get into heavy duty technical discussions. Usually, we have 10 or 12 people participating at a time. Our total membership is 25.”
The net is located 146.835 with a tone of 100 on a two-meter band.
The group gets together once a month for a social gathering. And every Thursday members get on a different network for discussions on social or radio themes. The group is registered with the state and has a repeater at Holiday Island that allows them to broaden their reach to Shell Knob, Green Forest, Bella Vista and Harrison.
“You can reach a large radius with fairly low tech and inexpensive radios,” Michael said. “One thing that keeps us all interested is in the event of an emergency, the amateur radio relay league can spring into action,” Michael said. “We can relay information to the emergency responders about those who need help. It allows us to communicate with areas that have non-functioning communication. An example is the Joplin tornado twelve years ago. Ham radio operators worked in connection with other emergency providers when other communications were down. All emergency coordinators in the country are set up on different shortwave radio signals.”
Cell towers and telephone and data lines can be taken down by storm. The more layers of technology, the more that can go wrong.
“Your cell phone is nothing more than a radio, but its signal has to go to a cell tower and through a computer and often a satellite,” Michael said. “With our radio to radio or ratio to repeater to radio, there is not much that can go wrong in an emergency.”
There are other amateur radio clubs in Shell Knob, Green Forest, Bella Vista and Harrison. They all have repeaters and are all linked over computers. Michael said they even have radio over the internet. He said another advantage is that it is an inexpensive hobby to get involved with. A license and basic radio can be purchased for about $200. After that, go as big and expensive as you want. You can stay local or talk to people all over the world.
He recommends the website bellavistaradioclub.org for people interested in radio. In addition to information about licensing, new members are also assigned a “homer,” a mentor who will help you break into the hobby.
Technology for amateur radio is diverse and always evolving. Some operators will sit down with a key and tap out Morse Code or talk to each other radio-to-radio. Michael’s fireman’s radio allows signals to go through concrete walls. You can also talk to people all over the world on shortwave radio. A member of the local club recently was able to talk to someone from his 95th country.
“We are also able to send data, text, amateur TV and emails over radio,” Michael said. “It is cutting-edge technology. A lot of guys really into will sit in their garage or shack and come up with new things you can do. They might have it hooked up to two or three computers. It continues to evolve as fast as all-over technology these days. A lot of our hams are techno nerds. It is amazing what we can do just to communicate.”
About 40 percent of the local members are women.
There is a whole set of frequencies they can use and three levels of licensing: technician, general, or extra level. Technicians are somewhat limited to what frequencies and power can be used.
“I have a general’s license and that lets me talk to people all over the world and put out a significant amount of power if I want to,” Michael said. “Extra levels give extreme latitude in the things you can do and operate legally all over the world.”
The Little Switzerland’s repeater is good for 50 to 60 miles. But Michael has an app on his cell phone called EchoLink that allows licensed hams to combine cell phone technology with radio technology. In 2022 when they traveled to Ireland, Greece and Mexico, he was still able to talk to his local ham group at 7 a.m.
“That is where you combine technologies,” Michael said. “There are thousands of groups across the world connected to this EchoLink. It is amazing the conversations you get into.”