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By DAN GORDON
A ham radio might not be an exciting thing to
most persons, but to the ham operator it's a fantasy come true.
It allows the operator to be a modern day
adventurer without leaving his garage. The magic of far-off lands is
no further than the switch of a transmitter.
Feelings of power and creativity merge in the
operation of a ham radio, as the operator bounces radio beams off the
distant atmosphere and — hopefully - has them received in some exotic
land.
The operator is a true individualist, in the old
style.
He calls his radio room his "shack," and houses
it wherever he can — in the garage, the basement, an attic, or
anywhere he can find enough spare room.
Two operators recently interviewed said they
spend as much time as possible in front of their microphones.
Sometimes they explore, and other times they keep
dates with old friends For instances, every Sunday Reid Ross contacts
another ham operator from Half Moon Bay, Calif., while Clarence
Andersen talks almost every night with a group of Reno area friends,
some of whom he has never met
Many operators get a feeling of suspense each
time they go on the air. Perhaps a call from Russia or Europe will
blurt through the receiver. Ross recently received two calls from
Japan in one day.
He has reached lands as far away as New Zealand
and Scotland in his 24 years of operating.
Reception of these calls is largely a question of
chance because transmission is so dependent on weather.
The atmosphere effects how the radio waves are
going to rebound, Andersen said. The heavier the atmosphere, the
better the quality of the transmission.
The two operators were introduced to the ham
radio in oddly contrasting ways. Ross learned from his father, while
Andersen made his acquaintance through his son.
"I wanted to get my boy interested in it as
something that would keep him off of the streets," Andersen said.
After his son earned a license, Andersen himself became interested,
and later earned a license.
Andersen was president of the Nevada Amateur
Radio Association in 1973-1974. There is a strong camaraderie among
ham operators. "Everyone you talk to you address by the first name,"
Ross said. "It is like a fraternal lodge."
A call Ross received one day was from an operator
in Missouri who was calling to inquire about the health of George
Criteser, a former city supervisor and ham operator from Carson City.
The Missouri operator, it turned out, was one of many soldiers in the
Vietnam war who had relayed messages home through Criteser's ham set
Before even getting on the air waves though, the
ham operators must survive rigorous testing All must be licensed by
the Federal Communications Commission. There are four different
classes of license, all of which are earned through examination.
"It's a grind," said Ross "You have to have a
sincere interest in radio transmitting to become licensed "
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Ross said it takes about six months for a
beginner to learn the Morse code and radio theory, which are the two
subjects covered by the novice FCC test. This novice certificate
permits the operator to transmit over a ham radio — but only in Morse
code.
"The big breakthrough is passing the general
exam" which enables the operator to communicate verbally over the
radio, he said, but it also means another six months of study.
And there is still more to come.
The general license places certain restrictions
on the operator in the frequency and range of his radio
transmissions, and these can only be cleared by passing the advanced
and extra advanced tests.
"It usually takes two years for the novice to
achieve the extra advanced stage, "Ross said. Ross advises all
applicants for a license to study two hours every day, "or else you
will run out of gas.''
He teaches a class once a week on ham radio to a
group of aspirants who requested his help in passing the FCC
examinations.
His original class of 1969 has two graduates of
the advanced level.
His present class consists of "four who study
continuously, four sporadically and four who have dropped out. It's
tough," he said.
The course is too far advanced to accept
additional students though, Ross said.
Although much of this preparation is within the
field of electronics, Ross said a background or a natural aptitude for
the sciences is not required to pass the FCC examinations.
Despite the study required, a license is
worthwhile, Ross said.
Knowledge of a ham radio can be put to a
practical use as well as be a source of great enjoyment.
Ross is a good example He credits his ham radio
experience as the reason for his present employment as a
communications officer with Carson City.
He has taken advantage of his radio background
ever since he first received his license at the age of 20.
After being drafted into the Army, he was
assigned as a radio technician because of his ham radio credentials.
"The Army was a very educational experience
because of my duty as radio technician," Ross said.
Later, he became an electronics engineer and a
commercial radio operator "I got my commercial license with no
difficulty after my ham experience," he said. Then he worked for a
broadcast station in Winnemucca for four years
"I attribute all my success in these fields to my
ham experience," he said. "It is that simple."
Ross is not alone in his enthusiasm for amateur
radio. There are more than 275,000 licensed operators in the United
States.
And this does not include the short-range citizen
band operators who can be licensed just by paying a fee
However, even at a peak of expertise, the ham
operator must be wary. According to Ross, the radio set can begin to
dominate your life.
"For some it is not a hobby. It is a mania," he
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