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Ham Radio - An Enjoyable Hobby for All Ages!

Ed Gernant sits in front of his ham radio system.

April 12 , 2007

Amateur radio, also known as ham radio, can be described as a unique mix of fun, public service, and convenience that is available to persons in all walks of life and enjoyed by most as a hobby. Ed Gernant, a resident of RidgeCrest Court at RiverWoods Senior Living Community in Lewisburg, has been a ham radio enthusiast since 1946 and has made contact with six continents, all 50 states, and 80 countries thus far. His call letters are W20SB.

At 16 years of age, Ed joined the Merchant Marine and wanted to be a radio operator, so he got his FCC (Federal Communications Commission) license in order to operate the radio on board his ship using Morse code. After the military, Ed became an electrical engineer for the Navy as a result of his interest in radio operation, and traveled the world working on sonar projects. He retired after 25 years with the Navy and now enjoys ham radio solely as a hobby.

Ed’s radio equipment consists of a small antenna, an antenna tuner, two ‘transceivers,’ which are a combination of transmitters and receivers, and Morse code keys. Approximately one watt of power is produced by his system that he purchased for about $800, and he mainly communicates with others by Morse code, since voice communication on a low-wattage radio is not as efficient.

The appeal of ham radio, according to the American Radio Relay League (ARRL - www.arrl.org), is the ability to “communicate across the country, around the globe, or even with astronauts on space missions. Those with a competitive streak enjoy “DX contests,” where the object is to see how many hams in distant locations they can contact.” The FCC also uses ham radio hobbyists as their own pool of ‘experts’ who could provide radio backup during emergencies. Since there are approximately 2,000 Radio Clubs across the country, many enjoy making new friends over the air. The ARRL, founded in 1914, is the primary source of information about what is going on in the ham world, such as books, news, support, and information for individuals and clubs, special operating events, continuing education classes, and other member benefits. Approximately 150,000 members belong to the ARRL.

“I think ham radio is a great hobby for young people because they could talk to people all over the world for free. And, if one day they would like to travel, they might even be able to meet the people they met over the radio in person,” Ed commented.

For someone interested in getting involved in ham radio, it usually costs less than $40 to purchase the basic study material needed for passing the FCC test and getting an initial license. A ‘beginner’ radio costs about $200; more complicated systems could cost anywhere from $1000 to $1500 for the more serious enthusiast. For more information on ham radio or how to get started in his hobby, please visit www.arrl.org.