By MELINDA J. OVERSTREET
for Glasgow News 1
The Mammoth Cave Amateur Radio Club, call sign KY4X, is gearing up to participate in a worldwide-challenge event this weekend, and those who are curious about ham radio operations are welcome to check out the 24-hour activity.
The local group takes part in the American Radio Relay League Field Day annually on the last weekend in June from American Legion Park – the shelter in the far back corner at the western tip of the property, where it maintains a fixed antenna, but it will probably use some portable antennas as well to test them and their emergency capabilities and see how the design does.
ARRL, the national association for amateur radio, is the sponsor/organizer in the United States, but other nations have their own organizations, said Charlie O’Neal, a life member of the Mammoth Cave club. He is ARRL section manager for Kentucky.
The international event begins at noon local time Saturday and continues through the night, concluding at noon Sunday, with club members taking shifts around the clock, but the local club may wrap up earlier Sunday, said Charlie O’Neal, a club member.
“We encourage people that are not hams to stop by and see what we do and to see if they might be interested,” he said.
The challenge part is to gather points – mostly by the number of contacts made with other amateur radio operators from around the globe. Other activities such as having a public information table set up to inform anyone who may want to learn more can earn them bonus points, having visits from elected and other public officials, O’Neal said. Another points-getter is having a get-on-the-air station, where a licensed operator allows a visitor to the event to use their microphone and try to make a contact.
The club has its own portable solar panel that it will use to power the radio equipment during the event; it also charges batteries so they have power overnight.
Each participating entity – an individual, club or contest station – operates within one of various levels and categories.
O’Neal said one of the best parts of being part of such an organization and activity is meeting and getting know people from a wide variety of backgrounds, both in person through the local club and over the air waves.
When speaking with someone in another part of the world, a language barrier can be an obstacle that can’t be overcome.
“A large percentage of foreign amateur radio operators have learned enough English that they can communicate,” he said – at least about radios.
With a digital system, an email can be typed in via a keyboard and that information is transmitted over the air. Such options can also provide translation as the conversation goes along.
“So, ham radio is an old skill, but it has lots of new technologies, and that’s what attracts the kids to ham radio,” O’Neal said.
What’s the difference?
Amateur radio is a separate service licensed by the Federal Communications Commission that operates at frequencies unique to this service, and that’s what makes this different from using citizens band, or CB, radios, for example, O’Neal said. The frequencies where repeaters are frequently used are in the 144 to 148 megahertz range and at 440 – plus or minus 10 – MHz.
The Mammoth Cave club has two repeaters on towers east of Glasgow, and the frequencies it uses are 146.940 and 444.925, he said.
A license, which requires a test, is required to be an amateur radio operator. Three levels of licensure can be achieved – technician, the most basic, general and extra, said O’Neal, who’s been interested in radio devices since he was about 8 years old, when his dad brought home a CB radio, and who, along with his brother, got his amateur radio operator license about 30 years ago.
Local club
The Mammoth Cave club’s membership are mostly Barren County residents, but some are from Warren, Hart and Green counties as well, O’Neal said, adding that roughly 65 people on the rolls as members, with about half of those being routinely active with the group.
Each evening at 8, the club has what is called a net – essentially an over-the-airwaves meetup. The nightly net serves multiple purposes. It’s an opportunity to test their equipment; an opportunity to make announcements, such as information about the upcoming Field Day, or pass along messages via the national traffic system; and an opportunity to see how many check-ins they can get from other operators. O’Neal said the club typically gets an average of 25 each time.
“This is one of the few nets in the state that runs every single night,” he said.
On the third Tuesday of each month, the group has its regular meetings at 7 p.m. on the ground floor of Glasgow City Hall, which is its normal base of operations.
And it participates in annual events like Field Day and Hamfest, which is in August, as well.
He said this particular club also likes to enjoy meals together whenever an opportunity presents itself, like the potluck meal that will take place early Saturday evening.
Emergency role
When a storm, tornado or other circumstance wipes out other types of communications, amateur radio operators can help relay information through the national traffic system. For example, if someone can’t reach a family member in an emergency because phone lines or cellular services are down, a message can be given to an amateur radio operator who can transmit it to another one who’s in the vicinity of the person who needs to be contacted, who would then do what they can to verify whether the person’s OK or let them know what the originator of the message needs to tell them and then contact the operator who passed along the message to relay it. It can also help emergency agencies communicate, such as sending emails, when other options may not be available.
LEARN MORE
Mammoth Cave Amateur Radio Club
— Public group page on Facebook
— Website
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