Hamming it up

Eleanor Knox doesn't know Morse code — and in the new age of amateur radio operators, really doesn't need to know the rhythmic "dits" and "dahs" that so long defined the ham system.

Still, the Yuba City woman has found herself on the front lines of ham radio communication during a number of emergency events — the most recent being the 2008 wildfires in Butte County.

"I belonged to a animal rescue group, and we are part of rescuing and sheltering animals during disasters ... and we needed improved communications," said Knox, who has been active in ham radio for about four years.

She said during the fires, she and others set up their radio gear at a church to help coordinate rescue operations. Without the ham radio system, she said, that may not have been possible.

Now she is the co-director of Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES) in the Yuba-Sutter area, and is working with several colleagues with the hopes of developing a similar unit for the Colusa County Sheriff's Department.

"Historically ham radio has played a key role in emergency communications during times of disaster or emergency. Ham is often looked upon as the back up system of communications when all other traditional forms of communication go down," said sheriff's Deputy Neil Pearson, in a statement released regarding the new Communications Reserve Unit. Pearson is the liason for the department and the volunteers.

The Sheriff's Office noted particularly the problems communicating during Hurricane Katrina, and event in which ham operators actually sent signals back to California's mid-valley region to be relayed elsewhere.

At the forefront of that group is Bill Duncan, who got involved in ham radio when he was at Colusa High School some 50 years ago — and he loves the "dits" and "dahs."

"I bought a radio kit," explained Duncan, "and it was like I just met the most beautiful girl and I was in love."

Duncan, who lives in Yuba City, went to former Colusa County Assessor Emery "Mac" McGrew to get the form and to begin studying for his license. "But I struggled with the (Morse) code, and (local businessman) Jim Kimball got me through that."

Back then, learning the code was required. In today's digital and advanced technology world, the FCC no longer requires a working knowledge of the Morse code to get a license.

The "oldtimers" cringe a bit at the change, but also sees the value in an age when the code is not paramount for ham radio function, and may attract more people to get involved.

The digital world, which links the amateur radio operators to the computer world, is a growing aspect of the hobby, which even extends to sending photos and live video.

Still, the CW (continuous wave) — the term for Morse code in the radio world — remains very active, and there are specific frequency bands on which only the code is used.

Duncan will be teaching the course through the Sheriff's Department to help anyone interested to get a technician license — the beginning stage of what can be an elaborate staircase into what virtually all operators will tell you is a fascinating hobby.

"You can talk to the space station," said Lonnie Moore of Williams, who gets a chuckle out of talking about space communication knowing he got involved in ham radio in Roswell, N.M.

Moore, whose desire to learn more about electricity got him into ham radio, said he has been in and out of the hobby over the years. His license had actually expired just before he renewed his interest after coming across the Yuba-Sutter Amateur Radio Club on the Internet.

He said he went to a meeting, got to know some of the people, and is back on the radio waves.

One of his closest friends in the club is Lee Sheffield of Sutter, whom Moore said is teaching him a great deal about the modern amateur radio, again.

Sheffield said he grew up watching the ships out on San Francisco Bay, and wanted to know what they were saying when they were flashing their lights back and forth to each other.

But Sheffield actually started out as a CBer, but grew tired of the kind of chatter it generally offered.

"I find ham radio more refined than CB, much more refined than CB," said Sheffield, who, according to Moore, has the clearest "fist" he has ever heard.

An operator's "fist" is, in essence, his style. Some operators, such as Moore use a paddle, clicking their messages side to side.

Others, such as Duncan, prefer a key, clicking a message up and down.

Whatever their style, they all agree, it is an ongoing learning experience, one someone can get started by investing about $200-$300. After that, the ham radio community is eager to help and support the new operators no matter what level they want to take it.

Know this, though. The community and the government are serious about the term amateur.

While there are commercial bands operators can use, talking business on the radio is severely restricted. Even the learning material emphasizes that ham radio operators are largely servants to the public.

"It is amateur radio, and it is amateur," Duncan said.