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Glenn Prescott, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science, tunes a radio at the KU Amateur Radio Club in Learned Hall. The equipment is available to all licensed students to use.
Micheal Schulze / Special to the Kansan
Lawrence radio hams find rewards in civic duties and long-distance hook-ups
By Per Joergensen Special sections reporter
From his home in Lawrence, James Canaday reaches fellow amateur radio operators from Argentina to Latvia.
Amateur radio provides both recreation and public service for Lawrence residents. Members of the Douglas County Amateur Radio Club and KU Amateur Radio Club transmit and receive radio signals using equipment ranging from the time-honored Morse key to sophisticated computer technology.
Ham operators, as they often call themselves because of their informal "harming it up" on the air, enjoy the public service, personal growth, fellowship and competition the hobby offers, Canaday said. Some also enjoy building their own equipment, he said.
"I happen to enjoy the esprit de corps, myself, and the public service — the emergency preparedness," he said. Conversations on the air tend to be courteous, both because the airwaves are public property and because of the fellowship of jargon and a common code, he said.
Hams provide a valuable public service, said Steven Robertson, DCARC president. Many hams own power generators and can relay information if telephone and power lines are down.
Canaday said information from war zones such as Bosnia-Herzegovina often came from amateur stations.
Canaday is one of the Lawrence area hams appointed by county officials to
"If there was a train wreck, or if there was a flood or a tornado, we'd be activated." Robertson said.
operate a special emergency station should the need arise. Emergency preparedness and exercises are organized nationwide by the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services.
The Douglas County RACES station is very well equipped. Canaday said.
Equipment and communication modes available to hams have developed greatly since the days of the Morse key, although the dots and dashes of Morse remain popular. Plain voice communication has been common for years, and hams now are able to exchange information using computers.
Vicky Millar, Lawrence resident, uses a system known as packet radio. Exchanges are made using personal computers, and the exchanges look much like Internet conversations, she said.
"I don't like Morse code, never have and never will." Millar said.
Computer transmissions are sensitive to electromagnetic interference, and hams still rely on Morse code for distant contacts.
"Just from here, I've talked in code to Argentina, for one, and the Marianas, American Samoa, Alaska, and once to Puerto Rico using one watt," Canaday said. Comparatively, the average light bulb draws 40 watts.
For many, the object is to reach as far as possible. Richard Lucas, Lawrence resident, said he had recently received a 1,000 Mile Per Watt Award for reaching New Zealand using less than five watts.
Although such feats require experience and sophisticated equipment, ham radio is open to everyone, including people with disabilities, Canaday said. Canaday is
blind, but he uses the same equipment as other hams with the exception of his computer, which uses a speech synthesizer instead of a screen.
One non-profit organization, HandiHam, provides instruction and personal supervision and loans specially adapted equipment to hams with disabilities, Canady said.
The KU club operates a station licensed to KU in Learned Hall, said Glenn Prescott, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science. The station offers most modes of ham communication, including packet radio, and is open to all licensed students, said Prescott, who is the club's faculty adviser.
Operator licenses are issued by the Federal Communications Commission. Although advanced licenses require Morse code proficiency, it is no longer necessary to know code to get a simple license. Prescott said.
The FCC also allocates frequencies for ham use, including satellite communication now available to ham operators. A few satellites are funded partially by amateur organizations, Canaday said.
The technology greatly has increased the range and speed of computer transmissions, he said.
"In fact, a lot of the satellite technology in use today was developed by amateurs," Canaday said.
Hams have been in space, too.
"You find a lot of astronauts who are hams," Canaday said.
Hams on board the space shuttles and the Russian Mir station have communicated with hams on earth using amateur bands, he said.
4
Planet Lawrence
Hill • September 13, 1995