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Ham radio enthusiasts on the air in times of disaster Curt Hadley, with The Cascade Amateur Radio Enthusiasts, works with his ham radio at his home in Medford on Friday. [Mail Tribune / Jamie Lusch] Monday Feb 20, 2017 at 12:01 AM By Tammy Asnicar for the Mail Tribune Curt Hadley plugged into the world of amateur radio five years ago as part of his strategy to be better prepared in emergencies. The capability of transmitting and receiving broadcasts with modest equipment had him hooked. Ham radios, he says, are often the only means of communication during a catastrophic event. Employing wireless transmitters and a wide frequency spectrum, ham radio operators are able to establish vital communication between emergency teams and the public using their own equipment, knowledge, skills and training. Earthquakes, floods, storms and wildfires can render other modes of communication inoperable. Emergency communications between police, fire, ambulance and search-and-rescue teams via radio, telephone or computer may grind to a halt because of system overload, power outages, damage to lines and cell towers or the remoteness of victims. In rural parts of the Rogue Valley, where many residents live off the grid or have spotty cellphone coverage, a ham radio may be the only reliable means of communication. Like Hadley, many of the 700 to 800 licensed amateur radio operators in the Rogue Valley area belong to Jackson County Amateur Radio Emergency Services to provide communications when disaster strikes. Hadley, the public information officer for the Cascade Area Radio Enthusiasts, says his group collaborates with Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center and Jackson County emergency response teams. Also in the works are partnerships with La Clinica and Providence Medford Medical Center. Hadley is one of a handful of volunteer instructors training would-be "hams" who may be interested in registering their qualifications and offering expertise and equipment during emergencies. A 12-week course that began Feb. 5 has 18 students — the biggest class ever, says Joe Gunderson, another ham and the lead instructor. Hadley notes that those whom Gunderson calls “preppers” make up the vast majority of the class. “There are some so afraid of a Cascadia Subduction quake,” Gunderson says. Seismologists and geologists have warned that the Cascadia Subduction Zone is due for a megathrust earthquake registering 9.0 or greater. But just as there are “about 50,000 aspects” to ham radio operation, there are nearly as many other reasons that folks are enrolling in amateur radio training, says Gunderson. Emergency preparedness is not the only motivation, he adds. Some are like him — “They love playing with radios and fiddling with electronics,” he says. Others live off the grid or “are traveling the country in their motor homes or trailers.” Ham radios can be fixed or portable, tabletop or hand-held. “It’s pretty easy to set up a complete radio station even in the middle of nowhere using a battery, generator or solar power,” says Hadley. Radio signals can be transmitted and received with homemade or “home-brewed” antennas cobbled together from scraps, says Gunderson. He also notes that “you can get on the air” with a minimal investment. While other ham radio clubs are oriented to the hobby aspect and exchanging call signs with hams around the world, Hadley says CARE is “more oriented to emergency preparedness.” And “Elmering.” Elmering, or mentoring, is a ham radio tradition. “Elmer” was a nickname coined by Rod Newkirk, a columnist who wrote about amateur radio in the 1970s. He often referred to those who mentored would-be hams as “Elmers.” Gunderson has been a ham radio operator for more than 25 years. He estimates he is an Elmer to 500 other hams. Hadley, Gunderson and their fellow enthusiasts operate under the auspices of the Rogue Elmers Association to provide training necessary for “a well-rounded ham.” At the end of the free 12- to 14-week course, students can test for two Federal Communications Commission licenses: technician (entry level) and general (mid-level). The course includes hands-on instruction on proper operating procedures, demonstrations of how the electronic components, circuits and antennas work, and simulated emergency scenarios. Gunderson noted that “there is a bit of math and learning to read schematics involved.” All hams should know their equipment and how to fix it, he says. One of the saddest stories, he says, is the one of “the lady who had her license for 12 years and didn’t know what to do with it. She hadn’t even learned to set up her own station." In the course, special attention is given to safety and an operator’s code of ethics. “Ham radio is not a game,” says Hadley, who adds that the hobby is strictly regulated by the FCC, and fellow hams “police the airwaves.” Fines can run up to $25,000 for breaking the code. Although the course is underway, those interested can still sign up. Classes are held from 2 to 3 p.m. Sundays in Room 106 at the Smullin Center adjacent to Rogue Regional Medical Center on Barnett Road in Medford. The class is free, but two manuals cost $22.50 each and the licensing test costs $15. An introduction and orientation is available online at www.amateurradiotraining.com. Additional information is available at www.carehamradio.com, or by calling either Curt Hadley at 541-261-2648 or Joe Gunderson at 541-531-7119. — Reach Grants Pass freelance writer Tammy Asnicar at [email protected].