Ham radio enthusiasts connect globally during Chico Field Day

CHICO — Over 30 years, ham radio enthusiast Larry Mitchell has made contacts in Mexico, Japan, Morocco, Iceland and South Africa — just to name a few.

Ham radio, also known as amateur radio, is a hobby where enthusiasts, called hams, use noncommercial frequencies to contact people worldwide without phones or the internet. This weekend marks Field Day, an event where hams across North America aim to make as many QSOs (contacts) as possible. This year, the Golden Empire Amateur Radio Society (GEARS) held Field Day operations at the Chico Masonic Family Center from Saturday at 11 a.m. to Sunday at 11 a.m.

Field Day has been an annual event since 1933 and is often referred to as ham radio’s “Open House.” Mitchell, formerly a reporter at this newspaper, noted that though annual, the event was historically halted during WWII for security reasons.

Mitchell said the event serves multiple purposes: “One is to get hams experienced with emergency operations helping out in some kind of national disaster. Another is it’s just a big social event, and another is to kind of get the word out about ham radio to the public.”

There are also contests during Field Day to see how many contacts can be made.

Many hams at Chico Field Day expressed the importance of ham radio regarding emergency communications. In the event that phone lines or the internet goes down, ham radio communications are still operational.

“It’s more than a hobby,” Kyle Hopkins said, as he set up an antenna.

After the Twin Towers were hit during 9/11, phone service was down and internet was spotty. Hams stepped up and helped coordinate emergency response efforts with the Red Cross.

“A significant number of search and rescue workers are licensed in ham radio,” Hopkins said.

In Chico, GEARS provides service during the Chico Wildflower Century bike ride. The organization mans portable stations throughout the race where they can quickly report injuries, or help bikers who are lost.

Pass it on

Mitchell got into amateur radio not from an elder ham, but from his son Jevon, who was 10 years old at the time.

“Most often it’s a dad who got a son involved,” Mitchell said. “But in my case, it was the opposite.”

Jevon and a friend were practicing Morse code through a ham radio, and Mitchell was awed by the process. Morse code, and morse code competitions, were Mitchell’s ultimate draw to the hobby.

Though his son got into the hobby as a child, Mitchell said the average ham radio user is a male in his 60s, 70s or 80s.

“It’s a concern that ham radio is mostly a bunch of old guys now,” Mitchell said. “There’s an effort to attract the younger generation.”

Some hams are concerned about the aging community, but Hopkins believes the practice will live on. If you go on YouTube, he said, you will find an endless amount of videos and channels dedicated to the craft.

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GEARS president Robert “Jamie” Johnston also believes the craft is here to stay. Ham radio is “changing and evolving” rather than dying, Johnston said.

For those looking to get into the practice, Johnston said it can be relatively cheap depending how you go about it. He recommends buying equipment second hand or building your own equipment.

“There’s a classic project where you build an antenna with a metal measuring tape,” Johnston said.

GEARS holds meetings on the third Monday of each month at the Chico Public Library at 7 p.m. According to the group’s website, gearsw6rhc.com, “If you are interested in Amateur Radio, you are invited to attend.”