More than 10 years after they began an interest in amateur radio, both John Langham and Rick Helmer studied and received their ham radio licenses.
Both men have similar stories.
Both have the same career and hobbies, including amateur radio and storm spotting.
When one begins a sentence, the other finishes it. They both are excited about ham radio - amateur radio.
When Helmer was in high school, he studied for the ham radio operators license with his father, who wanted to become a storm spotter. He said the two took a class from a local radio club but then he missed the test because of a history project. Recently, he learned of another class in northwest Arkansas, called Langham, and the two began the process.
“I was in Civil Air Patrol,” Langham said of his younger years, adding that many of his fellow CAP members were radio operators. That was during a time of transition for radio operators with the former requiring knowledge of Morse code and latter not requiring it.
“We were licensed on the same day,” Helmer said, explaining that the term “ham” radio operator originally had a negative connotation as a pejorative from professional radio operators demeaning amateur radio operators.
“There are certain frequency bands allocated for amateur radio frequency use,” Helmer said.
There are three types of license available: technician, general, extra. Helmer has the technician and Langham studied further and gained the general license.
“I realized I was studying stuff that would be required for the general test,” Langham said. “I was learning a lot more, building antennas, working on radios….”
So, he found an on-line course and took the test for the next level of license.
Amateur radio can be used in emergency situations and was used extensively during the aftermath of Hurrican Katrina, Langham said.
Radios can range in price from near $100 to thousands, depending on their complexity and brand, but both men said many people learn to work on their own radios and build their own antennas.
“You can build so much of it yourself,” Helmer said.
One thing Langham said is fascinating is talking to people all over the world.
“I’ve talked to people in New Zealand, Australia, France … all over the world. It makes the world a little more open.
“You talk to these people and find out what life is like there. You find out how much like them you are. I talked to a guy in Belgium and we liked the same stuff.
“Somewhere in the world, it’s always mid-day,” Langham said, explaining that when he’s up during the middle of the night with no one to talk to, there is someone available on the radio.
He said there is no minimum age limit for a license and said he talked to a 12-year-old boy from South Carolina who had a general license.
The Federal Communications Commission regulates amateur radio.
Langham said that amateur radio operators have made many discoveries and advancements for science and even now operators record information about radio transmissions that are helpful for information technology.
“One of the goals of ham radio is the study of electronics,” Helmer said.
“Ham radio has the unique ability to spread good will,” Langham said.
“International good will,” Helmer said.
“There are so many facets to it, you can’t learn it all in one lifetime,” Helmer said.
Langham said to learn more about ham radio operations and licensing, persons interested should visit him and other radio operators this weekend for a Ham Radio Field Day from 2 p.m. Saturday, June 22, to 10 a.m. Sunday, June 23, at Pea Ridge City Park.
News, Pages 1 on 06/19/2013