There's nothing amateur about amateur radio. Photo by Sean M. Quinlan

One of my fondest childhood memories is sitting with my grandfather, in his ham radio shack, dialing up far-away places. On the wall, next to the stacks of equipment, he had plastered QSL cards — the ham operator’s currency — that showed he’d contacted people across the globe. Sometimes he’d let me talk to these distant voices. I remember once being too flummoxed to speak with a gentleman from Australia. 

As aficionados know all too well, amateur radio is anything but amateur. It meets a serious need, throughout our country, for emergency communication, and the operators maintain the highest professional standards. For some, it goes beyond this, and becomes a whole way of life. You can see this every year, when hundreds of ham operators descend upon Dayton, Ohio, for the national conference. My grandfather never could afford the journey, but my uncle Tom — who has carried on the torch — wouldn’t miss it for the world.

Given this perennial interest, it should come as no surprise that there’s an active ham radio community right here in the Moscow vicinity. And it’s called the Palouse Hills Amateur Radio Club (PHARC).

“We’ve been around at least 20 years,” says Harvey Howard, a Navy veteran and outgoing Club president. “I can’t even remember how long I’ve been a member!”

PHARC has about 10 dedicated members and 20 affiliates. The fees are minimal: 10 bucks per year.

The Club meets the fourth Wednesday of every month, usually at the local Jack-in-the-Box. Every third month, the group gathers in Pullman to give the Washington members a break on the driving. And then there’s the “Hams for Lunch” meeting that happens at the Sandpiper grill on the second Monday of each month. The chat starts at noon. “It’s strictly a social gathering to shoot the bull,” says Harvey.

The Club provides a number of key community services. A subgroup focuses on Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES), which deals with community emergency planning. Other members are active in planning with the Latah County Search and Rescue, which provides mutual aid assistance to neighboring counties.

“It’s no joke,” reports member William Antonelli. “When the Oklahoma City federal building got bombed, and on 9/11, all the communications went down. So it was the ham operators who were relaying emergency measures.”

Ham operators usually provide local services. Harvey tells a recent story of a woman whose car broke down outside of Lewiston. She was out of cell phone reach, but a truck stopped with a hand-held operator. He went on the air and found Harvey, who then relayed the message to law enforcement officials. They arrived immediately.

PHARC also trains people who want to get their ham radio license. The test is mandatory, and the operator is ultimately approved by the FCC and issued a call number.

One question you don’t need to worry about: the origin of the term “ham radio.” “No one knows,” chuckles Harvey. “Every ten years or so, that debate flares up. But no one can find the answer.”

In addition, every September, PHARC also helps sponsor the ham festival in Spokane. There’s one general entrance fee. Within, ham operators can find all sorts of seminars — ranging from ARES data to the latest in digital technology — and there’s a huge flea market to swap and sell. The major equipment dealers are also represented.

“That’s the great thing about ham radio,” says Harvey, “there’s a lot to get into. It’s not just restricted to talking. With digital stuff and satellites, there’s a wealth of opportunities for people with interests in all sorts of media.”

“There’s been an upsurge in interest in ham radio, especially with truckers,” he avers. “They’re sick of all the potty-mouth talk you encounter on CB radios. You couldn’t leave a CB radio on in the car with a wife and kids. But you could with a ham radio. We keep the strictest standards.”

“Nevertheless,” he says, “we’re hoping to recruit even more young people into ham radio. The old timers are getting old, and it’s time for a new generation to step in.”

Ham radio is a wonderful community of like-minded interests. With their new digital technologies and satellites, operators have one foot in the future, but the call of radio roots them firmly in time-honed traditions of the past.

Please visit the Palouse Hills Amateur Radio Club at their website: http://palousehills-arc.org.