Town Crier Articles

 

Do you yearn for the opportunity to have a conversation with someone – anyone – living in places from Austria to Zimbabwe? Are you dying for the chance to say hello to an astronaut orbiting the earth on the international space station?

 

It’s possible, you know, if you are an amateur radio operator, and advance to a certain level. Amateur radio operators are more universally known as “ham” radio operators. Catchy name, but that wasn’t always meant as a compliment.

 

In fact, starting in 1909 it was a pejorative term commercial and professional radio operators used for their amateur cohorts. But amateur operators turned the tables, embracing the word to the point where it became an accepted part of the lexicon.

 

Almost 800,000 Americans are licensed ham radio operators, a significant percentage of the estimated 3 million participants world-wide. While ham operating is in decline in other parts of the world, in the U.S. it continues to grow.

Williamsburg has a club – the aptly named Williamsburg Area Amateur Radio Club. It currently has about 150 members, most living locally, but also a few who moved away from the Colonial Capital but kept in touch.

 

About a half-dozen members reside in New Town, including club president Jack Espinal of Abbey Commons. A former teacher from California who spent eight years working in Washington, D.C., before coming to Williamsburg, Espinal said he grew up in the era of party (telephone) lines. If someone was talking on your shared line, you had to wait until they were done before making your call. Such circumstances helped his interest in ham radio grow.

 

“There are so many facets of ham radio that can take you in many different directions,” Espinal said. “One group even has the (special license) ability to talk to the astronauts on the international space station. We just have fun doing it.”

 

Like Espinal, Tom Nichols of Charlotte Park has long had an interest in electronics. He owned a Citizens Band (CB) radio in college. While anyone can be a CB operator today, ham radio operators need to pass certain tests to acquire their license from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). 

 

Passing the first test gives one a “technicians” license, which comes with access to VHF/UHF and is a great starting point for hand-held radios. Passing the second provides one with a “general” license. The reward for advancing past the third level is “amateur extra” status. The higher up you go, the more frequencies and operating privileges you enjoy.

 

“With my general class license, I can transmit and talk around the world,” Nichols said. “If I want to call someone in Argentina, talk to someone in Japan, I can do that.”

 

In the Fall and Spring, the Williamsburg club offers training for anyone interested in taking up the hobby. Members also attend three special events a year, in which they demonstrate what ham radio is all about. One is in Jamestown in the spring, tied to the anniversary of the settlement there. The second is in Williamsburg on July 4, celebrating the obvious. The third one is at Yorktown, commemorating the surrender of Cornwallis to George Washington, effectively ending Great Britain’s chance at winning the Revolutionary War.

 

“We’ll even let visitors use our ham radio to give them a feel for what it’s like,” Espinal said.

 

There’s also a serious, important component to ham radio. In the event of storms or other natural disasters, cellphones are frequently useless. The towers are down or compromised. On 9-11, it was virtually impossible for anyone in D.C. to call family or friends on their cellphones. In such an event, ham operators work with police and first rescuers to assist those who may be stranded without communication.

 

Espinal cites another example. In February 2021, storms in Texas brought about a major power crisis that resulted in shortages of water, food, and heat. More than 4.5 million homes and businesses were left without power, and at least 246 people were killed, directly or indirectly. Ham radio operators provided vital communication to the outside world.

 

In Williamsburg, the Amateur Radio Relay League holds an emergency “field day” on the last weekend of June, making sure that operations are in place to combat any emergency, such as an event at Surry Power Station. Meanwhile, the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) meets regularly to ensure that members’ equipment is working and to exchange information.

 

If you are interested in becoming a ham operator, or just want more information, Espinal says to phone him at (703) 946-5787, or email him at jespinal@jespinal.com.