By Brian Hu

CHICO >> “CQ, CQ, field day. Kilo Oscar Six India Tango Papa. Kilo Oscar Six India Tango Papa.”

Matt Hallmark, a ham radio enthusiast, spoke those words into the microphone of his system Saturday morning as he hailed an operator in Montana he hadn’t yet met.

Set up beneath the pavilion behind the Chico Masonic Family Center, Hallmark and a dozen other radio operators — affectionately referring to themselves as “hams” — worked with their equipment to contact other hams from across the country. These local hobbyists gathered Saturday into Sunday to participate in Ham Radio Field Day, a nationwide event put on by the American Radio Relay League, or ARRL.

In keeping with this year’s theme, “Radio Connects,” Field Day included an informal contest where hams tried to contact as many other hams as possible. The event also provided a chance for the public to learn about and interact with radio operators.

Although the hobby may seem intimidating to those with little experience in radio and electronics, the goal is always to connect people. This connection is often between hobbyists, who talk amongst themselves over long distanced.

Christopher Warnberg, an electrical engineering major from Chico State, was drawn naturally to the hobby by his college background. Besides talking about his equipment with other hams, he’ll find ways to make conversation with people who would otherwise be strangers.

“A lot of times, it’ll be just, ‘What’s going on in the area?’” he said. “It’s just having conversation with other people — you don’t know who you’re going to get.”

‘Own stations’

Ham radio has its roots in the early days of radio technology. Larry Mitchell, a member of the Golden Empire Amateur Radio Society (GEARS), explained that before there were professional operators, anybody could use radio. Ham radio allows amateurs to have their own radio broadcasts.

“You’ll find amateurs all over the world in countries all over the world. And they have their own stations, usually at their homes,” Mitchell said.

Ham radio also plays a role in responding to emergency situations.

“(GEARS) helped out with the Wildflower bicycle ride. If there was an injury or something, we could call it in quickly,” Mitchell said. “Of course, people can do it with cell phones, too — but there are some places where there isn’t cell coverage. There’s a feeling that if communications really went down, the hams could pick up the slack and provide emergency communication.”

With a variety of ways to set up ham radio, the technology allows communication from places that would otherwise be difficult to access. Many GEARS members have participated in Parks On The Air (POTA), a challenge requiring experienced hams to go out onto public lands and contact others tackling the challenge. A similar version exists for mountain peaks, called Summits On The Air.

During this weekend’s event, radio operators could be seen tuning their equipment and finishing setup of the antennae. Small solar panels on the lawn and cars nearby provided power to the radios.

Adding an extra layer of challenge to this Field Day was the use of low power, or QRP. Ham radio considers any wattage below 10 watts as low power, whereas standard power is 50-100 watts. Asked why they chose low power, Kris Koenig explained, “It’s a challenge. I do QRP every day, so for me, it’s my normal operating.”

Furthermore, low power makes it easier for other stations to broadcast free of interference.

“The reason why you don’t need any more than 10 watts is a ‘good neighbor’ policy,” Mitchell said. “(High power stations) are interfering with each other. So when you go lower wattage, and you go down to 5 watts, 10 watts, 25 watts, your signal still carries the same distance.”