We’re listening to one of the millions of amateur radio operators who regularly take to the airwaves to chat with
their counterparts around the world. I’m Jim Metzner, and this is the Pulse of the Planet, presented by DuPont.
Radio waves can be broadcast on many different frequencies or bands. Television, AM and FM radio and
shortwave transmissions each use a different portion of the broadcast frequency spectrum. Amateur radio
operators are allotted certain short wave frequencies. First, they have to take a test and get a license from the
F.C.C. They’re sometimes referred to as “ham” radio operators, although the origin of that term has been lost to
history. John Small is an amateur radio operator in McKinney, Texas. He says that even in the age of cell phones
and laptops, there’s still nothing quite like ham radio.
“There’s a challenge to it, and it’s very exciting when you get on the air and you have a foreign country coming
in, like say Israel, or Russia, Yugoslavia, especially in the turmoil they’ve been in.”
Amateur radio is often a communications lifeline during weather disasters and other emergencies.
“In Idaho, we had a blizzard that knocked power out for over a week and a lot of communications. I was
fortunate enough to keep a telephone to where I could get out and I handled what we call traffic. Someone
needs to get a hold of somebody, they can get a hold of you over the radio, however they don’t have a
telephone. You make telephone calls for them and you can patch them through.”
Every June, ham radio operators hold a field day as a sort of nationwide emergency drill. We’ll hear what that
sounds like, in our next program. Pulse of the Planet is presented by DuPont, bringing you the miracles of
science, with additional support provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities. I’m Jim Metzner.