LaFayette ham radio event today

LaFayette Middle School teacher Jody Carter told his students that he was traveling the world over the summer.

And he is. He’s just doing it via radio.

“What makes it great is that I can communicate with people in other countries, other cultures,” the amateur radio operator said. “I can talk to a person who can tell me what the weather is like, what their town is like. I can make a friend using less power than what my cell phone is using right now, probably.”

Amateur radio, often called ham radio, is both a hobby and a public service. Operators, called hams, compete to make contact with other hams across the world and earn points for each connection made.

They also are called on during emergency situations, such as Hurricane Katrina, to communicate when other tools are unavailable.

Beginning today at 2 p.m. Mr. Carter’s radio club will host a 24-hour field day, during which radio operators will give demonstrations and let members of the public try to make contact with hams worldwide.

All over the country, radio operators will be hosting field days today, Mr. Carter said.

“The purpose of field day is for the public to see what we do, to have fun, and it is a training exercise,” he said.

Operators get together to practice communicating and setting up equipment just as they would in an emergency situation, he said.

Mr. Carter’s organization, the LaFayette Middle School Rambler Radio Club, has about 15 members, but getting younger generations interested in the hobby can be a struggle, he said.

Drew Carter, 14, has been in the club for two years and will be at the field day.

“It is harder with all the technology; a lot of (young) people aren’t interested,” said Drew, who is not related to Jody Carter. “Radio is a fun hobby. It can be used for just killing time and having fun, and it can also be used in emergency situations.”

Drew said he has contacted other operators in places from Africa to Summerville, Ga.

Dave Mayo, coordinator of LaFayette’s field day, said he is surprised some people don’t know much about ham radio.

“A lot of people think ham radio is obsolete,” he said.

Mr. Mayo said he has talked to hundreds, if not thousands, of radio operators around the world. He finds something comforting in making connections with others, he said.

“You learn that you have (radio) in common,” he said. “Once you have that, you find out you have other things in common, too.”