Why I Got into Amateur Radio

I started in amateur radio in 2009, because I was planning a 50-mile hike through Utah's Uinta mountains. Taking kids through the backcountry can be a dangerous activity, and several parents expressed concern about the lack of communications and the near-impossible extraction in the event of a serious injury. Having heard that amateur radio can broadcast where nothing else can, I put together a really quick study and testing plan.

Lucky for me, I wasn't completely alone. My first Elmer was my good friend Fred (KE7JBA). Fred had encouraged me to get into amateur radio years ago when he got his ticket as part of some American Red Cross volunteer work. So he was the first person I turned to when I started to ask questions. He recommended a hand-held radio (same radio he has, the Yeasu VX-7R) and also recommended a fantastic iPhone application which helped me learn the answers to the amateur radio examination!

Ironically, I was not able to make reliable contact during my backcountry visit. I believe most of this is due to a lack of experience. If you're planning a trip like this, and you want to use an amateur radio for communications, get some experience. Figure out how to transmit, experiment with different antennas and on different frequencies, etc. I got my ticket a week or two before I left, and I had two, maybe three contacts under my belt - that's just not enough to be successful. I knew very little about the frequencies to use, about the antenna I should use, etc. But it was enjoyable anyhow, and I did have one very successful backcountry contact, which was quite rewarding.

Now that I have an entire three months of experience under my belt, I'm even more interested in nailing backcountry telephone communications. In fact, there are several things I'm working on right now, which drive me to learn more, experiment, and get better range and predictability:

1. Joining ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Services): ARES organizations provide radio support in case of emergency or local events. I'm joining DCARES (Davis County ARES) here in Utah and will be participating in a regional ARES training in November.
2. Continued backcountry communications: hey, just 'cause the 50-miler is over, I'm not quitting! There are more hikes to take, and I want to be ready at all times.
3. Utah's 8 "Peaks of Prominence": Utah has 8 very tall peaks of prominence. My middle son and I have set a goal to climb them all. He's done Nebo, and I've done Timp. I also have a goal to successfully broadcast from the summit of each mountain. So far, I'm 1:1, having successfully contacted from the top of Timp.
4. Timpanogos Emergency Response Team (TERT): thanks to being prepared, I was able to administer first-aid and provide communications on behalf of a young man who injured himself at Mt. Timpanogos' Emerald Lake. TERT is an organization which provides all sorts of emergency support, and due to my involvement in this incident I've been invited to join TERT. Next year I'll be working Timp's high camp (10,380 feet above sea level), twice over the summer. Hopefully I won't have to apply my first aid, climbing, and communication skills, but I plan on being able to if they're needed.
5. My children: finally, I'm hoping that the amateur radio hobby brings some knowledge and electrical engineering experience to my children. I've got three kids at home, and as a father I want them to be successful and find a rewarding career. Oddly enough, many very successful individuals have a background in amateur radio. It offers a planning, do-it-yourself, and troubleshooting experience kids can't get anywhere else (no, figuring out that the batteries in your wireless XBOX controller is NOT troubleshooting!). Being an amateur enthusiast will hopefully encourage them to get involved and learn first-hand. Our first challenge will be to build a light-weight, portable backcountry antenna.
   

I believe everyone has a different reason for being involved in amateur radio, but I also believe everyone needs a little push to get started. Give yourself that chance - look up your local amateur club (best accomplished by googling your county name with "amateur radio"), head to a meeting and see what happens!

NOTES

• Elmer: an experienced ham radio volunteer who shares info and provides training. Amateur radio is FULL of Elmers--they're everywhere! Seriously they are more helpful than even the open-source programming community (and that's saying A LOT).
  
• Ticket: amateur radio slang for the license each amateur operator receives. In the US, this license is issued by the Federal Communications Commission.
• Telephone: amateur radio term for using your voice for communications. An alternative is CW, which means Morse Code. CW is a lot easier for low-power, long-distance communications. But it's just not as cool, in my book!