Ham Radio Amateur Field Day

Hiwassee Dam — Whiskey, Charlie 4 November Charlie. This phrase may sound like gibberish to the initiated, but for the Murphy chapter of the Western Carolina Amateur Radio Society, these words provide important information.

“WC4NC is our station name. When I call out, I’d say, ‘CQ’, which means ‘calling everyone,’ ” Steve Schwab, call sign KT4U, explained from the club’s annual field day at Fields of the Wood off N.C. 294.

Schwab’s been interested in ham radios for more than 30 years, and apparently his enthusiasm in catching on.

Savannah Schwab, Schwab’s 21-year-old daughter, took advantage of the open testing available to the public at the event.

Jerry Kilpatrick, testing coordinator for the Western Carolina Amateur Radio Society, said they were using Field Day to test anyone interested in receiving a license to operate a ham radio.

“I started doing radio when I was 3 or 4,” Savannah said. “My dad’s done it for 33 years. Me and my dad, it’s definitely a hobby we do together. Today, I got my license because he encouraged me to.”

The license will allow her to operate a ham or amateur radio legally, but don’t be fooled by the informality of that term. William Ofray, co-chair for the W4VEC, said operating a ham radio without license can have catastrophic effects.

“You can be fined up to $10,000 and serve up to five years in jail,” he said. Kilpatrick expounded: “We all have an allocated frequency. If you start broadcasting on the sheriff’s frequency, you have a problem.”

The club set up four stations inside conversion vans or RVs for the two-day event. Impossibly high antennas dotted the area between the stations. Festive orange ribbons fluttered from stabilizing wires to alert those walking between the stations.

It was lucky club member Carl Saylor attended this year. He built his own sophisticated drone that helped secure the antennas, a job traditionally done some serious acrobats and a ladder.

“I got into drones from radio; it’s the same basic technology,” Saylor said while demonstrating his handmade drone. “I send it radio signals, and it sends them back to me.”

Aside from increasing the licensure in the area, Field Day was all about communication. Ron Parks, call sign KX4IU, is the club’s president.

“I love ham radio. I like all the things we get to do: electronics and talking to people all over the world,” he said. “More than anything, though, it’s these great people you get to hang out with.”

Field Day also comes with goodies. Kilpatrick explained.

“This is basically a ham radio open house,” he said. “We are trying to communicate to people around the country. We earn points for how many people we reach.”

The Western Carolina Amateur Radio Society operates under the governance of the American Radio Rely League, which tallies up points across the nation.

“You don’t really win a prize for the highest points,” Schwab said. “It’s more that you get bragging rights.”

Jim Howard, call sign W4SDJ, ran one of the four stations at the event.

“I come here to make connections with other people around the world,” he said. Field Day is always the fourth weekend in June, and Howard has attended for 10 years.

Club member Patrick Meyers, call sign N4ZAX, shares Howard’s passion for international connections.

“We get to know the real news,” he said. “We can transmit halfway around the world. They’ll give you the real scoop of what’s going on. We bypass media altogether.”

The ARRL will post the winners in November, but the operators feel a sense of duty in their passion.

“What happens the day you wake up with no cell service or no internet?” Meyers asked. “We don’t need the government to control anything. We operate on solar and battery. We’re the people you’re going to want to know.”