HAM exercise lures motorcyclist

Del Harper of Summerville, a member of the Grande Ronde Radio Amateur Association, makes contact with stations Saturday at Morgan Lake during the American Radio League’s Field Day. The Observer/DICK MASON

Weekly was not tracking twisters late Saturday morning, but he was twisting his way up rocky Morgan Lake Road.

He was following radio signals to Morgan Lake, taking an unexpected detour on his motorcycle journey through Oregon.

Listening to his ham radio via an earphone, Weekly learned of a notable communications exercise at Morgan Lake.

It was a ham radio event conducted by the Grande Ronde Radio Amateur Association, one that piqued Weekly’s curiosity.

Weekly contacted the GRRAA at Morgan Lake, asked for directions and then made a detour up the rough road.

At Morgan Lake Weekly was greeted by GRRAA members who share his passion for ham radio. They were participating in the American Radio Relay League’s Field Day.

It is an annual international ham radio operator event. Operators practice setting up and operating radio communications equipment in environments similar to what they might encounter in emergency situations.

The GRRAA, using power from a generator, made contact with approximately 300 stations with the aid of several antennas that members put up. Stations in Hawaii, Mexico and Canada were among those for which contact was made.

The GRRAA competed against clubs across the United States and beyond to see who could reach the most stations.

Weekly knows all about making radio contacts. The Henderson, Nev., resident has contacted radio operators in 168 nations since 1982.

Like many members of the GRRAA, Weekly has assisted as a ham radio operator during emergencies. In the 1980s, for example, he assisted in San Francisco after an earthquake struck.

“I help out whenever I can,’’ he said.

Weekly also uses his radio to follow the path of twisters in Kansas.

“I’m a tornado chaser,’’ he said.

GRRAA members Weekly met with at Morgan Lake included Del and Jane Harper of Summerville. The husband and wife team were enjoying the challenge of making contacts throughout the United States on Field Day.

Del Harper wants people to understand that ham radio is synonymous with enjoyment.

“Most of us just see it (the operation of ham radios) done in emergency situations. They don’t realize how fun it can be,’’ he said.

Saturday’s Field Day was conducted at Morgan Lake because its elevation makes it easier to send out and receive signals. The site is also good because no power lines are nearby. Power lines can cause significant radio interference, said Graham Hicks of the GRRAA.

About a dozen GRRAA members participated in Field Day, many more than last year.

Field Day participants could not count a station unless two-way communication was achieved. Sometimes GRRAA members could hear stations in other parts of the country but their operators could not hear the La Grande transmissions and vice versa. Atmospheric conditions and differences in power transmission levels were the reasons, Hicks said.

Atmospheric conditions limit the window for making connections in some areas. Operators sometimes have only a minute to exchange information before atmospheric conditions change and make communication impossible, said GRRAA member Jeff Crews of La Grande.

The American Radio Relay League’s Field Day competition started at 11 a.m. Saturday and ran through 11 a.m. Sunday. Some members of the GRRAA stayed at Morgan Lake contacting radio stations until 3 a.m. Sunday.

The Harpers worked through 11 p.m. Saturday. Jane Harper said it is easier to pick up stations at night because signals are clearer. One reason is radio bands are less muddled because fewer ham operators are on the air at night.

The stations the Harpers picked up during Field Day included ones in Texas, New Mexico and California.

The Harpers have previously made contacts throughout the world, including New Zealand and Australia. This weekend was not a good one for picking up international stations because bands were cluttered with ham radio operators participating in Field Day.

The radio traffic provided ham operators with a realistic test since bands are busy during emergencies, Jane Harper said.

The GRRAA was one of close to 1,000 ham radio clubs that participated in Field Day.

The results will be  published later this year  in QST Magazine, a ham  radio journal.