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player ready...A Southland group is hoping to attract area residents to a hobby that can be used for emergencies — amateur radio.
The Tri-Town Radio Amateur Club will host an open house from 1 p.m. Saturday through 1 p.m. Sunday at the Hazel Crest public works building, 3000 W. 170th Place.
The group wants visitors to learn the basics of amateur radio, also known as ham radio.
Amateur radio operators set up their own radio stations with antennas in order to communicate.
“It’s very rewarding to be able to do that,” said Todd Schumann, president of Tri-Town Radio Amateur Club.
He said the ham radio operators learn a lot about technology, physics and even meteorology through the hobby.
And when all other communications fail during a disaster emergency responders typically turn to ham radio operators for assistance, according to the National Association for Amateur Radio.
Ham operators were called on during Sept. 11 and immediately after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Ham operators have to be licensed by the FCC, mostly so they can be called upon in the event of an emergency.
To be licensed Schumann said applicants study radio theory and operational rules before taking a test.
But clubs, such as Tri-Town, help newbies settle in the hobby.
Formed in 1931 by enthusiasts from Hazel Crest, Homewood and Harvey the club today includes 40 members from all over the south suburbs.
Schumann said newcomers can borrow equipment to get started or buy used equipment from longtime members who are looking to upgrade their stations.
He said being in a club is especially beneficial when equipment breaks and members help each other fix them or with other technical problems.
The club meets monthly in the Hazel Crest Village Hall and operates a permanent station just to the east of there in the bunker.
It’s called the bunker because it’s an old underground water tank surrounded by at least 18-inch thick concrete walls and a ceiling.
The station includes two radio towers, one at 80 feet and the other at 50 feet high.
There are two other ham radio clubs in the south suburbs and more than 725,000 ham operators in the country, Schumann said.
Additionally, there are more than 2 million ham operators worldwide, according to the National Association for Amateur Radio.
Schumann said he’s on the air almost every day connecting with people regionally or across the globe.
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“It’s perfect strangers from around the world and we have conversations,” he said.