By Michele Willer-Allred, Ventura County Star
Original publication date: June 26, 2011

Sitting under a shaded canopy in the parking lot at the top of the hill at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley on Saturday, John Percival of Moorpark tapped out a message to a person that would receive it in Maryland.

Percival was not text messaging on a cellphone or on a laptop, but instead was messaging via Morse code, a method of transmitting textual information with tones, lights or clicks.

Percival learned Morse code in 1983 when he received his amateur ham radio license and has been using it ever since.

On Saturday, he joined about 50 other amateur radio operators from Ventura County who gathered in Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley to participate in a 24-hour national exercise testing communications that could be vital during a national disaster or emergency.

The emergency drill, which began at 11 a.m. Saturday and ends 11 a.m. today, is part of the Amateur Radio Relay League Annual Field Day.

There are more than 680,000 amateur radio operators in the U.S. and 2.5 million ‘hams,’ as they are often called, across the world.

This is the 11th year that the Ventura County Amateur Radio Society has participated in the field day at the Reagan Library to encourage local amateur radio clubs and groups to practice their emergency communications by setting up transmitters, receivers and antennas at a remote location using emergency power sources.

The event also is a way to provide newly licensed radio operators to receive training by communicating with as many other stations across North America and other countries during a 24hour period.

About 11 stations, resonating with the sound of radio call signs and Morse code, were operated by members of VCARS, the Hollywood Hills QRP Contest Club, the

Simi Settlers Amateur Radio Club, and the Ventura County Amateur Radio Club at the Reagan Library. At least a half-century before text messaging and long before the Internet was a common term, the hams were the first truly global social network making connections with other radio users across the globe, said Bob Paull, past president of VCARS.

Unlike cellphones and the Internet though, ham radios will continue to work in emergencies when other communications systems are down.

Peter Heins, public information officer for VCARS, said that the hams provide communications at emergency operations centers such as the East Valley Sheriff’s station, Thousand Oaks City Hall, Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center and California Lutheran University. Theyalsoprovidecommunications at American Red Cross and Salvation Army shelters.

“During fires, earthquakes, tornadoes and other crises, amateur radio is often the only way by which people can communicate. Amateur radio operators are often the first to provide critical early information and observations to emergency responders in crisis situations,” said Heins.

To be a ham, you have to be licensed by the Federal Communications Commission, though that’s not as hard as it once was. There’s no more Morse code to memorize anymore, but Percival said it’s still a skill he likes to keep handy.

By early Saturday afternoon, Percival and Mike Tweedy from Simi Valley made 36 contacts from many states, such as New York, Texas and Washington.

Some of the stations operating used UHF and VHF, high wave and short wave frequencies, and utilized voice, Morse code or data via a keyboard as a means of communicating. Mike Hasenfratz of Thousand Oaks positioned his amateur satellite station and hoped to possibly talk to the crew on the International Space Station, who was rumored to be on the air later that day in support for Field Day.

Denise Curtis of Newbury Park operated the information table for the group at Reagan Library. She became a ham herself after the 1994 Northridge earthquake when she couldn’t communicate with her family.

“We have a couple people interested in taking the test to become new hams which is a good great thing to keep this group going,” said Curtis. 

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