Matthew Carter, public information officer for Hoosier Lakes Radio Club, shows one of the club’s go bags. The club owns four such bags, which contain radio equipment that can be used for an emergency. The bags have batteries, solar panels and generators so they can remain powered up while in use during an emergency.

Text and Photos
By Lauren Zeugner
InkFreeNews

BREMEN — No one is quite sure when the Hoosier Lakes Radio Club started. The earliest date Matthew Carter, public information officer for the club, could find was 1951. Some members wonder if the club started sometime earlier.

Matthew Carter, public information officer for the Hoosier Lakes Radio Club, explains how the radio equipment behind him works. The club has been active in Kosciusko County for at least 73 years. On his shirt, Carter has his call sign. Each member of the club has their own call sign for when they are broadcasting.

After 73 years, the club is still going strong and looking for new members to join.

The Hoosier Lakes Radio Club is an amateur, or ham radio club, based in the basement of the Justice Building in Warsaw. Members have business meetings at 7 p.m. the first Thursday of the month, in the video conference room, which is also located in the basement of the Justice Building.

To bring interest to the club, “campground on the air” is a 24-hour event where club members will try to make as many contacts with as many operators as possible.

As part of “campground on the air,” the club will be hosting a fox hunt, where radio operators look for specific beacons to locate transmitters in a designated search area.

Carter said the event is similar to geo-caching. The fox hunt will be held from 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 24, to 11 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 25, at Pla-Mor Campgrounds, Bremen. There is a $5 per person admission fee.

The plan is for club members to hold at least two fox hunts, one for adults and one for kids, with the potential to do more. The club would like to have the fox hunt become an annual event to be recognized by the American Relay Radio League, which is the governing body of amateur radio operators.

Those attending the event will have access to Pla-Mor’s amenities, such as the pool, putt-putt golf and a playground. There will also be vendors, a dunk tank and more.

To become an amateur radio operator, a person must have a license. Hoosier Lakes Radio Club offers classes. There are online courses available to become licensed.

The first license is a technical license, which opens frequencies and power an individual can use. Carter described the technical license as similar to a learner’s permit.

The next level is a general license, which opens up almost all of the radio frequencies and allows the holder to use high frequency radio so they can talk to people globally.

Gary McDaniel, back center, president of the Hoosier Lake Radio Club, presides over the August business meeting. The Hoosier Lakes Radio Club provides assistance at a number of events. They will be assisting an amateur radio club during the Chicago marathon in October.

The top license a person can have is an extra, which opens all bands and frequencies for ham radio. Carter described this level of license as a specialist license.

A radio operator’s license is good for 10 years before it needs to be renewed through the Federal Communications Commission. The fee for a license is $35.

There is no minimum age for someone to have an amateur radio license.

Within the club there are members who are part of the Amateur Radio Emergency Services.These are amateur radio operators who use their skills to assist in emergencies.

Carter explained there is specific training required to be part of ARES, which is different from the training to get a license. Those interested in ARES can receive training from the club.

Members of Hoosier Lakes Radio Club have helped out in a variety of ways. They provided communication for the Kosciusko County fair parade, helped with the IT 100 at Chain of Lakes, assisted with the LaPorte Triathlon, and will be assisting an amateur radio club in Chicago during the Chicago marathon.

The club has several “go bags” which contain radio equipment they use in case of an emergency. Members use a battery, generators and even solar to stay on the air during an emergency.

Carter said he typically has two to three weeks worth of battery power along with a solar set up and generator so he can power up his radios should an emergency occur.

Thomas Pletcher, a member of the club, noted there was a lot of variety to amateur radio, from helping in an emergency, making friends globally, to participating in moon bounce, a form of radio propagation used by radio amateurs and others for global communications on frequencies above 144 MHz. Operators can even delve into morse or digital code.

Both Pletcher and Carter said amateur radio is a hobby which can be as expensive as the participant wants it to be. Carter said an individual can get started on equipment which costs about $100, but they would be limited in what they can do.

“It’s a science and wonderful hobby that can be used in emergency situations,” Pletcher said.

For more information about the club, contact Carter at (574) 658-3361.