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Amateur radio operators tend to be easy to spot, said Jason Foster, president of the nonprofit Montgomery Amateur Radio Club.
With one or several antennas up to 100 feet tall outside their homes, or even on top of their cars, amateur radio operators, also known as "hams," are often thought to be older people who are not ready to embrace modern communications technology.
The participants proved hams aren't outdated, though instant messaging, texting, and social networking Web sites such as Facebook and Twitter are the rage. But according to Allen Pitts, spokesman for the American Radio Relay League, the national association for amateur radio operators, the hobby is gaining popularity —and technological advancement.
About 100,000 of the 665,000 licensed hams in the U.S., received their license in the last four years and more hams are experimenting with digital technologies, Pitts said.
Hams are licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to use radio frequencies located above AM frequencies to broadcast for a variety of purposes, including providing back-up communication for emergency response organizations, weather reporting, participating in worldwide and national contests, and simply chatting with other hams.
Two groups of people are increasingly entering the hobby: those in their 20s interested in using ham radio to aid in emergency communications, and empty-nesters who can afford the hobby, which can get expensive when purchasing equipment, Pitts said.
The league has 154,000 members, ranging in age from 8 to 80-plus. The Montgomery club has more than 225 members, the average age between 40 and 50 years old, said Foster, 31, of Montgomery Village.
Hams resisted the Internet, but many now embrace digital technology and the Internet in advancing the abilities of radio, allowing for not only audio data to be sent over radio waves, but also text, e-mail and map data.
"The people of amateur radio are never content with just buying a box," Pitts said. "They want to open it up and see what they can make it do."
"Sometimes, we hams, we like to geek it up," Foster said.
Chris Duncan, 29, of Gaithersburg is one of the younger members of the club. He uses his basement ham radio to chat with local hams and people from as far as Lithuania and Japan.
Duncan, known on his radio as "AD4G," the unique call-sign issued to him by the FCC when he was licensed, became interested in ham radio at age 6 after his father picked up the hobby. He was licensed by age 14. He owns several ham radios and a 45-foot tall antenna located on the side of his house that allows him to make contacts with more distant hams.
The draw, he said, is the innumerous possibilities of who you can contact.
"It's like a crapshoot," Duncan said. "You can get someone in Rockville or in Italy."
Ham it up
Antenna farm: A large piece of property that allows a ham operator to erect large antenna towers.
Boat anchor: Very large, often older radios that are built with thick metal and heavy parts. Most often they are restored antique radios.
Rag chewing: Longer conversations over the radio as opposed to a quick contact lasting only a minute or two.
Shack: a ham's home or designated area where they operate their radios.
73: "Best regards"
Source: Jason Foster and www.qrz.com
