Amateurs Share Joy Of Dashes And Dots

Ham Operators Also Demonstrate Hobby's Usefulness

David Wiesen's hand moved quickly to tap out a series of dots and dashes. "CQ," he tapped in international Morse code that translated roughly to "Anyone want to talk?"

The pause was momentary; he heard a responding series of dots and dashes. Success! In an instant, the 75-year-old Reston resident had made contact with an Ohio radio operator. Seconds later, a Canadian responded.

The drill was part of a demonstration by the Vienna Wireless Society, a group of ham (or unpaid) radio operators who take pride in using minimal materials to communicate with people around the world.

Wiesen's contacts were the first of thousands that the group expected to reach, on radios set up in tents, by the end of the demonstration at 2 p.m. today. The event at Burke Lake Park in Fairfax Station ran all night.

"It's fun to be able to come out with a battery and a radio and a hunk of wire and talk to somebody," said Peter Norloff, 48, of Oakton, who helped coordinate the event. "If you are really lucky, you can talk to a passing astronaut," as some did during a demonstration in March.

Ham radio operators across the country are spending the weekend practicing their skills and showing them off to people who drop by. For the Vienna group, it also was an emergency preparedness exercise and a chance to show that the hobby remains vital despite waning interest.

When phone and Internet connections are knocked out during natural disasters, people who operate ham radios often help set up communication lines for such groups as the Red Cross. During the weekend drill, the group had to set up generators and all its equipment in less than 24 hours and keep them operational for another 24 hours.

"Internet is nice, but as soon as a hurricane comes through and knocks down telephone poles and the cell towers, etcetera, nothing works," said Mike Toia, 69, of Great Falls.

Toia first learned about ham radio as a boy visiting his uncle, an Italian Catholic who used one to listen to services broadcast from the Vatican. During the drill, Toia used solar-charged batteries to power his radio. Groups logged connections and got bonus points for using Morse code or alternative energy sources.

Amateur radio operators pay $200 to $300 for a radio that can reach local operators and $500 for one with international reach. Longtime members of the group have entire rooms in their homes dedicated to their radios, said Ray Johnson, 75, who founded the group 44 years ago in his Vienna basement. He has said he confirmed contact with operators in every country except Yemen.

Most of the club members picked up the hobby when they were kids in groups such as the Boy Scouts.

"It's still fun to listen to the scratchy [sounds] and listen to the sounds from far away," said Len Hook, 58, of Bristow. "For a 12-year-old kid, it's pretty exotic stuff."

As a child, Hook took apart his electric train set and built his first radio with the parts so he and his best friend could communicate in Morse code after bedtime. He has become so good at deciphering Morse code that he had no trouble translating the dots and dashes as he sat in his green tent.

Although the group is made up mostly of retired men, the wonder of ham radio also extends to younger members, such as Matthew Pepper, 26, of Oakton.

"In a sense, it is just kind of magical that you can talk to someone and there is nothing between you," he said.