Ham radio operators putting on a show in SP

KQ6EA may look like a license plate number to many, but to Jim Jerzycke of Torrance it's a key to the world.

That's Jerzycke's call sign for his amateur, or ham, radio, and he displays it proudly on the license plate holder for his SUV.

Jerzycke and about 50 other ham radio operators showed up Saturday at the United Radio Amateur Club's Field Day demonstration at Angels Gate Park in San Pedro.

Ham radio operators are in San Pedro for a 24-hour marathon that ends at 11a.m. today. The more people a contestant talks to, the more points he or she gets.

They also score for generating their own power, attracting influential people like politicians, making satellite contact and getting publicity in the local media.

There's no prize for winning, just the knowledge that, if necessary, the old technology of radio waves can step in if disaster strikes and snazzy new ways of communicating like the Internet and wireless phones go down.

"Not only can you be of service to your community, but a service to the world," said Roger Freely, an emergency communications officer for Los Angeles County.

He noted that ham radios were critical for people trying to communicate during disasters like Hurricane Katrina, the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia.

The technology's flexibility makes it an option of last resort if all other forms of communication are knocked out, said Bill Heather of Norwalk.

"We can come out at a moment's notice," he said.

Heather bristles at the notion that ham hobbyists are old fogies clinging to an outdated technology. Amateur radios have advanced over the years along with other technologies, he said.

"This stuff is far from amateur," he said.

Jerzycke says he loves to build things from scratch and experiment. At the Field Day, he powered his radio technology with a solar panel on top of his car. He was also experimenting with sending pictures out over radio waves.

Jerzycke says the United Radio Amateur Club operates completely on a volunteer basis. Ham radio operators are under contract with the FCC and cannot receive any kind of pay or reimbursement for their services.

"We're not out for glory," Jerzycke said. "We're here to serve."

Heather says he gets a thrill talking to people from different countries around the world, like the time he was able to connect to JY1, the call sign for King Hussein, the then-reigning monarch of Jordan.

The two exchanged only a brief signal report, but to Heather it shows that there are no rich or poor on the airwaves.

"It promotes international goodwill," he said.

diana.britton@dailybreeze.com