Bob Romanko has loved radio since he was a kid.
“I built my first radio with a safety pin, an eraser and a piece of quartz I got out of my driveway when I was a cub scout in second grade.”
He’s done many things since then.
“I’m a stone mason, I’m a jazz keyboard player, I’m into computers, I repair everything that moves.”
But nothing has captured his imagination like ham radio – getting a license from the FCC to operate his own little station using a section of the airwaves not claimed by AM, FM or first responders.
“Radio is anything that uses electromagnetic waves, and electromagnetic spectrum is huge. You know we have blue tooth. Every home and property these days seems to have wifi. 5G, 4G -- there’s no wire there. That’s radio!”
Using repeater stations available to the public, he can transmit from his sun porch to other hams, and by bouncing signals off the Earth’s atmosphere Romanko can speak to the world.
“CQ, CQ, CQ calling 20 meters, this is Alpha Kilo 4 Bravo Romeo – AK4BR. Calling CQ 20 meter and listening. (static) I’m ringing a bell across the world. Anybody who hears that signal can come back with their call sign.”
At this moment there is no response, but Romanko’s heard from thousands of hams over the years, and today he adds a new location to the very long list of places he’s traveled virtually.
“Oh my goodness. Look what just came up right here. Easter Island! You can go all over the world with this hobby. Let me just show you my logbook in a very short period of time, just from where you’re sitting right now with an antenna – a wire up in a couple of spruce trees: Algeria, Argentina, Aruba – yes, Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Croatia. This was a neat contact, because this guy in Croatia lived 60 miles from where my mother’s family is from, so I’m like, ‘Are you kidding me?’”
Many hams have special interests. Some talk to the international space station. Others take part in contests – attempting to reach all 50 states for example, or set up in parks using batteries or generators to send and receive messages where cell service may not reach.
“There’s a gal named Mary down in Florida in a swamp!”
And in the event of an emergency, amateur radio buffs can be central to rescues and relief.
“Of course the hurricane in Puerto Rico – many, many hams were activated and played a big part, because that country’s cellular network totally went down. They had no cellular network whatsoever.”
Romanko adds that most conversations between hams center on matters less urgent.
“They’ll talk about the weather, or they’ll talk about their equipment.”
There are an estimated 700,000 ham radio operators in this country – 20,000 here in Virginia. This weekend many of them will demonstrate the power and pleasure of their hobby with the annual field day – setting up and reaching out for 24 hours. Bob Romanko, who is president of the Albemarle Amateur Radio Club, will take the midnight shift.
“Our club will probably make over 2,000 contacts in a 24-hour period.”
Volunteers will be on hand to explain how to get licensed, how to create a home set-up for a few hundred dollars and to coach first-timers on the air. To find your nearest field day for hams, click on this link https://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator. Residents of Albemarle County can join the festivities from 2 p.m. Saturday to 2 p.m. Sunday (June 24 and 25) at the Earlysville Volunteer Fire Station, 283 Reas Ford Road, Earlysville.