The ham's wide world

Lynn Poole identifies the equipment in Johns Hopkins University's ham radio "shack," (station W3GQF, for students with amateur radio licenses) and shows QSL cards from around the world. A film clip shows the International Geophysical Year Expedition's ham radio shack (KC4USA) in Antarctica. Dr. Edward Krieg, ham radio operator (W3CAY) and surgeon at Bon Secour Hospital in Baltimore, shows a film clip of a ham radio operators' "field day" and explains some of the ham radio lingo, such as "CQ" for hello and "7-3" for goodbye. He notes that some hams specialize in Morse code, a requirement for getting a radio license from the FCC. A film documents the DX (distance expedition) of six ham operators who sail to Navassa Island to set up a ham station (KC4AF) there. During the four days on the island, they made over 7,000 contacts in 75 different countries before going QRT (off the air). Another film shows the amateur ham operators' free emergency network to assist disaster organizations. Sam Harris' Rhododendron Swamp VHF Society of amateur ham experimenters is featured in another film clip. Perry Klein, a teenager credited with bouncing a signal off an artificial satellite, explains how he did it and plays a recording of the signal. He calls this form of communication "high frequency satellite scatter" or "satellite bounce." Klein recommends to viewers the book "How to Become a Radio Amateur." A film clip shows Joe Pratt, a homebound polio victim in Baltimore, MD, using his ham radio to make friends. Dr. Krieg concludes the program by promoting the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) and their publication "QST."