'CQ, CQ, CQ DX....'

"CQ, CQ, CQ DX," comes across the radio. A radio operator from another state or sometimes even another country calls any long-distance station, gives his call sign and awaits a response. I answer with my call sign, using only 12 watts of power and a minimal antenna, and he hears me! We talk, exchange tidbits of information, say our 73s (well wishes), and then listen again as we await that next radio call.

I must admit I found it amazing! How could an operator using an inexpensive and low-powered radio and a make-shift antenna talk to other radio operators on the east and west coasts, in Canada, on Caribbean and South American islands and even in Australia? But it happens when the conditions are right.

On Sunday evening I listened to the Australian side of a conversation with a U.S. radio operator comparing poisonous snakes and spiders in the two regions. It was interesting, and I believe I'd rather go hiking here than there. Because conditions were right, I could listen in on a conversation which spanned the world

And what are conditions? Conditions can be influenced by weather but are much more dependent upon the ionosphere. Conditions are usually considered best when the electrons in the ionosphere become charged and bounce or refract radio waves -- even low-power radio signals -- back down to earth a great distance away. Some days conditions are poor and the radio falls silent for long periods of time. But at other times, the radio comes to life with radio operators making contacts with people across the nation and around the world.

Because the radio waves skip between the earth and the ionosphere, there are zones that can't hear my transmissions or be heard. An east coast radio operator coming in loud and clear in Arkansas might be talking to another Arkansas radio operator only 40 or 50 miles away, but only the long-distance operator can be heard because the local operator's signals skip right over and come down hundreds of miles away. And when conditions change, the transmission areas which can be received change as well. I heard more Arkansas operators while on a recent trip to northern Kansas and southern Nebraska than I do when in Arkansas. And, I was able to answer radio operators in some regions across North America I seldom can reach from home.

Though it varies by radio frequency, the needed conditions usually are generated when the sun's rays pass through the ionosphere, and conditions continue to fade after sunset and are their poorest just before sunrise. Thus, a quiet radio in the early morning hours can be full of chatter from Europe and the east coast as the sun rises. At evening time, it is often the west coast stations and stations in the Pacific islands or Australia that can be heard. And though on some days and at some times, it is difficult to answer anyone, conditions change and even the smallest radio can be used for long-distance communications.

And the radio operators are a unique breed, devoted to their hobby. One operator in Vermont lives on the east side of a mountain. He regularly pulls a home-made antenna on a trailer to the top of the snow-covered mountain and raises it up so he can talk to radio operators to the west of his home, including Arkansas and stations all the way to the west coast.

Another radio operator in Washington State is in a soldier's home but was allowed to bring his radio and stay in touch and pass his time talking with like-minded people around the world.

Antennas vary from the large directional beams mounted on housetops and small towers to wire dipoles and loops strung in trees or in attics. It's a lot less about power than being matched to the right antenna and having the right conditions.

Many call from their cars and pickup trucks and some from hand-held portable radios in a variety of places. When the conditions are right, their signals come into Arkansas from the freeways in southern California, a yacht in a west-coast harbor, from downtown New York City and from the beaches of south Florida.

And even though much of the talk is about radios and antennas -- a common interest between operators -- conversations are often informative, sharing unique weather conditions and other tidbits of news and information with a perspective one might not otherwise hear from commercial broadcasters.

When I hear of the traffic snarls faced by motorists in New York City or Boston, it makes the little traffic slowdowns in Northwest Arkansas seem insignificant. When I hear the negative temperatures in Canada, the sub-freezing mornings in Arkansas seem mild. And when I hear the conversations of operators in Europe or the southern hemisphere, I am reminded that people around the world really do have much in common.

As one seasoned operator in the Mojave Desert regularly says, its not about being the loudest and the proudest but about listening, being courteous and helpful and making the hobby enjoyable for all. And it is enjoyable. QRT.

Randy Moll is the managing editor of the Westside Eagle Observer. He may be contacted by email at [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author.