LENDING A HAM EMERGENCY AMATEUR RADIO STATION TO DEBUT.

Byline: Helen Gao Staff Writer

GLENDALE - In the age of cell phones and widespread Internet access, amateur radio may seem like an antiquated technology and a hobby from a bygone era.

But in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, local amateur radio enthusiasts have found renewed meaning in their work of providing backup communication when regular technology is down or overloaded - as was the case in the immediate aftermath of the attacks.

``People are used to cell phones and pagers. You have to let them know all of these are very fragile systems that during an earthquake or terrorist attack can go down,'' said Joe Pardo, protocol officer for the Glendale Emergency Amateur Radio Service.

GEARS will hold a reception celebrating the completion of its new radio station in the basement of City Hall, 613 E. Broadway, during a public reception from 5 to 8 tonight.

Located in a small room next to where it was previously housed, the new station has been freshly painted, carpeted with soundproof material and furnished with new cabinets, workstations and donated laptop computers.

GEARS members have collectively spent more than 750 hours over the last year to complete it.

``We have been working on this as we have time at least once a month,'' said Jim Olliff, GEARS' city radio officer. ``We have a good time. People enjoy it. We all have a ball. In fact, it's the biggest problem getting out of here.''

On a recent evening, a half-dozen GEARS members were crowded inside the station working on the wiring. Each had arrived with his own tool cases after work.

Arranged along the walls of the station are seven workstations holding radio equipment tuned to different frequencies. Complementing the radios is a network of nine laptop computers donated to the group by Nestle Corp.

The new station also holds equipment that can transmit and receive digital data through radio frequency and will eventually be equipped with devices that can receive video images sent via radio frequency.

``We are going to try to get television link-up that is portable enough to take on a helicopter to transmit back,'' said Howard Shermer, who is GEARS' expert in what is so-called amateur television.

Amateur television, Shermer said, could provide incident commanders with visuals of a disaster scene for which he is coordinating emergency response.

Amateur radio enthusiasts, or ham operators, have special use of certain radio frequencies set aside for them by the Federal Communications Commission. They are licensed after they master Morse code and pass a test.

``Most of us have equipment at home or in our car,'' Shermer said. ``What motivates most ham operators is the technology. They enjoy tinkering with it. Ham radio has always been a training ground for engineers.''

In times of emergency, ham operators can set up within minutes. Pardo, for example, carries on his belt a small hand radio slightly larger than a cell phone. The radio has a keypad that he can use to call someone, similar to the way he would use a phone.

When a phone cable at Glendale Memorial Hospital was accidentally cut last March, local ham operators helped the hospital to get in touch with their doctors and people outside.

Considered part of the city's emergency response system, GEARS members participate in periodic drills held by the city's emergency personnel. Aside from emergencies, they also provide support services for local events, such as the Days of Verdugo Parade and Cruise Night.

``If something does happen, we are in the middle of it big time,'' said Olliff.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) Jim Olliff tests ham radios in preparation for tonight's debut of the emergency station in the Glendale City Hall basement.

(2) Fine-tuning of the ham radios in the new emergency radio station occurs Tuesday by Jim Olliff at Glendale City Hall.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News