Collier ham radio club tries to 'solve the world's problems'

It’s a hobby with a responsibility.

That’s how the 80 members of the Steel City Amateur Radio Club in Collier view the skill, science and enjoyment of participating in ham radio.

“It’s a fun place to hang out,” said member Robert Mente of Collier, who also is the emergency coordinator for the Allegheny County Amateur Radio Emergency Services.

“We try to solve the world’s problems.”

The Steel City Amateur Radio Club participated in the national Field Day exercise June 28 and 29 at its clubhouse, 208 McMichael Road. The annual event demonstrates how amateur radio works reliably under any conditions from almost anywhere in the world, to create an independent communications network.

In other words, amaetur radio is a tried-and-true method of communication, said Steel City President Ted Zeigler.

“When infrastructure has depleted … the one thing that does work is a wire radio and a battery backup,” said Zeigler, of Pittsburgh.

Ham radio has supplied a means of communications during emergencies, like the Johnstown floods of 1976 and the 9/11 terrorist attacks, said Art Mueller, of Mt. Pleasant Township, Washington County.

Mueller was a radio operator when he served in the Navy. He’s been a 60-year member of the Steel City Amateur Radio Club. He enjoys using Morse Code to communicate.

“It’s the original means of communication, and it’s very popular with hams,” he said.

One of four amateur radio clubs in Allegheny County, the Steel City club has a rich history: it’s the oldest of the four. It officially became a club with its own property and clubhouse in 1941, Zeigler said.

And even in a world of instant text messaging, phone calls, video chats and more, amateur ham radio still plays an integral role in communications.

That’s why Mente doesn’t think ham radio’s going anywhere. In fact, he thinks the field will flourish.

“We have a bright future because of the advancements of technology,” he said.

Locally, amateur radio operators provide communications support for large-scale, pre-planned events, such as the Pittsburgh Marathon and the Great Race, Mente said.

“It was really rewarding,” said Steel City member Cullen Bennett, who volunteered with Steel City to provide communications with the marathon this year. “Even as simple as keeping the medical staff up to date on how the race was progressing. … It was really neat.”

Ham radio was the fastest means of communication at the marathon, Bennett said.

“It’s an event I would definitely do again,” said Bennett, of Pittsburgh. “If you’re going to do a hobby like this, being able to give back is something I want to do.”

In addition, ham radio operators provide storm reports during severe weather events to meteorologists at the National Weather Service office in Moon Township through the Skywarn program. There, ham radio operators provide meteorologists with accurate and timely weather warning information from their boots-on-the-ground reports.

But when they’re not volunteering at event scenes, reporting severe weather, pitching in to help communications during natural disasters or trying to solve the world’s problems, the family-like club simply enjoys communicating with others. They’ve made connections worldwide.

“I enjoy other countries like France and Italy,” said 38-year club member Gloria Child, of Castle Shannon. “I like to see how they live. This is a cheap way to see how other people live.”

The Steel City Amateur Radio Club is accepting new members, Zeigler said. Public meetings are held every Wednesday at 7 p.m. except the third Wednesday of the month.

“It’s an international hobby,” Mueller said. “We’ve talked to just about every country in the world.

“We communicate. It’s what we do.”