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Ham Radio To The Rescue.
Devry Chicago's ham radio volunteers went into overdrive to help in the aftermath of the California Bay- area earthquake, and a WGM-TV news team came to campus to capture this local action for the 5 o'clock news of October 19. These DeVry/ Chicago hams were a key conduit of information for Americans across the country after both the earthquake and Hurricane Hugo.
DeVrys head ham, Professor Jim Georgias, recalls: 'On Wednesday after the quake, we had already hooked up with a SanFancisco station and the Stanford radio club in Palo Alto. On Thursday when WBBM visited, we just continued with what we were doing which was basically taking outcoming calls from people in the affected areas and giving their messages to worried relatives in this area. We also handled some in-coming traffic, but that's harder to do.'
'You hate to make the news only because of a disaster, but that's when our ham radio capabilities can really come into play," Jim observes. Students Godfrey Henry and Ralph Bloom, alum James Malone, and some outside volunteers joined Jim in handling both incoming and out-coming traffic for hours on end for almost a week.
The operators field outcoming calls from the affected area, take the information, and then turn to 'landlines" or, telephones to relay the message to relatives. The hams work with the International Red Cross and have an efficient emergency system. In fact, Jim says, 'We are often the only means of communication in a natural disaster. What happens,' he explains, 'is that normal communication lines are vulnerable; when they break down, ham radio is a ready alternative. And I'm proud to say that the hams really respond in an emergency. While most people think of ham radio operators as amateur enthusiasts exchanging ideas around the world
Chicago's head ham, Professor Jim Georgias says the real reason ham radio exists is 'because the federal government recognizes its value in emergencies and the FCC authorizes our frequencies. We are a valuable resource of trained operators in an emergency. We were even part of the communication network called into play after the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986.
DeVry/Chicago has had a ham radio club for 15 years. Jim has been here for 20. He's been a ham for more years than that. 'I got into ham radio in 8th grade," he says, 'and this hobby steered me into a career in electronics.
Many DeVry/Chicago graduates have developed a sense of career direction from the same hobby, Jim notes. "At least 15 graduates have found full-time jobs with Motorola in the last three terms, and primarily because of their experience as hams.
DEVRY offers exams at the Chicago, Lombard, and Phoenix. For the past year, Jim has even been in charge of testing in Mannheim, Germany, where monthly exams are given for U.S. armed services personnel and German citizens interested in obtaining an FCC license. The VEC program pays for itself in testing fees, plus, Jim points out, it has a valuable public relations function because it brings many outsiders onto Devry campuses. For example, 'Some 20 people a month come to the Lombard campus for testing.
Even better is the thanks he received from relieved relatives after the recent hurricane and earthquake. Between teaching his ET courses and handling his various ham radio responsibilities, Jim knows no such thing as a regular workweek. -'It is just what my Dad always told me. You get paid for working eight hours a day, but you work 10 hours for yourself."
You can bet that hundreds of Chicago-area residents are glad Jim Georgias and his fellow hams share this unselfish attitude.
DeVrys Amateur Radio Society has 20 members and a "ham shack' in Room 331 on the third floor. The equipment is kept in good repair and updated thanks to funds allocated by the Student Activities Organization. The club also offers computerized Saturday courses towards obtaining an amateur radio FCC license.
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