After 39 years in law enforcement, the last 29 as the Perry County sheriff, Gary J. Schaaf knows a thing or two about how vital rapid communications are.

Schaaf is among the organizers of a meeting scheduled this week to gauge the level of interest in starting a new amateur radio club.

The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Mauve Room of American Legion Post No. 133, 98 Grand Ave. in Perryville, Missouri.

"A lot of people think (amateur radio) is sort of something for your grandparents, but it's not," said Schaaf, adding as a long-time law enforcement official, he acknowledges we're all living in the cellphone age.

"If I don't know a cellphone (number), I have no way of contacting folks," Schaff explained, adding, "if someone out there has a ham radio, I could have them go make contact and try to get them help."

Credit given

Schaaf is quick to praise the ham radio clubs in St. Genevieve, Missouri, and Cape Girardeau for their help in advocating this form of communication.

"Barry Doyle of the SEMO Amateur Radio Club in Cape has been up to Perryville several times to speak about ham radio and even taught a class," Schaaf said.

The Cape Girardeau club has 69 members listed on its website, semoarc.com.

Ham radio rationale

In a letter of invitation, organizers of a potential Perry County club wrote there may be many reasons to become a ham radio operator.

"Some may use (amateur radio) for fun, to easily communicate with friends and family members (and) to get involved in community events or for emergencies. Farmers use it and some companies use it to talk with employees in the field. Others use it in severe weather or when out hunting with friends," said the missive.

The invitational letter also notes the following:

"(Ham operators) can link to a computer or cell phone allowing someone to talk around the world. You can send pictures, messages and other data; you can communicate with astronauts on the International Space Station."

Cost

Schaaf said it doesn't cost all that much to get launched in this venerable form of radio communication.

"If you just wanted to get started, say in Cape Girardeau or Perryville, there are repeaters you can use once you learn how to program your radio," Schaaf said.

"I can talk to Cape from my (Perryville) home and to St. Genevieve. I do that quite often with a little five-watt walkie talkie that I bought online for around $30," he added, referencing inexpensive portable radios capable of operating on the VHF (very high frequency) and UHF (ultra high frequency) bands.

"Besides," Schaaf continued, "(ham radio) is like an internet you don't have to pay for."

Licenses

Ham (or amateur) radio is regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which allows for certification in three license categories.

Sheriff Schaaf has both his technician and general licenses, but the most advanced permit the FCC authorizes is an expert level called Amateur Extra.

In February 2007, the FCC discontinued requiring ham radio operators to pass Morse code proficiency tests, according to the not-for-profit Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL).