Sometimes, things just work out right.

When the Kinston Amateur Radio Society (KARS) sought its license to broadcast from the CSS Neuse II on Saturday, June 1, during “Museum Ships on the Air” weekend, one of the available call combinations was KN4RAM.

I thought Jack McCowan must be the cleverest person in the world to pick such a clever grouping. After all, “KN” obviously stood for “Kinston” and “RAM” was part of the name of the original gunboat, the CSS Ram Neuse. Taken together, those letters and number mean “Kinston for the Ram Neuse.” What a fitting way to recognize our community’s labor to make the Neuse II a reality.

On Saturday, June 1, the CSS Neuse II sparked to communicative life for the third year in a row as KARS members set up a towering antenna on the dock beside the gunboat and established station operations down below in the crew quarters of the Neuse II.

June 1 was a busy day aboard the gunboat. Many of the 104 visitors who entered the Neuse II Saturday seemed captivated by these radio operators, called Hams. Visitors watched and listened to their strange language before moving on to the rest of the boat.

“CQ. CQ. CQ. This is KN4RAM,” an operator said into the microphone. “CQ” is Ham-speak for “general call” – the amateur radio version of “Can you hear me?”

 Other odd combinations include: “QSO” – “contact made”; “QSL” – “contact confirmed”; and the closing, “73” – “good luck.” For each QSL, the KARS will be sending a postcard acknowledging the contact. All men on the air are addressed as “OM” – “old man.” Women may be “YL” – “young lady” – or “XYL” – “ex-young lady.” Sometimes the YL or XYL receives a closing “88” – “hugs and kisses.”

Jack McCowan, a member of KARS, said the group has about 20 local members on its roster. He said KARS wanted to board the Neuse II in observance of Museum Ships weekend. The purpose of Museum Ship weekend is:

1)      To give members of local areas an opportunity to work with the Ham radios so they become more skilled operators.

2)      To allow members locally and around the world to have a designated time frame to do an activity they love to do.

3)      To promote museum ships.

More than 100 museum ships participated in the special weekend. For a ship to be considered a “museum ship” for Ham purposes, it must meet these requirements. First, the ship must not be an active ship. Second, the ship must exist and have operated as a ship, like the USS North Carolina in Wilmington.

KARS members received special permission to operate from the Neuse II under a third provision: If the group cannot operate from the ship itself, then the operators must be within sight of the original ship or broadcast from a suitable monument to that ship. The Neuse II meets both demands.

Jack told me the most far-reaching contact Saturday was northward to Canada, southward to Argentina, and westward to Texas and California. All told, KARS members made 240 contacts between 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

Amateur radio was originally established as a hobby. However, thinking of the word “amateur” to mean “less proficient” or “inept” is the wrong connotation. Some Ham operators are among the top engineers in this nation.

Even though the Internet provides communication around the world, since Ham radios employ battery power, operators can always stay in touch, even when the power grid and the Internet are down. Short-waves are never “down.”

While Ham operators derive enjoyment from using their radios, the clubs have a serious side, as well. The first communication that issued from the ravages of Hurricane Katrina came from Ham operators in New Orleans. Battery-powered Ham radios allowed operators to reach out to emergency and rescue responders and explain the situation from their locations in New Orleans.

If you are interested in finding out more about Ham radios and the local KARS, attend a meeting. KARS meetings begin between 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month at Little Jay’s on US 258. You can also acquire more information by visiting W4OIX.org.

Mike Parker is a columnist for The Neuse News. You can reach him at mparker16@gmail.com.