![]() ![]() What are the ham operators transmitting during the Special Event Station? Why, 30-second-long bits of that light of the Knights, shining for all to see. The new Knight is a 10-year ham veteran who recently joined the Knights “once I retired and still want to volunteer to help.” Joseph Callavini of Liberty 1910 Council, Bridgeton, assists with the Special Event Station. All hams need is a radio, a battery and an antenna to transmit.” “Amateur radio is used in the early hours of a disaster when cell towers and telephone lines may be down. “It’s not just an old man hobby,” he said, chuckling. In this time of smartphones and Internet availability, amateur radio still holds an important place in the communications arena, Perrotti argued. Barry Goldwater, Marlon Brando, Joe Walsh, Donny Osmond, Priscilla Presley and Walter Cronkite. Famous hams include King Juan Carlos of Spain, Sen. The Vatican has its own amateur radio station (call sign HV5PUL) the patron saint of ham radio operators is Saint Maximilian Kolbe. Perhaps unfamiliar with the real meaning of the word, amateurs adopted it for themselves, and over time the negative connotation disappeared. Many powerful amateur stations could jam operations in an area, and their operators were dubbed with the derogatory “ham” label by commercial operators. Transatlantic transmitting and receiving tests began in 1921, and by July 1960, the first two-way contact via Earth’s Moon took place. To curb bandwidth interference, Congress passed the Radio Act of 1912, requiring amateurs to be licensed and restricted to a single wavelength the American Radio Relay League was formed two years later as relay stations were organized. The origins of amateur (“ham”) radio stretch back to 1901 when Guglielmo Marconi communicated across the Atlantic Ocean with a high-power radio device and giant antennas. Perrotti combined his passion for the Knights and ham radios to spearhead the statewide Special Event Station project, operating now through May 20. State Convention, Perrotti and his fellow hams are operating in frequencies ending in 127.Ĭourtesy photos Knights of Columbus District Deputy Thomas M. ![]() Hams don’t blindly broadcast, but rather have one-on-one conversations with other operators in honor of the 127th N.J. The member of Holy Cross Parish, Bridgeton, has been a Knight since 2011.Īfter approval from the Knights, Perrotti met with nearly a dozen Knight operators over Zoom, as well as alerting a number of publications to which amateur radio hams subscribe that a Special Event Station exists. Perrotti was licensed as an amateur radio operator in 1979, and currently holds an Amateur Extra license under the call sign of N2JIE. “This is a nice way to bring these two passions together.” Perrotti, who designed and spearheaded the project. “My hobby is ham radio, and I love the Knights,” said Knights District Deputy Thomas M. The project, known in amateur radio lingo as a “Special Event Station,” has been attempting to operate out of all five dioceses in the state until the last day of the 127th New Jersey State Convention in Wildwood. The New Jersey Knights of Columbus have taken some advice from the Gospel of Matthew, namely that their light (and good deeds) should not be hidden under a bushel basket, but instead set high upon a lampstand for all to see.īeginning May 5 and running through May 20, the Knights have been operating over several amateur radio stations statewide under a special amateur radio call sign, K0C (K-zero-C) with the dual intent of sharing their philanthropic deeds and encouraging Catholic men to join the fraternal organization. ![]() Perrotti, Knights of Columbus District Deputy, shares some of the QSL cards (postcards) he has received over the course of his four-plus decades as a ham radio operator.
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