Chip, K7JA & Ken, K6CTW as they appeared on the Tonight Show

A Response to the Exposure of Amateur Radio on NBC's Tonight Show

To Whom It May Concern and or Jay Leno,

I wanted to let you know how much I appreciated the "Dinner for 4" segment with the speed contest between the amateur radio operators with the Morse code and the cell phone text champions on Friday May 13. It shows that when all else fails, Morse code comes to the rescue for speed and accuracy. Remember the 1996 movie "Independence Day" where that old fashioned code saved the world? Of course that movie was fiction but in reality if our government and commercial satellites fail, that movie is not too far from the truth. Of course it is of paramount importance to emphasize that ham or amateur radio or what ever you want to call it has always kept up with the state-of-the-art in electronic hardware. Some hams do play with tube radios but there are very rare indeed. Remember the movie "Frequency". That film really didn't bring out the truth of today's typical amateur or ham radio operator. Most radio amateurs have very advanced equipment with computer interfaces. In most cases the radios in use today have advanced microprocessors installed and most likely have performance levels greater than the most modern communications equipment that the government and commercial interests are using. Ham radio is into various types of digital communications both voice and data. As a matter of fact, some of the most advanced commercial and government communications technologies were probably developed by hams.

Hams are into space today with their own satellites. Just about all of the astronauts and cosmonauts hold valid amateur radio licenses and of course there is a ham radio station aboard the International Space Station. Those space hams have set up schedules to communicate via their orbiting amateur station with school children around the country to encourage youngsters to enter the hobby and promote science and technology. There is no doubt that the amateur radio community is promoting and succeeding in integrating more young people into this rewarding and fascinating hobby and service. Yes I did say service.

Amateur radio is a service when dedicated hams volunteer their talent to provide emergency communications during times of natural disasters such as weather related events and earthquakes, and of course acts of terrorism. When almost all commercial and government channels failed after the attacks of 9-11, Amateur radio came through. Hams also provide communications for public service events such as marathons. They are there to provide a vital service by passing along messages in regards to medical and safety scenarios that often come up during such activities. They work very closely with organizations such as the Red Cross. Hams provided the only reliable communications links when the earthquakes and tsunamis hit southeast Asia in December.

There is no doubt in my mind, amateur radio is here to stay and it's exposure on the Tonight Show was most appreciated. By the way I'm just an ordinary ham and do not represent any commercial interests. I enjoy and love being apart of a great hobby and service. Remember when you cut up the amateur radio pie, the equipment is just a small slice, the remaining portion is the dedicated people. That is what our hobby and service is all about.

David Billeci
WA6UHA
San Francisco