Ham Radio Gives Physicians Long Reach

Abstract

MENTION “HAM RADIO,” AND images of whiz kids in the 1940s surrounded by electronic equipment comes to mind. But it continues to play an important role in the 21st century, especially during major disasters, when other conventional means of reaching help fail, and on a much smaller scale, when it enables physicians to offer lifesaving instruction to those facing medical emergencies in remote places like the high seas or isolated rainforests. Although ham, or amateur, radio may seem anachronistic in a day and age when one can communicate via cell phones, the Internet, or wireless handheld devices, there are an estimated 675 000 operators in the United States and 2.5 million worldwide. For many, ham radio (the origin of “ham” is unknown) is a hobby combining technical expertise with receivers and transmitters and an ability to chat with others, sometimes around the world. The cost of equipment is as little as $200, licensing by the Federal Communications Commission is $40, and knowledge of Morse code is no longer required for entry-level licensure. But for physician–ham operators, such as cardiologist Jim Hirschman, MD, of Coral Gables, Fla, their hobby may provide an unexpected lifeline under extraordinary circumstances. A few years ago, Hirschman, known by his radio tag, K4TCV (most ham operators go by their call letters), received an urgent plea through the Maritime Mobile Service Network, a collection of ham operators monitoring a specific radio frequency for emergencies. In this case, the emergency call came from a frantic Dutch couple, whose son had been shot in the abdomen and through the spine by pirates who attacked the family’s boat as they were sailing in the Gulf of Mexico, near the border of Honduras and Nicaragua. “The challenge was to determine how badly injured the boy was,” Hirschman said. “I stayed on the radio for over 12 hours through the night, to keep their spirits up until they reached a port in Honduras.”