European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 24, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                If at Yin a a a Ham radio station temporarily Sot up at Frankenstein Castle near Darmstadt Germany attracts curious visitors. Erich David left Tony Avitua and Earl Claus of the Wiesbaden Amateur radio club Man the to Talon amid the Castle ruins. A scoreboard lists some of the countries the club contacted Aurig the weekend expedition. Ham fans Send messages around the world by Brent Stinski staff writer t hey be been at Frankenstein Castle for most of the weekend some for 46 hours straight on a picnic Bench near two Grey Ham radios sit four Coffee thermoses empty. Burnside the Castle near Darmstadt Germany the members of the Wiesbaden Amateur radio club still Bustle. One member climbs atop a Castle Wall to Check a 30-foot Antenna the group has set up. Another hunches near a Black radio and chirps Quot number three foxtrot radio from Delta America number one a so Quot its All in the name of Amateur radio the pastime that Quot has a worldwide subculture hooked on it like 6-year-Olds on a new Nintendo game the Hobby where a radio the size of a dictionary reaches another anywhere on Earth. Quot we re ambassadors on the air Quot says Stephen Hutchins 45, a Ham fan for 14 years and president of the Wiesbaden club. Quot the other hams hear us and we represent America. Often we re the Only impression they  Hutchins and eight others from the 80-member club Are amid their second annual weekend radio Hon the Quot expedition Quot to Frankenstein Castle. Quot do Quot incidentally stands for Quot Long distance Quot in the language of Amateur radio. And-Tbey-mean-Longaccordiog-4o-a-gar4board------ Quot scoreboard Quot the group has tuned in about 200 radio operators from around the Globe a Lebanon Tasmania Illinois. Clubs worldwide go on such weekend radio hons to see How Many places in the world they can reach they often choose Sites with romantic names a say Frankenstein Castle a to entice listeners to respond. Sgt. Scott Schmith member of the Wiesbaden club and army communications specialist says group members Don t compete with each other for numbers of contacts. A of course there Are always going to be a few Guys. Saying hey i got 65, hey i got 75,�?T a he says. But underneath the fun lies a serious Core say Amateur radio its. If a Hurricane should Pluck Telephone poles from the ground Ham radio hobbyists will Rush to open communication. If a fire or earthquake should cause phone lines to plug up with concerned callers they la relay messages telling if loved ones Are of. Quot we concentrate on our ability to set up near an emergency or in the Field where you would t have Power says Hutchins. Quot we use portable Power so we can carry our equipment right to the  but the Hobby has its less dramatic sides. Ham fans must memorize packets of codes and master Complex electronic equipment. The Crux is simple though. The radio usually about 100 Watts uses an Antenna to Bounce a signal off the ionosphere a layer of the sky about 400 Miles above ground. Any operator Able to pick up the signal can reply although voice signals and Morse code Are most widely used radio its can Send digital signals which allow two computers to talk to each other. Quot there s a lot involved especially when you go to set up your own station. But you can always ask for help. Most Amateur radio its Are eager to help Quot says Schmith Quot yol can Leam it if you just take it one step at a  b u to be careful a you May get  ask. Hutchins. When he played pedal steel guitar in a country music band he says he did t know a spark about electronics. Quot sometimes i would have to repair my amplifier so i could keep the show going Quot he says. Quot i wanted to learn More so i went to the Library and got a Book on electronics a i just kept  Milt Gallaher a 71-year-old resident of Gross Umstadt. Germany and army communications specialist for 20 years was in love with radio Waves before Ham technology was available. Quot when i was 8 my folks gave me a Crystal set Quot he says. Quot i was Happy about getting just one radio station off of  american prospective radio its in Germany must get an acc License by passing a multiple Choice test on radio regulations the acc License allows radio its to acquire a German equivalent. European authorities do not test for the . License but some clubs such As the one in Wiesbaden can administer the examination. Finding out How to take the test is harder than passing it Ham fans say. The United kingdom Germany Spain and Italy All have different regulations for getting a License. The Best advice find a radio St to help you. Many of them can be found at stores that sell the equipment and some even have stickers on their cars displaying their Call signals according to Hutchins most radio its Are eager to help or give advice. New Ham radios Cost from $500 to $3,000 antennas Are $200 to $500 but Hutchins says prospective radio its can begin with a $500 to $800 used set. Quot its been done cheaper than that too Quot he says noting that some patient shoppers have bought used equipment for As Low As $300. The Cost is Worth it says Gallaher. Quot i talk to people All Over the world Quot he says. There s nowt Ere in the world 1 can t  Friend. A amps photos by Dave Didio a Lett club members installed a portable Antenna in the rubble of the centuries old Castle. One of the transceivers the Amateur radio its used during their a cdx Pedit Lon a w for More information on Ham radio in Germany Call Dagmar Mulligan of the 5th signal command at 06241 Jio pc in Fritz Zuehlke Lefta local German Ham watches As Scott Schmith of Wiesbaden operates a radio teletype station from his car. Page 14 a the stars and stripes the stars and stripes a Page 15