Route 66 Goes On the Air

A unique international amateur radio event, “Route 66 On The Air,” sponsored by the local Northern Arizona DX Association (NADXA), will be coming to town Sept. 6-14, and will welcome more than 10,000 amateur radio operators to connect across continents to celebrate Route 66.

Marking its 26th anniversary, this special event began in Flagstaff and has since grown into a much-anticipated, worldwide tradition. Much of the global interest stems from Northern Arizona’s historic connection to the iconic Mother Road.

Longtime Flagstaff resident Bob Wertz, who was born in Illinois, said he has been interested in amateur radio most of his life, with many of his extended family members involved in the hobby as well.

Wertz, whose call number is NF7E, is very involved in publicizing and coordinating the Route 66 On the Air event. “It seems the entire world knows about the Mother Road. We have had calls from Europe, Asia, Russia, Australia, New Zealand and have talked to more than 100 countries about it.”

Even remote locations like the Canary Islands and far-away places like South Africa are calling, he says.                         

Wertz became an amateur radio operator after he moved to Flagstaff to run a Goodyear dealership, which he operated for 30 years before retiring in 2004. He was first licensed in 1976 and later joined NADXA.

The NADXA club was started in 1985 and has never been large, Wertz said, but it is one of the most active clubs in Arizona. Today, there are 24 members and four honorary members. The club participates in a number of events each year, including the Quartzfest in Quartszite in January, the annual February celebration at Lowell Observatory to honor the anniversary of the discovery of Pluto, and the Flagstaff Hamfest and the annual Amateur Radio Field Day in June.

Amateur radio is also known as Ham radio and amateur radio operators are called “Hams.”

The designation “Ham” was a term originally coined by landline telegraphers as a derogatory slang term to refer to amateur operators who they thought had poor skills, as in “ham actor.” Amateurs adopted the term and began using it to describe themselves and their hobby. 

There are more than 21,391 Ham radio operators in Arizona, according to the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), and more than 700,000 in the United States.                                                                 

Ham radio uses the radio frequency spectrum for purposes of non-commercial exchange of messages, such as wireless experimentation, private recreation and emergency communications.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

The logistics of the upcoming radio extravaganza are impressive. Radio operators in NADXA will operate from their home stations and from two mobile rovers, including Rover #2, parked about three miles west of Parks.

“When they call out on the airwaves with something like, ‘CQ CQ CQ, this is W6T on Route 66,’ thousands of operators around the world try to respond at once,” Wertz said.

These moments of intense on-air excitement are called pileups, and for many hams, “they’re the thrill of the chase,” he added.

Radio operators across the globe will tune in and attempt to contact each of the 23 specially designated stations along historic Route 66. The FCC issues a unique call sign to each station for the event, beginning with W6A in California and continuing to W6W across the country.                           

According to a NADXA press release, the Route 66 event was such a stunning success in its first two years that the club quickly outgrew its ability to manage it by itself. “That’s when the Citrus Belt Amateur Radio Club in San Bernardino, California, stepped in and took over coordination,” the release stated. “Thanks to their dedication, the event has thrived, and today, hams across the globe eagerly try to contact all 23 participating stations stretching from Chicago to Santa Monica.”

Wertz recounted how the idea for Route 66 On The Air had its origins 26 years ago. “Our club decided we needed a special event to keep us ‘radioactive’ back in 1999. One idea was operating from the Grand Canyon, but we decided that was too far to take our equipment up for nine days, so a member, Jerry Ellison, suggested we go to downtown Flagstaff and operate from there on Route 66. I am proud to have said, ‘If we are going to do that, let’s get clubs lined up all along Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica and have many stations on the air for this event.’”

There was some debate over which cities should participate along the route. “That’s when then-club president Jerry Conover offered a clever idea: Include all the towns mentioned in the classic song, ‘Get Your Kicks on Route 66.’ That bit of musical magic led to partnerships with Ham clubs in those very towns, setting the foundation for what would become a global phenomenon.”   

The public is encouraged to participate. “People are welcome to stop by our communication trailer in Parks and we can explain how it all works,” Wertz said. “We have three radios set up in our trailer. We will have licensed Ham radio operators to explain how we make the different stations work, and we will be glad to coach visitors in making some of those contacts. Some of those contacts may come from neighboring states or across the globe, like Australia, China, or places like the Canary Islands. [And] they all speak English!”       

Radio operators who manage to connect with multiple stations during the event can qualify for a special certificate. Last year alone, the Route 66 stations logged more than over 70,000 global contacts, many of which included Flagstaff’s W6T, W6G, and W6S, according to the event press release.                         

In addition, the local club created three collectible QSL cards, each representing one of their operating stations. Individually, each card features a section of a map of Northern Arizona, but when lined up together, they reveal a full map showing the locations of Flagstaff and the coverage area of each rover. The trio also forms a whimsical Burma Shave-style roadside sign, with the final message only readable once you’ve collected all three cards.                     

“I think ham radio appeals to all generations and seems to be growing, especially with the technological age,” said Wertz. “Hams have now linked the computer to their radios and can make contact with others doing the same. This is fairly new and it resulted in hearing signals below what the human ear can hear. In emergencies, that is priceless! It has been called the best hobby on the planet and can lead to so many different aspects like electronics, communication, geography, emergency support, experimentation and even space. Just about every astronaut has a ham license.” FBN

By Betsey Bruner, FBN

Courtesy Photo: Northern Arizona DX Association Past President Mike Hanks visits with President Lou Arminio as Ron Gerlak talks to a visitor.