Ham radio aficionados surf the airwaves in Shoreham to reach across the world — and beyond

More than a century after Nikola Tesla experimented with wireless transmission technology at his Shoreham lab, a group of amateur radio operators gathered at the historic site Saturday to demonstrate how radio waves are among the most reliable forms of communication and could provide critical lifelines during emergencies. 

The Suffolk County Radio Club set up six temporary antennas at the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe to participate in the American Radio Relay League Field Day, an annual exercise that draws more than 31,000 ham radio operators. During the 24-hour event, operators take to the airwaves to contact as many other participating stations as possible through brief exchanges naming their location and call signs.

Held since 1933, the field day event is a chance to show off technical skills, science, emergency preparedness and public service, according to the ARRL.

In Shoreham, club members installed a temporary antenna where Tesla’s 187-foot Wardenclyffe Tower once stood. Nearby, a 400-watt solar panel leaned toward an overcast sky, charging batteries that powered the radios as operators logged contacts with stations hundreds and thousands of miles away.

“We’re very focused on building community, allowing folks to see what radio can do,” said Dustin Finn, 49, the president of the Suffolk County Radio Club. “This becomes a test for everybody. Can we get everything together? Can we work together? It’s all in the name of preparedness.”

The location was significant for Jeff Velez, 47, of Middle Island, who considers Tesla a personal hero. A longtime volunteer at the nonprofit science center, Velez said Tesla laid the foundation for radio communications.

The science of radio is “truly magical” to Velez.

“What we’re transmitting from here is leaving the antennas at the speed of light,” he said. “In an instant, your voice can wrap around the world.”

The exercise is also intended to simulate real-world conditions that operators may be faced with after earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and other disasters that can wipe out cell and internet service.

That was a key reason Susan Pfautsch, 65, of Calverton, got her amateur radio license two years ago.

“I figured in case of survival, and cellphones don’t work, who are you going to call? You never know what’s going to happen,” she said in Shoreham Saturday.

Seven miles south of the Tesla property, two other radio clubs — the Order of Boiled Owls of New York and the Radio Central Amateur Radio Club — broadcast during field day from the Longwood Estate in Ridge.

Temporary antennas, batteries and wires snaked around the property into a nearby barn where about a dozen club members were setting up for a 2 p.m. start.

“The idea is this is what could be set up no matter what the infrastructure situation is,” said Mel Granick, of Syosset. “Internet goes down, cellphones go down. Ham radio doesn’t go down.”

A retired radio broadcaster, Granick said it’s fulfilling to provide a public service in case of emergencies. But part of the thrill is also using simple technology to communicate across the world, or even connect with the International Space Station.

Granick still remembers putting out a call signal one night and hearing a reply from an operator in Kathmandu, Nepal. “It’s a phenomenal adventure,” he said.

The 77-year-old still has a competitive spirit, and hoped to top the roughly 2,000 communications the group made during last year’s event.

He was well on his way. Within 30 minutes of donning a headset and starting to speak his call signal, Granick logged 42 contacts, spanning “hams” from Delaware to Quebec.