Directors: Dylan Lewis (’13) and Lauren Meeker

TRT: 23 min

What is an amateur radio operator? What role does the amateur radio operator play in the community? Why, in the age of cell phones, the internet, and instant communication is the amateur radio community growing stronger? This film explores a range of activities of the amateur radio operator, from day-to-day communication to vital participation in emergency communications. Some operators interested in radio theory are always fixing, modifying and building their own radios and antennas. Others want to play a role in maintaining communication during an emergency. If the power were to go out, cell phones, computers and the internet would all be compromised. The only people with the ability to communicate would be ham radio operators. As many serious and technical aspects as there are to the hobby, there are also people who just want to talk to people from all over the world. While all of these people utilize the radio in different ways, together they form their own community. Through an ethnographic approach to filmmaking, we explore the language and culture of the ham radio community.

Screenings:

  • Minds at Work, Student Research Symposium, SUNY New Paltz, May 3, 2013