Paul Bunyan Amateur Radio Club

• Who we are and what we do
• Club officers
• Ham Radio Classes and Examinations
• Repeaters we operate
• How to join our club
• How to get in touch with us
• Why are we called "Hams"?

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The Paul Bunyan Amateur Radio Club is a club comprised of over 60 licensed Amateur Radio Operators who meet monthly to exchange ideas, improve their radio skills, organize activities that are of service to the area, promote the development of Amateur radio activities and join together in the mutual interest in Ham Radio. Some of our club activities include:

• Public Service:
  • SKYWARN: in cooperation with the National Weather Service, we provide severe weather spotting for Beltrami County and Northern Hubbard County. Many of our club members carry SKYWARN pagers to permit immediate activation of our storm spotter teams whenever severe weather threatens our area. Our spotters are in direct radio contact with local emergency officials and the National Weather Service.
  • Providing radio communications support to local events (parades, marathons, etc.).
  • Providing emergency radio communications support for local emergency response officials in the event of a local, county-wide, or state-wide emergency (tornado, flood, or other severe weather emergency; search for lost persons, community disaster, etc.)
• Engaging in group ham activities, such as the annual amateur radio field day, contests, and special events.
• Providing local amateur radio classes and license examinations to all persons interested in the amateur radio hobby.
• Elmers: hams who help newly licensed hams get their radio stations on the air are called "elmers". Our members are always willing to assist other hams with radio equipment selection, antenna selection and installation, and any other advise and assistance needed. We enjoy introducing people to our hobby and are willing to help in any way we can. Just ask!

All amateur radio operators must be licensed by the Federal Communications Commission. At present, there are three (3) possible license classes that an amateur radio operator may hold. Technician, General, and Extra. To earn each license class, the amateur must pass a written examination. As the amateur progresses from the beginning class of license (Technician) to the highest class (Amateur Extra), the operating privileges increase.

The Paul Bunyan ARC is committed to providing all possible assistance to anyone who desires to earn an amateur radio license and progress from the Novice license to higher licenses. We regularly offer training sessions for the Novice, Technician, and General class licenses. Following each training course, we conduct FCC-sanctioned amateur radio exams where the students, and others from the community, can pass the required tests to earn their amateur radio licenses.

To register for amateur radio training, contact us directly: Paul Bunyan Amateur Radio Club, P.O. Box 524, Bemidji, MN 56619-0524 or by e-mail.

To register for an amateur radio examination, contact us directly as shown above.

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At present, we operate two-meter repeaters located at:

Both of these repeaters are open to public use. The Lengby repeater is "hot linked" to the Bemedji repeater to provide better coverage for amateurs in counties to the west of Bemidji.

We also operate and maintain a portion of the 440 Superlink system that enables hams to connect with repeaters throughout Minnesota and South/North Dakots using low powered two-meter radios.

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Come join our club! All hams and non-hams are welcome to join the Paul Bunyan ARC. As a member, you will be included in all of our public service activities, and ham radio events. Annual membership dues of $25.00 for a single membership, $30.00 for a family membership, or $5.00 for students of all ages provide financial support for our repeater operations, public service and emergency communications activities, and ham radio classes.

New members are welcome to join at any club meeting - or - you may join by mail by sending your annual dues along with your name, address, and amateur radio call sign to:

Paul Bunyan Amateur Radio Club
P.O. Box 524
Bemidji, MN 56619-0524

If you are a ham, you can contact us through our local repeater. Just put out a general call for anyone who can put you in touch with one of the club officers.

By mail:

Paul Bunyan Amateur Radio Club
P.O. Box 524
Bemidji, MN 56619-0524


or by e-mail.

Why are we called "Hams"?

There are at least two explanations for how amateur radios operators came to be called HAM's.

Explanation #1:

"Ham: a poor operator. A 'plug.'"

That's the definition of the word given in G. M. Dodge's The Telegraph Instructor even before radio. The definition has never changed in wire telegraphy. The first wireless operators were landline telegraphers who left their offices to go to sea or to man the coastal stations. They brought with them their language and much of the tradition of their older profession.

In those early days, spark was king and every station occupied the same wavelength--or, more accurately perhaps, every station occupied the whole spectrum with its broad spark signal. Government stations, ships, coastal stations and the increasingly numerous amateur operators all competed for time and signal supremacy in each other's receivers. Many of the amateur stations were very powerful. Two amateurs, working across town, could effectively jam all the other operators in the area. When this happened, frustrated commercial operators would call the ship whose weaker signals had been blotted out by the amateurs and say "SRI OM THOSE #&$!@ HAMS ARE JAMMING YOU."

Amateurs, possibly unfamiliar with the real meaning of the term, picked it up and applied it to themselves in true "Yankee Doodle" fashion and wore it with pride. As the years advanced, the original meaning has completely disappeared.

Explaination #2:

In answer to the age old question, how did the term "ham" get started Bill WJ2L/4 sends along this article: Written by WA4HLW -

Three turn of the century members of the Harvard Radio Club, Albert S. Hyman, Bob Almy, and Peggie Murray, named their station Hyman-Almy-Murray. When they tired of tapping out such a cumbersome name, they changed it to Hy-AL-MU. About a year later, confusion resulting between signals form amateur wireless HYALMU and a Mexican ship named HYALMO prompted them to condense the name to HAM.

In the days before regulation of radio, amateur operators chose their own frequencies and call letters. Because they had strong signals - some better than commercial stations - interference became a problem. Congress got busy imposing legislation to severely limit amateur activity.

In 1911, Albert Hyman went to Washington to speak out against the controversial Wireless Regulation Bill. He became emotional when he told committee members that the bill would force them to close their little HAM station, since they wouldn't be able to afford the licensing fees and other regulatory expenses.

The bill passed, however, and amateurs and other private stations were restricted to wave lengths that were considered of little value. But nationwide publicity, characterizing the little HAM station as the underdog fighting against government regulations and greedy commercial stations, associated amateurs with the stations's name. The work stuck and now amateur radio operators throughout the world are known simply as "hams".

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