(Photo by Amber Phipps) An example of a radio set-up from the 1960s along with a telegraph key and amateur radio guide booklet.

VIENNA — World Amateur Radio Day is celebrated on April 18 to recognize the formation of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) in 1925.

To celebrate, the Parkersburg Amateur Radio Klub set up an antenna and collection of radios at the Grand Central Mall in Vienna for passersby to learn more about.

Originally named the Blennerhassett Amateur Radio Club in the 1940s, the group was formally renamed as the name it has today.

“Klub with a K and it’s not that we can’t spell but it’s K for the letter in Parkersburg,” said club President Larry Dale.

Dale has been a devoted member for 60 years and joined when he was only 14 years old. His neighbor introduced him to the ham radio walker which immediately sparked his interest.

(Photo by Amber Phipps) Larry Smith discussed the radio system he has set up at home and how he constructed the antenna himself, which he has used to contact people in other countries.

He switched his focus to commercial radio before working as an engineer and then transitioning into radio announcing for 25 years.

“The IARU and the International Telecommunications Union and all of these organizations are nonprofit and they’re advocates for the hobby,” said Dale. “They work through lobbying and legislation to protect this hobby.”

The IARU started out with involvement of around 25 countries and has since expanded into roughly 160 societies around the world. Radio club members work to keep the hobby alive in a world of constantly shifting focus and technology.

“We’re hoping to get the kids interested so they can carry on the hobby,” said Parkersburg Amateur Radio Klub member Larry Smith. “There’s no point in learning all of this information if we’re not going to take the time to share it with others.”

The Parkersburg Amateur Radio Klub had plans to partner with Parkersburg South High School’s STEM program and get students connected.

(Photo by Amber Phipps) The radio runs entirely off of batteries and doesn’t require internet connection. The packet contained call numbers of licensed radio communicators around the world.

“Our first attempt was a huge success, and we went over during the solar eclipse and set up stations on the campus,” said Dale. “We were monitoring radio signals during the eclipse to see what kind of an effect it had.”

Dale explained that when the sun’s rays are interrupted or out of sight, the ionosphere becomes ionized which allows for the radio frequencies to reach even further distances.

“If you ever use your AM radio in the daytime, you only hear local stations on the air, but at night when you turn the AM radio on you’ll be listening to stations from Chicago and New York and Boston,” said Dale.

Members of the Parkersburg Amateur Radio Klub showed interested individuals at the mall how to use a telegraph key for Morse Code and compared radios from the early 1960s to now.

Smith pulled up his website to show some of the images of the operation station he built in his home with frequencies that reach across the world.

(Photo by Amber Phipps) Klub President Larry Dale showed a passerby how to use the telegraph key for Morse code.

He explained how in situations when cell service and the internet have failed, the radio rose to the occasion. He said that it has proven to be helpful during crisis events such as natural disasters when the internet is disconnected.

“We’re able to help out our communities when the internet crashes or cell service fails,” said Dale.

According to Smith, when all else fails, the amateur radio gets through.

(Photo by Amber Phipps) The Ham Radio Open House was held at the Grand Central Mall on Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. People could stop by the stand to learn more about the Parkersburg Amateur Radio Klub and the importance of broadcast radio.