This fall marks the inaugural semester of Calvin’s Ham Radio Club, connecting Calvin students to ham radio operators across the globe.
Ham radio is a form of communication that works without cell towers or the internet, using radio waves for local or long-distance contact. Operators use transceivers, antennas, and different modulation methods such as AM, FM, SSB, Morse code, or digital modes to send voice, text or data. Because it connects stations directly, ham radio can still operate during power or network outages. Ham radio combines physics, engineering, and human creativity to connect people when modern networks fail.
Ryan Deaton, a sophomore and the founder of the new club, is a General Class operator who knows firsthand the thrill of global connection. Ryan and the club spoke to an astronaut on the International Space Station with the club during Cokes and Clubs in September.
Deaton founded the club with guidance from Professor Derek Schuurman, a computer science professor and Amateur Extra Class license holder. “Most large tech schools have a ham club,” Schuurman said. “We just needed a core group of students who shared that spark, and this year, it caught on.”
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issues three levels of ham radio licenses: Technician, General, and Amateur Extra. Tests are offered locally in Lowell and downtown Grand Rapids every month. The process is simple, with free online study materials, and the initial license costs only thirty-five dollars. Once licensed, renewals and upgrades are free. Calvin’s club helps new members prepare for their tests, though a license is not required to attend meetings.
According to Schuurman, the last known ham radio club on Calvin’s campus dated back to the early 2000s. Today, the new club has eleven members, and every one of them already holds a license.
Despite its depiction in popular media, ham radio is not just for apocalypse preppers. “Some people like the survival angle, sure,” Deaton said, “but the hobby is much larger than that.” And far from being obscure, ham radio is thriving.
According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), there are over three million licensed operators worldwide, with nearly one thousand in the Grand Rapids area. “Once you start looking, you’ll notice antennas and specialty license plates that display your amateur radio call sign everywhere,” Deaton added.
Schuurman believes this is the perfect time for ham radio’s comeback. “It’s not just about technology,” he said. “It’s about service, helping in emergencies, monitoring weather, and building community.”
The club plans training nights, license prep sessions, and hands-on workshops. Several radios and accessories have already been donated by the Grand Rapids Amateur Radio Club, and members are working on projects like building antennas from tape measures and PVC pipes. “Those projects make the science click,” Schuurman said.
Schuurman hopes to establish a permanent antenna on the roof of the Science Building, open to the Calvin community for live demonstrations. Future plans include a fox hunt, a friendly competition where teams track down a hidden transmitter using directional antennas, and participation in national Field Day weekends where operators across the country practice emergency communication.
Competitions and scholarships are also on the horizon. According to the National Association of Amateur Radio (ARRL) Foundation Scholarship Program, licensed operators can apply for awards ranging from $500 to $25,000. The club hopes to eventually field a team in regional and national contests.
For Schuurman, who first got his license as a teenager after building crystal radio sets, ham radio still carries that beginner’s magic. “You never know who will answer when you call out into the air,” he said. “Some nights, your signal bounces off the ionosphere and lands halfway across the world. That unpredictability is part of the joy.”
For Deaton, it’s about connection. One of his most cherished keepsakes is a postcard he received from operators in Curaçao and Morocco, proof that radio, at its heart, is about people.
The Calvin Ham Radio Club is open to everyone, with no fees, no experience required. If you’re curious, send a message to [email protected] and come hear the sound of the air for yourself.
