By Caylie Moore, Features Editor
On Saturday, Gadsden Amateur Radio Club hosted its 17th annual Hamfest at The Venue at Coosa Landing from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The convention — which featured trade shows, flea markets, door prizes and licensing exams for current and future amateur radio operators — welcomed dozens of vendors and over 300 radio enthusiasts, making for a lively get-together of like-minded people from all walks of life.
Amateur radio, also known as ham radio, is a non-commercial communication service and technical hobby that allows amateur radio operators from across cities, countries and even oceans to connect with one another using designated radio frequencies. That said, amateur radio operators — who are more commonly referred to as hams — are anything but.
Features Editor Caylie Moore spoke with a handful of the vendors and attendees to get an idea of what role ham radio played in their lives — and just how long they had been involved in the ham world.
Michael Reaves of J.O.T. Solutions, a company that specializes in engraving and 3D printing, was eager to explain his own involvement in the hobby. “Ham radio has always been an interesting subject to me, but I never knew about conventions like this one,” he stated before detailing just how he came to be a featured vendor at Gadsden Hamfest.
“My coworker is a huge ham radio enthusiast, and he said he was going to a thing called Hamfest in Huntsville. I told him that sounded pretty cool, and he suggested that I go to [Gadsden Hamfest to] engrave stuff. He explained that ham radio operators love having their call sign engraved on everything,” Reaves said. “Usually, I do things like door hangers for teachers, business cards for businesses, keychains, journals — a little bit of everything. So it just seemed like a natural fit.”
As a final note, Reaves added that he was incredibly fascinated by the items at the other tables — radios, radio parts and radio books — and hoped that he got a chance to look around before the event ended. “Next year, if things go well, I would like to come back again.”
Chatt Radio, a ham radio shop based in Chattanooga, TN, came out to Gadsden Hamfest along with Horizon Antennas to support local hams — something that they had already been doing for three years, as Jim Gifford would explain to Moore.
“We wanted to come down here and support our friends,” Gifford stated. “Really, we’re just here to have a good time.”’
When asked about his own personal interest in ham radio, Gifford was happy to tell his story. “I started out at a young age in shortwave listening. Then, when I was in the military, I had a lot of free time at night, so I would listen to shortwave radio — again — just to see where and what I could hear,” he explained. After getting out of the military, an older man — a good friend of Gifford’s who has since passed away and was known by the call sign KF4AWP — worked with Gifford to help him get his ham license.
As for how Chatt Radio came to be, the answer was simple after that. “I have a mechanical contracting business in Chattanooga — Southeast Company, Inc.,” he said. “About six years ago, I was looking for another little hobby-business, so I started out small [concerning Chatt Radio]. But it just blew up.”
Gifford went on to explain some of the ins and outs of ham radio technology, including pricing, equipment, functions and so forth to Moore, who had a lot to learn about the hobby and could see that he was a man in his element.
“[Ham radio] is cheaper than the new iPhone, and there’s no monthly subscription!” Gifford concluded with a hearty laugh.
Jimmy Killian of Killian’s Electronics, a business in Fort Payne, also had a history with ham radio that started when he was very young — at just 8 years old. “I knew what I wanted to do as a young kid. I got into electronics and started reading encyclopedias at about 8. It was just a God-given talent,” he said, before connecting his affinity for electronics and his current love for ham radio. “FM radio just fascinated me, and I got struck by lightning as a young kid — twice — playing with the radio!”
Still, Killian’s love for electronics and ham radio never waned. “I got really interested in amateur radio about 15 years ago and got my license. I was president of the DeKalb County Amateur Radio Club for 13 years, and I only just stepped down from that position this past year,” he stated. “After that, I started to help with testing and selling other people’s gear. All the gear I have here is from one individual — he had dementia and passed away, so his wife asked me if I would take on and sell his equipment for him. I chose to do that.”
As for what drew Killian into Gadsden Hamfest specifically, location and community were the most important factors. “It’s the fact that it’s local to our area. I’m from northeast Alabama, so this is local to me.”
On the Monday after the event had ended, Moore spoke with Dr. Delton Hartzog, President of Gadsden Amateur Radio Club, who had a lot to say about Hamfest and how he had gotten to where he was currently.
“Our Gadsden Hamfest has been in existence since 2009, which makes this our 17th year.” But Dr. Hartzog was proud of more than just how long the event had been running, and he gave a rundown of just how many people it had brought together and all of the positive things they had to say. The event only continued to improve each year, he noted.
“We estimated that 275 people attended last year in 2025, and our numbers were up to 319 [this year]. We had a very good attendance, and the comments were very positive from all of the attendees — who came from Etowah County; Alabama; and all through the Southeast. They loved the venue.”
The appeal of ham radio for a lot of those enthusiasts was easy to see, Dr. Hartzog added.
“You can use ham radio to communicate from the top of a mountain, in your home, behind the wheel of your car — all without relying on the internet or cell or telephone networks. You can take radios wherever you go. In times of disaster, for instance, when regular communications channels fail, hams can swing into action and assist in emergency communications efforts by working with public service agencies.”
“A lot of people think that amateur radio is obsolete, but it’s anything but,” he explained. “There is so much new technology that has come to our hobby in the last few years, especially since the advent of computers. You can communicate using voice, code or computers, all via radio. You’re really not using the telephone lines at all!”
For Dr. Hartzog, though, the appeal of ham radio was more than just practicality. “I’ve had an amateur radio license since 1962. I’ve been in it since I was a teenager, and it never loses its appeal.”
Then, as one final note, he added, “There is a world of people sitting out there waiting to talk to you. You can meet anyone on ham radio. You can talk to people from all walks of life. It’s an all-inclusive hobby.”
Perhaps, Moore is left to wonder, that sense of “all-inclusiveness” is why so many radio enthusiasts from all over the Southeast and all walks of life turned up for Gadsden Hamfest.
To those interested in learning more about amateur radio, Dr. Hartzog encouraged them to visit k4mjc.com — the website for Gadsden Amateur Radio Club, which is local — and arrl.org — the website for the American Radio Relay League, which operates nationally.
