Ham Radio Club Invites Wildfire Survivors to Rebuild Stations With Donated Gear
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When wildfires tore through parts of Altadena and the Palisades in January, many amateur radio operators lost more than their homes. They also lost the equipment that kept them connected during power and phone outages — and pieces of a hobby that brought them community.
Now, the San Fernando Valley Amateur Radio Club (W6SD) is stepping in to help those hams rebuild their stations.
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“We’re probably the oldest Amateur Radio Club in Southern California,” Richard Frankie, president of W6SD, said. “We’re 70-plus years old.”
Why They Are Donating
Frankie said that he first joined the club as a teenager nearly 50 years ago and that he benefited from its mentoring and community. Today, he sees the donation drive as a way of extending that same helping hand to others.
The club maintains an inventory of radios, antennas, and accessories. Much of it comes from families of late members who donate equipment to the club. Over the years, W6SD has lent gear to newly licensed operators as they saved up the money to invest in their own stations. The wildfire donations, Frankie said, are an extension of that tradition.
“We’re a helping hand,” he explained. “We’re here to help everybody that needs assistance. The fact is ... if we’re capable of doing it, why not?”
The goal with this drive is to identify licensed amateur radio operators in Altadena and the Palisades who have lost equipment and match them with radios and antennas that can get them back on the air. Frankie noted that even a simple wire antenna can be built with modest materials, but radios are harder to replace. That is where the club’s lending and donation program comes in.
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Firsthand Lessons From Disaster Zones
Roozy Moabery, call sign W1EH, is the District Emergency Coordinator for the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) Northwest, and has seen firsthand why ham radios matter. He spent 13 years in the Marine Corps working in communications and now designs systems for police, firefighters, and hospitals.
“You just can’t get on a ham radio and use it without a license,” Moabery said, emphasizing that the first step for newcomers is passing the Federal Communications Commission exam. But once licensed, operators gain access to a system that does not rely on cell towers or internet infrastructure.
“The good thing about ham radio, and radio in general, is that it can work with or without infrastructure. Where your cell phones and some other communications products need infrastructure, such as cell towers,” Moabery said.
With radio, “all you need to do is, you know, turn on your radio, and if you could see it, you can hit it,” he continued.
Moabery recalled being near the Palisades fire when cell phones failed.
“My cell phone would not work. I did use my ham radio calling outside the area just to get directions, because the maps would not work on my iPhone,” he said. “I did on a couple of occasions during the fire, use my radio to call back into the San Fernando Valley, just so I could figure out how to get around the Palisades.”
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Amateur radio is also recognized by FEMA, the National Weather Service, and other emergency agencies. Moabery pointed to the Paradise fire in Northern California, when ham radio volunteers relayed information after infrastructure was destroyed, and to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, when operators from the mainland flew in with radios to send health and welfare messages back to families.
“Any way you can get information in or out is very, very important, and they can save lives,” he said.
Locally, Moabery’s ARES team supports hospitals and emergency operations centers. After the 2017 Northridge blackout caused by a substation fire, he deployed to a hospital where cell and landlines were out.
“I use my ham radio to call another ham radio operator, which is able to get in touch with the fire department downtown at their department Operations Center and tell them that we needed an EMS captain to show up at Northridge to help with the emergency department and transporting patients,” he said.
A Close-Knit Community of Support
Both Frankie and Moabery stressed that the amateur radio community is close-knit.
“It doesn’t matter what income level you are, what ethnicity you are, you have a common conversation,” Frankie said. “It’s a community with like-minded members, and it makes it much more of a social, communal relationship. And we are about helping. That’s what the hobby is about.”
For survivors interested in getting equipment, W6SD encourages licensed operators to contact the club through its website or Facebook page. Volunteers will confirm license status, assess equipment needs, and provide radios or antennas on loan or as donations. For those not yet licensed, training and exams are offered regularly through ARES and other groups, with mentorship available from the club once operators are on the air.
Moabery said licensing is accessible to anyone. He regularly runs one-day classes that end with the 35-question FCC Technician exam.
“My youngest trained operator, one time I trained, was a seven-year-old, and my oldest was 92,” he said. “It’s a full gamut of ages and people that are involved.”
LA wildfire survivors are still waiting to return home. Testing delays and contamination risks slow recovery, leaving families in limbo.
How to Donate Radios or Funds
Frankie said equipment donations are welcome. Spare handheld radios, base stations, antennas, and power supplies can be refurbished and placed with survivors. Monetary gifts help cover the cost of coax, connectors, and batteries. He noted that every bit helps restore normalcy for operators who lost their stations and are eager to help in case of any other emergencies, or who want to get back on air.
As Moabery put it, “We’re not there as ham radio operators to replace communications. We’re out there to supplement what’s out there or what’s been affected by the disaster.”
For W6SD, getting wildfire survivors back on the air is not just about supporting their hobby; it’s about strengthening resilience across Southern California and supporting their community.
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