Amateur Radio Club

Rich Erickson was born and raised on a farm in Fresno, California and received his amateur radio license in 1963 after two years of radio shop class in high school. He graduated from Fresno State with a degree in broadcasting and received his first class radiotelephone license after three semesters of electronics.

Erikson then worked as an engineer and technical director at the local ABC TV affiliate. He served six years as a HF radio repairman in the California Air National Guard after a moving to Southern California along with working for the local ABC TV Network, followed by 30 years in the video/film post production industry. Erikson received his extra class radio license in 1980.

Erikson joined the LW Amateur Radio Club in 2011 and is the past president, a RACES member and a former crew member of the Queen Mary “Wireless Room.” He currently conducts many of the net control drills for the Radio Club and for the General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) and Family Radio Service (FRS) drills on Wednesdays.

Erikson hopes that more people will get involved because volunteers are needed from every Mutual to assist during emergencies. Anyone interested in Ham, GMRS and FRS are welcome to attend a club meeting. The LW Amateur Radio Club meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 10 a.m. in Clubhouse 3, Room 9. For more information, call 562-431-6586, ext. 2409, or go to www.lwsb.com/amateur-radio-service-club/.

The Radio Club has a GMRS and FRS practice drill Wednesdays at 9:30-9:45 a.m. on Channel 18-0 (channel subject to change). FRS radios are license-free. GMRS radios require a license, transmit with more power and can communicate over longer distances. GMRS licenses cost $35, covering a family for 10 years.

Rich Erickson in the radio room.