Fox Television My9NJ.com

By Hank Flynn, @ChasingHank

Hunterdon County, New Jersey (My9NJ) — Paul Franson and John Crovelli up in Hunterdon County, New Jersey have been “Elmers” or amateur “HAM” radio operators since they were kids.

“I started when I was twelve or so in 1962,” Franson recalled.

“That was the thrill and remember this is before satellites, this is before internet, in our town this is even before dialed phone,” Crovelli explained.

Both men are retired and both compete in ham radio tournaments. Crovelli’s even going to the World Radiosport Team Championship this year which is a 24-hour event considered the Olympics of amateur radio. The objective?

“To make as many contacts around the world as possible in as many countries as possible and we have two-man teams,” he explained.

The communication is the thing for these guys and they can reach people anywhere in the world. Since they don’t know each other, most of the talk is about the gear and the signal.

The competition will be next month in Massachusetts and teams from nearly 40 countries will compete.

View the full video as aired on June 11,2014: http://www.my9nj.com/story/25749880/amateur-radio-enthusiasts-connect-around-the-world?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=10255689