Ham-ing it up on the radio

Torus Tammer

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- When Henry Lulli was a teenager in New York, his

friend gave him a contraption that was quite uncommon in the 1940s.

When it was in working condition and partnered with another instrument

called a crystal set, it could transmit radio waves into language. But

this one had an earphone that didn’t work.

Perturbed yet intrigued by the gift, Lulli went to a local supply

store and bought a crystal set, and for 12 pennies he completed what had

been an incomplete gift. The once-silent object was now alive with sound.

With a rush of curiosity, Lulli discovered the infinite world of ham

radio operating.

“The British have always called a radio a ‘wireless’ because the

signals travel through the air without requiring wire,” said Lulli, 75.

“But because we who were operating wireless radios were not

professionals, we were quickly labeled as hams or hamateurs.”

A Huntington Beach resident, Lulli is the founder of the Huntington

Amateur Radio Club, or HARC. The club convenes monthly at the Rodgers

Seniors’ Center in Huntington Beach. The 20-member club for seniors needs

fully functioning equipment, but that doesn’t stop Lulli from getting his

regular dose of wireless radio. He travels to the Queen Mary in Long

Beach several times a month, where he is one of the operators in the

wireless room.

Nora Webb, a former director of the senior center, recalls working

with Lulli.

“His club ran itself because the members were very competent,” Webb

said. “And, in fact, when I left, Henry and the club were working with us

on developing a site for the frail homebound, where they could use

wireless communication in case of an emergency, like earthquakes.”

Lulli came to Los Angeles in 1956 and went to work for Hughes

Aircraft. But he soon lost his job because he didn’t have a degree.

Without many options, he attended Cal State Long Beach, where he earned a

bachelor’s degree in mathematics. He took a job as an electronic lab

technician and later as a teacher. But throughout this period, Lulli

could not shake his interest in the world of wireless radio.

“It was tough to do this radio stuff,” Lulli said. “Between work and

school, I would try to go up on the roof and construct antennas and wires

but could never get enough time.”

It was only after his retirement in 1992 that Lulli formed a club for

serious ham buffs. The objective was to have a room with wireless

equipment accessible at all times, a place where seniors could come in

and talk to people all over the world. Although the group hasn’t quite

achieved its goal, the effort continues.

Thomas Farrell, a 91-year-old friend of Lulli’s and fellow ham

operator, said Lulli is the club’s “driving force.”

“Henry is very knowledgeable and can be quite enthusiastic -- to the

extent where it even rubs off on me sometimes, and I’ve been doing this

for over 70 years,” Farrell said.

Lulli’s love and passion for making wireless radio accessible to the

masses is matched only by his generous nature. In addition to keeping his

ham group going, he volunteers as a teacher at the Braille Institute. He

said the feeling of freedom and ability to communicate worldwide using

simple, somewhat forgotten technology is a treasure in today’s fast-paced

world.

“When you’re blind, the world is very limited -- but not when you’re

talking to someone on amateur radio,” Lulli said. “It’s magical to see

their faces light up, and all of a sudden their world becomes

limitless.”