In the age of instant communication at the touch of a button, the idea of chatting over the old ham radio system sounds like a charming hobby for tech geeks and the nostalgic.

Yet, despite all the modern advancements that have us chained to our mobile devices 24/7, technology fails from time to time, as Hurricane Gonzalo recently reminded us.

At times such as these, ham radio operators really spring into action. Ham radios, otherwise known as amateur radios, can be used virtually anywhere on the planet bouncing signals off the ionosphere. They can communicate anywhere from the middle of the ocean to the top of a mountain, given they have battery power.

So when the US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) was scrambling for local, on the ground information as Gonzalo made its approach, the “hams” were on call to keep them in the loop, providing everything from anecdotal accounts to technical weather information. Using local operators via the Hurricane Watch Net and Hurricane Net channels enables HNC forecasters to better predict a hurricane’s course and intensity.

Canadian-born Bermuda resident John Stevens was the first to confirm to the NHC that Gonzalo had made landfall on the Island and his work was later credited by the centre.

His report, which included barometric pressure observations, made the 9pm AST Tropical Cyclone Update just after Gonzalo hit, and he continued to send regular reports after the storm had passed. As well as anecdotal information such as rainfall and wind direction, Mr Stevens was able to confirm to the NHC when the winds first reached hurricane force. He also told them when the eye of the storm landed and passed, and continued to deliver hourly check-ins. While Mr Stevens was not credited by name, there was an NHC report that credited a “Bermuda Amateur Radio operator with providing valuable information”.

Mr Stevens told The Royal Gazette: “When I got the confirmation I’d been mentioned in at least one of the updates from the National Hurricane Centre, I thought it was pretty cool. I thought I’d made a decent contribution despite having no [Belco] power. There’s a bit of satisfaction and sense of accomplishment, I’d say.”

Mr Stevens, along with several other Bermudians and Bermuda residents, were mentioned on QRZNow.com — a website dedicated to promoting and assisting amateur radio operators from around the world.

They included Craig Nikolai, a relative newcomer to the ham community, as well as veterans Glen Cuoco and Ed Kelly.

Mr Kelly, a Bermudian who obtained his ham radio licence in 1968, was also involved in informing the NHC about Gonzalo, not to mention countless storms in the past. He has the distinct advantage of having his own weather station in Hamilton, allowing him to relay solid weather data from his own measurements. According to Mr Kelly, his barometric readings have never strayed more than a tenth of a millibar from the Bermuda Weather Service’s readings.

Hams clearly prove their worth during island-wide power outages, yet there is little practical use that they have for Bermuda outside of that. An exception would be the Marion to Bermuda and Newport to Bermuda yacht race finishing line, where they are still dispatched to communicate with competing yachtsmen.

On a positive note, Mr Kelly said the hobby brings more people to the Island than any other form of media. The radio contest run by the Radio Society of Bermuda, an organisation formed in 1950, attracted thousands who were keen to have contact with Bermuda and send contacts from here.

With the exceptions of underground and underwater, operators are able to ping their signals to every corner of the Earth and beyond.

Mr Cuoco, who was licensed in 1975, once made contact with the Russian MIR station, which operated in low orbit above the Earth until 2001.

“I had a chat with one of the fellows on board,” he recalled. “It was a very quick chat because they were travelling so fast. He actually called me and when I heard him, I was shocked — I couldn’t believe it!”

In the past, Mr Cuoco was heavily involved with the Emergency Measures Organisation, working as one of its emergency contacts before cellphones “kind of messed things up”.

Amateur radio even has a station on the International Space Station and it was a spin-off of the amateur radio slow-scan television technology that allowed astronauts to send the first images from space.

There are about 20 amateur radio operators in Bermuda, many of whom are women. They come from all walks of life — doctors, teachers, photographers and, perhaps more predictably, IT managers. Worldwide, there are about two million amateur radio operators.

In an attempt to attract more to the hobby, the examinations have been made much simpler in modern times. Morse Code not only used to be a requirement for getting a licence, a student would have to send 500 Morse contacts before having a hope of qualifying. Morse is no longer a requirement and operators are making a concerted effort to attract new and young blood.

Now that Hurricane Gonzalo has blown away, so, too, has the usefulness of ham radio operators for the majority of Bermudians and Bermuda residents. But for the truly dedicated hams, innovations in the technology keep them as keen as the first day an amateur wave hit the moon.

“Some people use amateur radio just to talk,” Mr Stevens said. “But there are all kinds of facets to the hobby and, in some ways, the amateur radio hobby has been a pioneer for certain technologies — things such as GPS tracking. I do a lot of experimentation and try out new technologies that are available to us.”

Mr Cuoco added: “Because most of the guys who are amateurs are also professional technology people, every aspect of communications has been explored. As long as we are allowed to experiment, we are allowed to innovate. There aren’t really any limits.”

You can gain an amateur radio licence in Bermuda by visiting www.radiobda.com for more information.