decorahnews.com profile: In touch with the world--from Decorah

Glenn Johnson on one of his ham radio towers

You can see for several miles from Glenn Johnson's house just south of Decorah.  But inside the house, you can be in touch with the world.

That's because Johnson's new home not only includes 68 acres of land on one of Winneshiek County's tallest hills, it includes includes nine antennas used for Johnson's ham radio hobby, including a main tower with a rotating base.

Johnson and his wife had been living in Bemidji, Minnesota since 1989.  He started working part-time at Winneshiek Medical Center in 2010, commuting to Decorah from Bemidji.  After a few years, he and his wife, Vivien, decided to move permanently to Decorah.  That required moving 910 feet of tower lengths, but it also gave Glenn the chance to design a ham radio studio from scratch. 

Johnson is what is termed an "SO2R," which stands for "single operator, two radios."  That means he swings back and forth between two ham radio set-ups in his studio, keeping track of what's happening on both systems.  He knows which frequencies to check at which times of the day.  It's a skill that has won him numerous ham radio contest awards, which are displayed on the wall of his new studio.

But it's not just the number of contacts that's important in ham radio contests--it also depends on where those contacts come from.  Johnson says he has cards confirming contact with 355 countries, which places him at the top of the ham radio "Honor Roll."

A third quality good ham radio operators must have is accuracy.  He says the operators strive for a "golden log," which is one with no errors.  That can be difficult during ham radio contests, many of which last for 48 hours in a row,.  "You get into the groove," he says of staying up and alert.

Glenn is getting ready for the most important contest among ham radio operators, which will be held the first week in December.  He will try to log contacts from fellow ham radio operators in the 40 zones set up worldwide, including the difficult to log "Zone #34," which consists of Egypt, Sudan and Libya.

Johnson became interested in ham radio at an early age, using his grandfather's ham radio system and getting a ham radio license at the age of 15.  As part of that process he learned Morse Code, which he describes as "talking with your fingers."

Ham radio is not just a hobby for Johnson, but a way to serve the public.  With other ham radio operators in Northeast Iowa, Southeastern Minnesota and Western Wisconsin, he works to pass along messages from storm spotters and other messages during emergencies.  He belongs to Orthopedics Overseas and every other year spends one month working in the Kingdom of Bhutan in the Himalayas, teaching medicine, but also teaching ham radio.  Other expeditions have been taken to such remote areas on the planet as Heard Island, Lakshadweep, Desecheo and Malpelo.

But with all the world travel, Johnson is looking forward to the day when he will retire and can choose between looking at the view out the windows of his new home--or entering into his ham radio studio in his home and spending as much time as he wishes being in contact with fellow ham radio operators around the world.

A view of the main tower, looking up from the base

The ham radio studio is loaded with equipment

Awards line the wall

Glenn Johnson seated in front of his ham radio equipment