Abstract Observations with the Australia Telescope Compact Array revealed intrahour variations in the radio source PKS B1322-110. As part of an optical follow-up, we obtained Gemini H α and H α continuum (H α C) images of the PKS B1322-110 field. A robust 19 σ detection of PKS B1322-110 in the H α −H α C image prompted us to obtain the first optical spectrum of PKS B1322-110. With the Gemini spectrum we determine that PKS B1322-110 is a flat-spectrum radio quasar at a redshift of z  = 3.007 ± 0.002. The apparent flux detected in the H α filter is likely to originate from He ii emission redshifted precisely on the Galactic H α narrowband filter. We set upper limits on the emission measure of the Galactic plasma, for various possible cloud geometries.