LINVILLE — Imagine for a moment that a natural disaster has struck in Avery County. Electricity is out, communications towers are down or jammed and cell phones are as useful as a paperweight. When such catastrophe strikes, communication becomes a precious commodity.
Source: When all else fails: LLH hosts amateur radio enthusiasts – News – Mobile m.averyjournal.com/news/when/all-else-fails-llh-hosts-amateur-radio-enthusiasts/.
Accessed on 05 February 2017, 23:45 hrs, UTC, Post #113.
Reporter: Matt Debnam (“Avery Journal”).
Please click link to read the full story.
Comment:
While many radio amateurs are content to participate in the once-a-year ARRL Field Day in the last full weekend of June, many hams, such as those belonging to the Carolina Amateur Radio Club and the Lincoln County Amateur Volunteer Communications group, double up their emergency preparedness efforts with a second Field Day in January to test their communications skills when weather is cold, wet, and uncomfortable.
Such was the case on 28 January 2017 when a group of North Carolina radio amateurs met at the Linville Harbor area to stage a Winter Field Day. In this well-written report from correspondent Matt Debnam, we learn what goes into such an enterprise and why club members practice their communications skills regularly.
Event organizer jim Crisco told the “Avery Journal” that “if they need us in an emergency, everybody throws their equipment in the car; we go somewhere and throw up an antenna, set up our equipment and get on the air.” Crisco says many local hams are members of public service agencies and appreciate trained operators in emergency situations. Also, local hams work with the Skywarn program to keep the National Weather Service appraised of rapidly changing climate conditions.
This article describes just one of many Amateur Radio groups that go the extra mile in rendering service to their communities. If you want to help your community in times of need, why not become an ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service) volunteer and make your operating experience count for something more than a QSL card or performance certificate? Contact the ARRL for more information.
For the latest Amateur Radio news and Information, please visit these sites:
https://oahuarrlnews.wordpress.com.
https://bigislandarrlnews.wordpress.com (this site).
https://kh6jrm.blogspot.com (Simple Ham Radio Antennas).
http://www.kh6jrm.info (breaking news for radio amateurs).
Other sites of interest:
http://hawaiisciencedigest.com (science and technology news for radio amateurs).
https://hawaiiintelligencedigest.com (latest trends in geopolitical intelligenge, strategic forecasting, terrorism, and cybersecurity).
Please send your Hawaii Island Amateur Radio News items to kh6jrm@arrl.net at least two weeks prior to your event so I can notify our local print and broadcast media in a timely manner.
Opinions expressed in this blog are mine unless otherwise stated.
Thanks for joining us today!
Aloha es 73
Russell Roberts (KH6JRM)
Public Information Coordinator
Hawaii Island, ARRL Pacific Section
