Friday, June 26, 2009

HAM radio makes a comeback locally

GILBERTSVILLE — Residents are invited to a demonstration of the effectiveness of amateur “ham” radio operators during a special event this Saturday.
The Pottstown Area Amateur Radio Club will be demonstrating amateur radio at 500 Countyline Road from 2 to 6 p.m. as part of Amateur Radio Week sponsored by the American Radio Relay league.
Using only emergency power supplies, ham operators will construct emergency stations in parks, shopping malls, schools, back yards throughout the country.
Their slogan: “Ham radio works when other systems don’t,” will be demonstrated as they send messages without phones, the Internet or any other infrastructure that can be compromised in a crisis. More than 30,000 amateur radio operators across the country participated in last year’s event.
During Hurricane Katrina, ham radio operators were often the only way people could communicate.
For more information, go to www.emergency-radio.org or e-mail Reginald Leister at N3KAS@ARRL.NET.

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