ladyjade3
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http://nwanews.com/bcdr/News/74875/
BENTONVILLE - Ham radios remain an important tool even in a cell phone world.
During a disaster when cell phone towers were damaged or there was no power, how could an area communicate with the outside world.
The answer: amateur or ham radio.
Ham radio operators in Benton County joined thousands across the country that held exercises Saturday to demonstrate their emergency communication abilities.
The annual event - called "Field Day" - is part of the week-long Amateur Radio Week, sponsored by the National Association for Amateur Radio.
The Benton County Radio Operators set up Saturday at Memorial Park in Bentonville near the intersection of John DeShields Boulevard and Martin Luther King Drive. The event will last until 3 p.m. Sunday.
Loren Lawrence, the vice-president of Benton County Radio Operators, said cell phone towers only handle a subset of subscribers and some callers will not be able to get service if to many people are attempting to make call.
Cell phone towers could be damaged in a disaster and the loss of power could also prevent an area from being able to communicate, Lawrence said.
Sometimes in dealing with disasters it's necessary to go back to the basics of ham radios, according to Brad Clement, the president of the Benton County Radio Operators.
"You can talk to someone next door or thousands of miles across the world," Lawrence said.
Lawrence has been interested in ham radios since he was a child. His father had a ham radio.
Clement also became interested as a teenager.
"You could talk to people all over the world and it's held my interest since then," Clement said.
Lawrence said ham radios can be used daily, but they can play a vital role in disaster situations.
Both Clement and Lawrence said ham radio operators were able to keep the lines of communication open during Hurricane Katrina.
Marshall Watson, the director of the Benton County Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, said local ham radio operators serve as storm spotters for the department, but can also assist with communication efforts in case of a disaster.
"Emergency messaging with ham radios has proven invaluable in disasters time and time again," Watson said.
Watson described ham radios as one of the last lines of communicating with the outside world. "With high frequency radio we can communicate around the world, even in the middle of a disaster," Watson said. The club meets at 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month at the Rogers-Lowell Chamber of Commerce
BENTONVILLE - Ham radios remain an important tool even in a cell phone world.
During a disaster when cell phone towers were damaged or there was no power, how could an area communicate with the outside world.
The answer: amateur or ham radio.
Ham radio operators in Benton County joined thousands across the country that held exercises Saturday to demonstrate their emergency communication abilities.
The annual event - called "Field Day" - is part of the week-long Amateur Radio Week, sponsored by the National Association for Amateur Radio.
The Benton County Radio Operators set up Saturday at Memorial Park in Bentonville near the intersection of John DeShields Boulevard and Martin Luther King Drive. The event will last until 3 p.m. Sunday.
Loren Lawrence, the vice-president of Benton County Radio Operators, said cell phone towers only handle a subset of subscribers and some callers will not be able to get service if to many people are attempting to make call.
Cell phone towers could be damaged in a disaster and the loss of power could also prevent an area from being able to communicate, Lawrence said.
Sometimes in dealing with disasters it's necessary to go back to the basics of ham radios, according to Brad Clement, the president of the Benton County Radio Operators.
"You can talk to someone next door or thousands of miles across the world," Lawrence said.
Lawrence has been interested in ham radios since he was a child. His father had a ham radio.
Clement also became interested as a teenager.
"You could talk to people all over the world and it's held my interest since then," Clement said.
Lawrence said ham radios can be used daily, but they can play a vital role in disaster situations.
Both Clement and Lawrence said ham radio operators were able to keep the lines of communication open during Hurricane Katrina.
Marshall Watson, the director of the Benton County Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, said local ham radio operators serve as storm spotters for the department, but can also assist with communication efforts in case of a disaster.
"Emergency messaging with ham radios has proven invaluable in disasters time and time again," Watson said.
Watson described ham radios as one of the last lines of communicating with the outside world. "With high frequency radio we can communicate around the world, even in the middle of a disaster," Watson said. The club meets at 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month at the Rogers-Lowell Chamber of Commerce
Does anyone have a ball park amount of how much it would cost to become a HAM radio operator? I was interested in this a couple of years ago but left it alone because of the strange looks I got from family and friends. How would a newbie get started? Any links for people that need the process explained in detail?
