Ham radio buffs in Blaine dedicate themselves to community service
When the deadliest landslide in American history swept Oso two years ago, amateur ham radio operators from Blaine volunteered their skills to save lives. Members of Blaine’s Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS) spent 172 hours on duty at the Snohomish County Emergency Operations Center and Darrington Command Vehicle. They reported safety issues, injuries and work stoppages on the scene and created a backup communications network where the landslide had cut Internet and phone service, said Scott Honaker, the Snohomish County communications coordinator.
Chatting it up ham radio style
Lee Collins spends hours chatting with friends and acquaintances each week as he is nestled in a second floor room at his comfortable and secluded home in the Lime Rock section of Lakeville. No, he’s not talking to his buddy about a game of golf the next day, or what another pal thinks about allowing Sunday racing at nearby Lime Rock Park. The world is his oyster as he communicates with individuals scattered around the country and, indeed, the world.
The original social network
On a sunny Saturday morning in late June, in a field overlooking the Patuxent River in Lusby, men assembling two 25- and 30-foot steel towers, section by section. Atop the shorter tower is a contraption that looks like an upside-down umbrella. What in the world is going on here? It’s the Calvert Amateur Radio Association (CARA, call sign K3CAL), preparing for Field Day 2016. Field Day is an annual exercise, sponsored by the American Radio Relay League, the national association for amateur radio, to promote emergency preparedness. Hams, as they’re known, could be a contraction of amateur.
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