Ham operators talk with Rotarians. The Elizabethtown (NC) Rotary Club met on Wednesday and learned about amateur radio from operators J.T. Bryan and Mac MacCallum. Bryan told the group that, in the late 1800s, folks were building and learning how to use amateur radios. In 1912 Ham radio as we know it, began to develop. People had a need for a way to communicate and to bridge the distance with folks who were far away especially during times of natural disaster. Bryan said some folks got together began experimenting with amateur radios.
Being a Rotarian, I like this news story. I’ve spoken to several Rotary clubs myself about amateur radio. If you have a Rotary Club in your area, contact them and offer to talk about ham radio in your area. They are always looking for speakers, and Rotary has a lot in common with amateur radio. Both, for example, are interested in public service.
Ham radio operators broadcast their enthusiasm for vintage electronics. Forget about the Internet, cell phones and solid-state anything at all. This group is sticking with old-fashioned vacuum tubes and antennas. Hundreds came to the Civic Auditorium in La Porte (IN) on Saturday to swap stories and hard-to-find electronic parts at the annual Cabin Fever Hamfest sponsored by the La Porte County Amateur Radio Club.
Use of ham radios growing in UP. It may seem unusual when there are so many forms of electronic communication available there are still people who use radios to communicate, but according to Stuart Kauppila the use of the technology is actually growing. Kauppila, who is the president of the Copper Country Radio Amateurs Association, said the group currently has 33 members, but has had as many as 75 members in the past.
UP is short for “upper penninsula” here in Michigan, and residents of the UP are sometimes fondly called “Yoopers.”
RickB KA8BMA says
And those who live below the bridge are affectionately called Trolls.