Amateur radio-aided rescue highlights useful hobby
BUFFALO [Wyoming] — Two miles from U.S. Highway 16, a Nebraska man drove his truck through Crazy Woman Canyon before he slid off the road on Halloween night.
Unharmed, but without a functioning vehicle or a cell phone signal, Nicholas Cashoili turned to his ham radio — a device that needs only a radio frequency to make contact with other radios.
Elphinstone Chronicles: The vegetarian friendly kind of ham
Elphinstone [British Columbia] — Our friend and Elphinstone Chronicles founder, Gayle Neilson, has very interesting people in her Area E neighbourhood. Living across the street from her is the president of the Sunshine Coast Amateur Radio Club Society (SCARCS), which sounds like the most illustrious club to hit the Elphinstone region ever.
The society, which has been operating nearly four decades, is very supportive and helpful in getting people into the hobby. They are always open to new members, or the “ham-radio-curious.” My first astute questions were along the lines of why do they call it ham radio? And is there a “beyond” version? I had grave concerns as a vegetarian. It turns out there is an entire Wikipedia page dedicated to the intricacies of this query which I was obviously not the first to ask. Suffice to say, it is slang for an amateur radio operator.
Fort Herkimer Amateur Radio Association Assists NYS State Police Troop T (Thruway) in Halloween Pumpkin Patrol
Little Falls [NY] — New York State Police and citizen volunteers have completed the 38th annual Pumpkin Patrol watch. This is a two-day volunteer crime prevention program involving New York State Amateur Radio Associations working with Law Enforcement for safe Halloween eves. The objective is to ward off Halloween pranks and protect motorists traveling the Thruway. Patrols consist of NYS State Police Troop T Troopers and local Amateur Radio Operators from area ham radio clubs.
On October 30th and 31st, from 6 pm to 11 pm, volunteers monitor NYS Thruway overpasses and report any unusual activity to law enforcement. State Police say 15 organizations from 19 counties have volunteered to participate this year statewide.