Tennessee

This looks like a fun thing that you might want to do with your club….Dan

Is ham radio still a thing?

[SUSSEX COUNTY, DELAWARE] Amateur radio, aka ham radio, has been around for more than 100 years. While it started as a way regular citizens could experiment with Morse Code communication, it soon became wireless voice communication. With modern technologies like cellphones and the internet, it would seem there is no need for radio communication. But, ask any one of the almost 2,000 Federal Communications Commission-licensed ham radio operators in Delaware, and they will tell you it’s more than a hobby. For many, it is a part of everyday life.

October was especially busy for local ham radio operators. A group of hams from the Nanticoke Amateur Radio Club set up their equipment Oct. 7 at Redden State Forest just south of Georgetown. The purpose of the event was to give the operators experience in setting up an operational field station completely off the grid. They spent several hours in Parks on the Air conversations with other hams, many of whom were located in a variety of parks and public lands around the globe.

…read more

More club fun…Dan

Ham radio group installs new equipment at Silver Star summit

[KELOWNA, BRITISH COLUMBIA] Radio repeater equipment was recently replaced at the summit of Silver Star mountain by local ham radio operators. As far as we know, no pigs were harmed in the adventure.

Ham radio is not for people who love pork — it’s a well known term for amateur radio operators such as the Vernon North Okanagan Radio Amateur Club.

On Oct. 21 and 22, the group replaced equipment and operated a demonstration and educational radio station as part of the international scouting movement’s Jamboree on the Air, and participated in Parks on the Air and Summits on the Air radio sport activations.

…read more

National Weather Service SKYWARN volunteers spot storms in Knox County. Want to join?

[KNOXVILLE, TN] Between 1870 and Aug. 7 of this year, there have been 338 tornadoes observed across the 40 counties monitored by the National Weather Service office in Morristown.

Fifty-five of those tornadoes touched down on a single day: April 27, 2011.

During severe events like that violent spring tornado outbreak, the Morristown office relies on its powerful radar to warn the public. But its other greatest tool for keeping the public safe is a bevy of amateur radio operators called SKYWARN, the National Weather Service’s eyes on the ground.

“Our greatest technology that we use here is our radar, and I would say the SKYWARN spotter network is a pretty close second,” said Anthony Cavallucci, a warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “I think a lot of people just automatically assume we know what’s happening on the ground, and we really don’t until somebody reports it. Those reports are really quite helpful.”

…read more