MARC FIELD DAY 2011
Wingo Family HAM Shack / June 25 - 26
Front Page News / Meridian Star Article
WTOK TOP STORY JUNE 25TH, 2011
Local members of the Amateur Radio Relay League are gathered in South Lauderdale County this weekend. HAM radio enthusiasts gather on the fourth weekend in June every year to practice communicating with other amateur radio operators from around the United States and Canada. It's all part of an effort to be prepared should a real life emergency come about and all other forms of communication are down.
"It's where groups of HAM radio operators... licensed operators... take their time to come out and to set up as if they were in the field... under adverse conditions," General Class Operator Michael Harbour explains.
It's also an opportunity to make sure everyone's equipment is in good working order.
"We work primarily with the Lauderdale County Emergency Management Agency and the National Weather Service, as well as the Red Cross when asked," Harbour points out.
If they are asked, they have the ability to set up mobile radio towers whenever and wherever they are needed, should phone and regular radio communication be down. But not just anyone is qualified to be an amateur radio operator. It takes special training and certification. Madison Boyette decided to get certified at the age of 10. Her grandfather Ross has been certified for nearly 40 years now.
"I was 10 and... the rest of my family was going to get their license... and I just decided I wanted to do it... and it seemed like it would be fun," Boyette says.
Fun is a word emphasized by all because they say amateur radio is strictly a hobby for them. For Boyette, it also enabled her to communicate with her grandparents during April's tornadoes.
"We couldn't talk on our cell phones or anything... and we had some HAM radios that we haven't used in a while... so we grabbed that and we called pop and told him that we were okay," she recalls.
Operators will continue practicing between now and 1:00 on Sunday afternoon.
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Latest Comments
Posted by: RLEO on Jun 27, 2011 at 09:29 AM
This group is just an example of a fine group of men and women that give their time for their fellow man. We will need them in the future and they have also been a great help in the community in training people that want to be licensed. To all HAMS.. I salute you !!!! God Bless you all......
Posted by: Sailor Location: NAS Meridian on Jun 27, 2011 at 07:21 AM
Ham radio operators ran Phone Patches while we were sailing in the Persian Gulf. Many times the satellite phones would not work or would drop out. These folks made a long deployment easier by helping us stay in contact with out families and getting comforting words to home when we could not be there. Thanks to all of the Ham operators who helped make our life a little more bearable during rough times !!
Posted by: Peabody Location: Valley Road on Jun 26, 2011 at 01:58 AM
These folks are kinda like our VFD's, you never think about them until needed. While not needed near as often they come through when called on.
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