Amateur radio operators giving public demonstration

DOWNEY – The Downey Amateur Radio Club will host a public demonstration of its emergency communication capabilities on Saturday, June 28, at Apollo Park. Despite the Internet, cell phones, email and modern communications, year after year entire regions find themselves in the dark due to tornadoes, fires and storms.

In these cases, amateur radio operators, often called “hams,” provide backup communications for everything from the American Red Cross to FEMA.

Over the past few years, the news has been full of reports of ham radio operators providing critical communications during unexpected emergencies in towns across America, including the California wildfires, winter storms, tornadoes and other disasters.

The June 28 demonstration is part of an annual “Field Day” event in which ham operators use only emergency power supplies and construct emergency stations at parks, shopping malls, schools and backyards across the country. Their slogan is “When all else fails, ham radio works.”

The public is invited to the free demonstration, where they can also learn how to get their own FCC radio license before the next disaster strikes.

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Published: June 19, 2014 - Volume 13 - Issue 10