‘Radio Hams’ to Come Together In North Wildwood June 26, 27

NORTH WILDWOOD — North Wildwood “hams” will join thousands of amateur radio operators in showing off their emergency capabilities in a Public Demo of Emergency Communications on June 26-27.
We’ve seen numerous news stories about ham radio operators providing critical communications during unexpected
emergencies in towns across America, including California wildfires, winter storms, tornadoes and other events worldwide.
During Hurricane Katrina, amateur radio–often called “ham radio”–was often the only way people could communicate, and hundreds of volunteer “hams” traveled south to save lives and property. When trouble is brewing, amateur radio operators are often the first to provide rescuers with critical information and communications.
On the weekend of June 26 – 27, the public will have a chance to meet and talk with North Wildwood ham radio operators and see for themselves what the Amateur Radio Service is about. Showing the newest digital and satellite capabilities, voice communications and even traditional Morse code, hams from across the country will be holding public demonstrations of their emergency communications abilities.
This annual event, called “Field Day,” is the climax of the weeklong “Amateur Radio Week,” sponsored by the ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio.
Using only emergency power supplies, ham operators will construct emergency stations in parks, shopping malls, schools and backyards around the country. Their slogan, ‘When All Else Fails, Ham Radio Works,” is more than just words to the hams, as they prove they can send messages in many forms without the use of phone systems, internet or any other infrastructure that can be compromised in a crisis.
More than 35,000 amateur radio operators across the country participated in last year’s event.
“We hope that people will come and see for themselves that this is not your grandfather’s radio anymore,” said Allen Pitts, W1AGP, of the ARRL. “The communications that ham radio people can quickly create have saved many lives when other systems failed or were overloaded. And besides that — it’s fun!”
The North Wildwood Office of Emergency Management will be demonstrating amateur radio at Fifth and New Jersey avenues beginning at noon on June 26, and continuing to 2 p.m. on June 27.
The public is invited to meet and talk with the hams and see what modern amateur radio can do. They can even help you get on the air. To learn more about amateur radio, go to www.emergency-radio.org.
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