Local amateur radio operators participated in emergency radio exercise at Lake Viking

Amateur radio operators (“hams”) set up their radio equipment at Lake Viking, near Gallatin, and communicated with other radio stations during a worldwide emergency communications exercise on June 25 and 26.

This annual event, called “Field Day” is a yearly exercise where hams around the world test their skills under all conditions and situations. The slogan, “ham radio works when other systems don’t” is more than just words to these hams as they prove they can send messages in adverse situations without the use of regular telephones, cell phones or the internet. More than 30,000 amateur radio operators across the United States and Canada plus tousands in foreign countries participated in last years event.

There are about 700,000 Amateur Radio Operators in the US, and more than 2.5 million world wide. Though the ARRL (the national organization of hams) hams provide emergency communcations, free of any charge, for the Department of Homeland Security, Red Cross, Salvation Army, FEMA and many state and local agencies. Around this area, hams provide significant assistance in tornado reporting and emergency disaster communications.

To learn more about Amateur Radio, go to www.arrl.org/newham.