Shelby Ham Fest attracts radio fans

Hundreds of ham radio lovers gathered in Denver, N.C., Saturday for the country's second-largest ham radio festival.

It's called the Ham Fest, and event chairman Robby Hamrick said people traveled here from all over the United States.

Ham radios have the power to do big things – from announcing the weather to building friendships.

"I've made a lot of friends all over the country, all over the world," ham radio operator Brad Abernathy said. "One of these guys is my best friend here."

Radio operator Johnny Click said most radio users don't ever get to meet the people they speak with. The festival, he said, changes that.

"One of the magic things about the Shelby Ham Fest is that many people meet for the first time face-to-face, and a lot of times they've been talking for years and years," Click said. "It's a family reunion of sorts and I'm really glad I'm here."

But the festival's not just about old friendships. It's also filled with new recruits like Collin Pike, who's just 15 years old.

"My dad got me into it," Pike said. "He was already a ham radio operator." And he said he's glad he started.

"The farthest I've talked with people is Germany, Argentina or Chile," he said.

Ham radio users work closely with the National Hurricane Center and the National Weather Service to provide the latest weather updates. Ham operators at the festival said they are tracking the path of Hurricane Gustav.

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