Ham operators aid emergencies, reach out globally

Local amateur radio operators were hamming it up Saturday at the Yuma County Fairgrounds during the Hamfest and Emergency Preparedness Show.

Ham operators interested in the field were given the opportunity to meet with their colleagues, check out new gear on the market and attend 14 separate seminars throughout the day.

"Ham is just another name for amateur," said Roger Hunt, event volunteer. "Ham radio operators are licensed by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) and can only operate with a license.

"Each operator is like their own portable radio station, because the radios are specifically designed to run off of battery power."

Hunt says that having access to a ham radio becomes essential in times of great calamity.

"When everything else fails, we are still operating. When a disaster strikes, Hurricane Katrina for example, all of the normal communications tend to fail. The landlines and even cell phones become inoperative. Cell phone towers are equipped with batteries, but when they become disconnected with a steady power supply, they won't last very long.

"This is when the amateur radio operator gets involved.
It's very common that in an area devastated by a natural disaster, the only communication going in or out is via ham radio."

Read the full YumaSun.com story at
http://www.yumasun.com/news/reach_48089
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