Amateur radio operators gather for annual event

By Greg Ford

Staff Writer

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Local amateur radio operators gathered this past weekend at Salmon Park for an important annual event.

The 24-hour affair, which took place inside the park’s pavilion, is part of a nationwide amateur radio field day, during which licensed operators — HAM radio operators is another term — attempt to contact fellow enthusiasts throughout the nation and overseas.

“This is national-sponsored event; it’s the last week of June every year,” said Kerry Krueger of the Sachse Amateur Radio Association. “The American Amateur Radio Relay League is the one who hosts this. The whole premise is to be able to set up communications in case there is a disaster. All of the equipment has to run off of generators, because in a real situation you wouldn’t have power.”

Radio operators used both gas- and solar-powered generators to run the radios at the Sachse-based portion.

Amateur radio operators have played vital roles during both man-made and natural disasters. Their services were used after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York and following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which devastated much of the Gulf Coast.

For the full story see the June 29 issue and the e-Edition at https://www.etypeservices.com/Sachse%20NewsID248/default.aspx