ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, June 22, 1996 TAG: 9606240011
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-8 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG
Members of the New River Valley Amateur Radio Club will participate this weekend in a national amateur radio event that gives them practice for disasters.
Between 15 and 20 local members will compete with other clubs around the world to see which group can make the most worldwide radio contacts. The contest will run from noon today to noon Sunday. The club will operate from Rocky Knob on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
"In major disasters like the Oklahoma City bombing, all the local communication goes out. ... Ham radio operators jumped in and provided needed communication during the first six to eight hours there," said Doug Minnick, local coordinator of the event.
Amateur-radio operators often are their community's only sources of information and communication during other large-scale disasters, such as hurricanes, blizzards, ice storms, floods or power outages.
During their "Field Day" sponsored by the American Radio Relay League, members will take their equipment from their home basements and attics into the field, and power them with generators, batteries, or even solar or wind power.
"Using emergency power is important. If you don't have emergency power, you can't help when the power is out," Minnick said.
The operators will use Morse code and voice communication to relay short messages under quasi-emergency conditions to whomever they can reach, whether they are right down the road or in Australia.
Visitors are welcome to stop by at any time during the event. Call Minnick at 382-6370 for more information.
LENGTH: Short : 41 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Gene Dalton. Tim Burdick talks on one of the ham radiosby CNBduring last year's American Radio League event. He is a member of
the New River Valley Amateur Radio Club.