Despite the Internet, cell phones, email and modern communications, every year whole regions are left in the dark. Tornadoes, fires, storms, ice and even the occasional cutting of fiber optic cables leave people without the means to communicate.
In these cases, the one consistent service that has never failed has been amateur radio. These radio operators, often called "hams," provide backup communications for everything from the Red Cross to the International Space Station.
Local "hams" will join with thousands of other amateur radio operators next weekend to showcase their emergency capabilities in the annual Field Day.
Members of the Delta Amateur Radio Society will gather at the North 40 dog park on 72nd Street in East Ladner from 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 28 to 11 a.m. on Sunday, June 29. The public is invited to talk with the hams and see what modern amateur radio can do.
Using only emergency power supplies, ham operators across North America will construct emergency stations in parks, shopping malls, schools and backyards.
There are over 135,000 amateur radio operators in Canada and more than 2.5 million around the world.
To learn more about amateur radio, go to www.deltaamateurradio.com.
