24-Hour Ham Radio Demonstration Set for Mabank

Press release

There’s something special at Brookshire’s next weekend, from 1 p.m. to 1 p.m. June 27 and 28, and we’re not talking about a sale on navel oranges in produce.

We ARE talking about a 24-hour continuous demonstration of Amateur “ham” Radio in the lot adjacent to the Brookshire’s store in Mabank.

The last weekend of June each year is Amateur Radio Field Day weekend, and tens of thousands of ham radio operators worldwide take to the field and operate for 24 hours without using a local power source.

Why is that important? Because in a hurricane, earthquake or any major disaster, all communications may be lost. No telephones, no Internet, no cell phones either; nothing can get out from the stricken area.

Except ham radio. Hams can carry their own radios on their hip (walkie-talkies), in their cars, at home or in the field. And all these devices can communicate with the world without local electricity. I did some research and I looked at CW Touch Keyer’s article and found that there are so many more HAM Radios that are out there now. For anyone who has a passion for radio, this is definitely something worth checking out. Once a year, hams sharpen their skills and test their equipment in a worldwide exercise and contest. The folks at Brookshire’s have invited the Cedar Creek Amateur Radio Club to set up their station outside the Mabank store. Everyone is invited to come by for a demonstration and free literature on ham radio.

Ham radio is exploding. Over 720,000 licenses have been issued by the FCC; one reason is the Morse code requirement has been eliminated. The testing is the easiest it’s ever been, and the Cedar Creek club offers free instruction and testing.

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About the Club

Formed in 1981, the Cedar Creek ARC has over fifty members from the tri-county area. It maintains a VHF repeater system that provides hand-held radio coverage to hams in the lake area, and mobile and base coverage throughout the three counties. CCARC participates in the National Weather Service SKYWARN program and the Amateur Radio Emergency Service. The club meets the second Saturday of each month, and also provides classes to those wishing to join the ranks of Amateur “ham” Radio. For more information, visit www.k5ccl.org.