Annual Ham Radio Festival Held At Edmond

By Eliza Hallabeck

Ham radio enthusiasts and others interested in learning more gathered at Edmond Town Hall on Sunday, September 11, for the annual Western Connecticut Hamfest.

Event organizer and Candlewood Amateur Radio Association (CARA) member Joe De Groot said more “tailgaters,” people who attend the event for the tag sale goods, stopped by for this event this year than in previous years.

Just a few hours into the event, Betsey Doane, the elected volunteer manager of the field organization in Connecticut for the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the national association of amateur radio, was handing out pamphlets and answering questions at one of the many stations set up inside Edmond Town Hall’s gymnasium.

“After Irene,” Ms Doane said, speaking to the number of people attending the event for the tag sale, “people are making sure their antennas are in order.”

People interested in learning more about amateur radio, Ms Doane said, can check the ARRL website (www.arrl.org) and should attend the event next year to learn how to study for an FCC license, to meet friendly people, and to hear the forums that are offered at the event each year.

With the event held on the tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks, Ms Doane also said a silence was observed during the event in memory of a member of CARA was lost on that day.

According to the ARRL, amateur radio, which is also referred to as “ham radio,” is used in times of crises for emergency communication.

Within minutes of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to the ARRL, “ham operators communicated from emergency operations centers as other systems failed.”

More recently, during Tropical Storm Irene, Ms Doane said, operators were active spreading news and information. Many of the “hams” began their work early and stayed late, Ms Doane said.

In a time of need, according to Ms Doane, amateur radio operators are ready to communicate.

According to CARA Vice President John H. Will III, the Western Connecticut Hamfest has been held on the same weekend in September for more than 70 years. The group felt it would therefore be appropriate to hold its annual event on the anniversary of 9/11, especially in light of the way licensed radio operators have been called on in times of emergency.

Overall attendance at the event was down this year compared to past year’s Hamfests, but multiple CARA members on Sunday attributed this to the fact the event was held on the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks.

Following the event, Mr De Groot said he felt it went well. Seeing everyone have a good time and spending the day together was a particularly nice thing after organizing the Hamfest, he said.

The group sold roughly 350 tickets, each for $5, that raffled off a mobile radio. Proceeds from the raffle will help the group cover costs for activities and more throughout the year.

Mr De Groot also shared his thanks for all the club members who came together to make the annual event happen.