Ham radio operators provide valuable community service in emergencies

BY LISA TANG

Special to the Herald-Press

With extreme weather events challenging public safety, the hobby of operating ham radios is as important today as it was 60 or 70 years ago.

With thousands of participants all over the country and a thriving local club of amateur radio operators, there’s always someone ready to watch for tornadoes or send messages to people shut in by an ice storm.

Ham operator Jeff Montgomery is now one of Palestine’s veterans. He said ham radio operators made a difference in 1987 after Story Elementary was struck by a tornado. When traditional radio towers were down, the amateurs relayed reports from Palestine all the way to Antarctica where some family members worked.

Ham radio operators — amateurs who relay messages with personal equipment — are still keeping lines of communication open by sharing their knowledge with everyone who wants to learn.

One way is through the Palestine Anderson County Amateur Radio Club, which meets monthly and provides communication during special events like the Neches River Race in August. The operators man posts at the starting line, two checkpoints, and the finish

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Emergencies like February’s snow storm also allow club members to practice by checking on older members of the club who were stuck at home without help.

The club participates with the National Weather Service’s Skywarn program and provides essential eyes on the ground to watch for extreme weather.

“We’re the furthest county east and south from the weather center in Fort Worth,” Montgomery said. “While it’s a hobby, it’s definitely a public service. We do it for no price. We do it because we’re part of the community.”

The club hosts winter and summer field days so members can test their equipment and learn new techniques. Montgomery said the non-profit club's activities are essential to keep the practice going.

“We’re focused on education and training so people will have a better knowledge of it,” Montgomery said. “We’re looking for people we can share the hobby with.”

A recent recruit is Jerry Bolton, who joined because he’s retiring soon and is looking forward to exploring the remote wilderness but wants to learn to operate a ham radio so he can get back to safety, if necessary.

Bolton purchased a ham radio and completed a licensure test online but found the club meeting because he needed help getting his new radio to work.

A. Dawson Lightfoot, who learned from Montgomery while attending Westwood High School in the 1990s, recently started his own ham radio chapter in the Park Cities and has recruited almost 50 members.

He commended Montgomery for his decades of services and for his efforts in starting the Park Cities chapter, which is awarding Montgomery with the Park Cities Amateur Radio Club’s first “Outstanding Service Award” this year.

“By investing his time in others within the hobby, his giving and teaching nature has and will continue to have impact far beyond his own community,” Lightfoot said.

For information about PACARC, visit the organization’s website at www.pacarc.org.