Bladen Amateur Radio part of a tradition
Mar. 21—LAKE WACCAMAW — Bladen County amateur radio operators were on-site at Lake Waccamaw during the 12th annual Southern Farm Days event this past weekend to demonstrate — in real-time, and on a local scale — how versatile and critically important it is for communities to have access to communications options, even if cell phones or the internet is not available or operable.
Using a simple table set up under a small tent, the Bladen County Amateur Radio Society set up several of their own radio transceivers and antennas, and during the three-day event they logged dozens of contacts with amateur radio operators from the Gulf Coast, Canada, the UK, Eastern Europe, and even Italy and Australia! While some club operators, such as Clarkton member Bob Edwards, and Dublin member J.T. Bryan, preferred voice communications, fellow Clarkton member Jim 'Mac' McCallum preferred Morse code.
Visitors to their tent were excited to see how amateur radio works, and club members were quick to point out that there is no point on earth to which amateur operators cannot communicate, including off of the earth, during occasions when amateur 'ham' radio operators can establish voice links with the International Space Station, Club members like to emphasize that, in the event of a natural disaster, or during times of emergencies when other forms of communications break down, amateur radio enthusiasts can still operate!
Southern Farm Days exhibitors and vendors are part of an annual effort to provide financial assistance to the Boys & Girls Homes of North Carolina, and exhibitors such as the Bladen County Amateur Radio Society were honored to be a part of the effort to make that support a reality.
