‘This stuff has to be like breathing’: Operators with Laurel Amateur Radio Club ready for anything
When the city of Laurel opened its new Emergency Operations Center over two years ago, it included a separate room for HAM radio, a form of communication that uses the radio frequency spectrum to communicate. Its inclusion illustrates the city’s support for the Laurel Amateur Radio Club and its belief that the club serves a necessary purpose and is not just a recreational hobby.
“What they can provide is a great service,” said Stephen Allen, emergency operations center manager. “They are a great asset for us to have to get the word out.”
HAM operators — amateur radio operators — use a transmitter/receiver and antennas to communicate around the world on short-wave radio bands that bounce off the ionosphere. When communication systems fail, whether because of natural disasters or by unforeseen events such as terrorist attacks, HAM operators only need to rely on their battery or generator-powered transmitter/receiver to relay messages.
“It’s a system a lot of people …. sometimes forget about,” Allen said. “Everybody is so used to picking up the phone or going to the internet. ... People forget even the old way of writing something on paper.”
