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 Previous: Space & Beyond: Recovering From Disaster |  Next: Persistence Makes Perfect for Space Station QSO |
 Lyle Koehler, K0LR, ties off the G5RV for the camp "Field Day" simulation. |
NEWINGTON, CT, Mar 13, 2003--It all boils down to amateurs helping amateurs. The Courage Handi-Ham System conducted its winter radio camp March 1-8, 2003 at Camp Joan Mier in Malibu, California. Fifty people from Connecticut to California, South Carolina to Washington, and everywhere in between came together for the purpose of helping each other to learn Amateur Radio. Some are blind, some have severe physical disabilities, and others simply come to volunteer, helping campers to learn, to set up equipment and stations or to provide care through the week.
"We've had a dozen Radio camps here at Camp Joan Mier, and in many ways
this one has been our most successful," said Handi-Ham Manager Pat Tice,
WA0TDA. "Our campers were highly motivated. Those who successfully passed the
VE exams and op skills tests at week's end truly deserve recognition for a job
well done."
 Handi-Ham Manager Pat Tice, WA0TDA, in his home office/ham shack. |
 Matt Arthur, KA0PQW, hunts for a hidden transmitter with a measuring-tape beam antenna and attenuator. |
In addition to formal class time and one-on-one mentoring, volunteers Gordon West, WB6NOA, of the Gordon West Radio School and Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, of Amateur Radio Newsline fame, gave presentations and assisted with learning activities.
Tice also commended the volunteer instructors and camp staff. "These experienced volunteer radio instructors take time out from their busy lives to serve others," he said. "They have found a wonderful way to share the excitement of radio! The staff members from Courage Center who provided care for our campers did a great job. Two of them are hams themselves."
This year's camp marked a memorable achievement. As a demonstration for her fellow campers, Melinda Koons, WA0MMK, of Colorado Springs made several successful contacts from radio camp club station W0EQO/6 with KC4AAA at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica.
Volunteer instructor Gary Gordon, K6KV, Saratoga, California, recalled the exciting event. "One of our campers asked the scientists if they ever conducted any research with ice cubes," he said. "They replied, 'We drill for ice samples that are thousands of years old and sometimes we use them in our cocktails!'"
 Diane Vorwald, WD9DNQ, enjoys radio camp in California. The next Radio Camp session will be August 23-30 in Minnesota's lake country at Courage North--a fully accessible Courage Camp. |
Another camper asked what time zone the station used. The KC4AAA operator told the campers that the scientists and researchers could use just about any time zone they wanted, but that they kept to New Zealand time.
Op skills instructor Phil Temples, K9HI, of Watertown, Massachusetts, and his co-instructors tried a different strategy this year for their class. "This time we decided to focus primarily on emergency communications skills," said Temples, who is ARRL Eastern Massachusetts Section Manager. He says he drew heavily from the League's new Amateur Radio Emergency Communications course Level I study guide.
"Amateurs who have disabilities can and do contribute tremendously to Amateur Radio's public service activities," Temples added. "We need their involvement as much as any other amateur's in this post-9/11 world."
 Van Nimwegan, KO6I, takes a whale-watching break. [Handi-Ham Photos] |
For camper Chris Gross, KF4ZLD, of Mill Spring, North Carolina, radio camp was both educational and fun. "I found the emergency communications course very interesting, especially given 9/11," he said, "and Gordon West's demonstrations of his mobile antenna and top hat were neat."
Gross, who has attended previous radio camps, also enjoyed some of the extracurricular activities, such as visits to a nearby ocean-side restaurant. "This one stands out as being one of the most fun camps, especially the Saturday afternoon swim," he added.
A team from the Greater Los Angeles Volunteer Examiner Coordinator volunteered to conduct a Amateur Radio examination session at week's end.
The next Courage Handi-Ham System radio camp will be in Minnesota August 23-30, 2003, with an amateur examination session August 29. A radio camp application packet is available via e-mail. For more information, visit The Courage Handi-Ham System Web site.--Phil Temples, K9HI
| Previous: Space & Beyond: Recovering From Disaster | Next: Persistence Makes Perfect for Space Station QSO |
