 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||
|
|
 Previous: Surfin': Simply Antennas |  Next: The Amateur Radio Crossword Puzzler |
 ARRL Maxim Memorial Station W1AW will be on the air for the Amateur Radio Awareness Day Emergency Power Operating Event September 17. Here, W1AW Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q (left), and ARRL Building Manager Greg Kwasowski, KB1GJF, do some routine maintenance work on W1AW's 60-kW emergency backup generator. [Dan Wolfgang Photo] |
 Getting on the air for the Emergency Power Operating Event requires nothing more than a battery-powered handheld transceiver. |
 Possible alternative power sources for the EPOE September 17. Wind, solar and even hand-powered generators are other possibilities. |
 Mobile stations also are invited to participate in the EPOE. |
NEWINGTON, CT, August 20, 2005--What makes Amateur Radio unique is the ability to communicate with one another anywhere in the world--and even in orbit--without having to rely on any outside infrastructure whatsoever. Hams can even do this without even being plugged into the wall socket. Experienced radio amateurs take this capability for granted, but the general public is far less aware of it. So, an Emergency Power Operating Event (EPOE) on Amateur Radio Awareness Day, Saturday, September 17, will highlight Amateur Radio's ability to communicate worldwide without commercial mains, the Internet or a cellular telephone system.
"What better way to mark Amateur Radio Awareness Day than by calling attention to this unique capability?" says ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ. "It is particularly appropriate since September is the Department of Homeland Security's National Preparedness Month."
Amateur Radio Awareness Day activities typically focus on increasing public awareness. Past events have included public demonstrations, talks to community groups and getting local media coverage. According to DHS, National Preparedness Month is aimed at encouraging Americans to prepare for emergencies and to raise public awareness about the importance of being prepared.
This Amateur Radio Awareness Day, September 17, the ARRL will sponsor a 15-hour Emergency Power Operating Event for stations operating off the grid. "It is not a contest," Sumner stresses. "It is simply a demonstration of what we amateurs can do without having to rely on the commercial mains, and what we will do whenever the need arises."
An announcement in September QST (page 49) spells out the details. The event kicks off at 1300 UTC on Saturday, September 17, and wraps up at 0400 UTC on September 18. The ARRL is inviting home stations to operate from generator or battery power. Portable and mobile stations also may participate. "We hope home stations operating on batteries or generators, mobiles, and possibly even some portables will participate," Sumner says, "although unlike Field Day, the emphasis is not on setting up a temporary station, but rather on operating your regular station on emergency power."
There is no set exchange; contacts may be casual, but operators are encouraged to share information on their emergency power sources in addition to the traditional signal report, name and location.
ARRL Maxim Memorial Station W1AW will be on the air for the event, running on emergency power from its 60-kW emergency backup diesel generator. W1AW Station Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, says the whole point is to showcase that Amateur Radio is prepared during National Preparedness Month--"and any time, for that matter," he adds. A special QSL will be available to stations contacting W1AW while running from an emergency power source. Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope with all QSL card requests, and indicate on your card the emergency power source used. (Address cards to W1AW, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111.)
"I hope we can work stations operating on emergency power in all 50 states," says Sumner. "It should be a lot of fun, and we may even learn something!"
The League is encouraging participating radio amateurs or groups to invite local Citizen Corps leaders to see Amateur Radio installations in emergency power mode.
"The two events offer great opportunities for Amateur Radio to showcase its valued service to the nation," said ARRL Field and Educational Services Manager Rosalie White, K1STO. She urges ARRL-affiliated clubs and Field Organization volunteers to take advantage of the occasion to set up public demonstrations of Amateur Radio and to present or even demonstrate--under the banner of National Preparedness Month--the free services Amateur Radio provides to the community.
ARRL Club/Mentoring Program Manager Norm Fusaro, W3IZ,
believes a public Emergency Power Operating Event offers a great opportunity to
recruit prospective hams for licensing classes clubs that may be forming this
fall.
| Previous: Surfin': Simply Antennas | Next: The Amateur Radio Crossword Puzzler |
