Ham radio operators test their readiness
By Allan Stein, Enterprise correspondent
ABINGTON — Seated at a table under a tarp, William F. Hayden ignored the hissing rain Saturday, manning a ham radio set in a clearing at Ames Nowell State Park.
Hayden and 13 other local ham radio enthusiasts braved the foul weekend weather to conduct a yearly test of their emergency communications readiness.
The 24-hour exercise was part of a large-scale coordinated effort by ham radio operators from across North America.
“The purpose (of the test) is to contact and log as many radio stations as we can over the U.S. and Canada,” said Hayden, president of the Whitman Amateur Radio Club.
Formed in 1962, the club has more than 90 members and conducts yearly ham radio license exams.
The exercise at Ames Nowell State Park began at 2 p.m. Saturday and was to end Sunday at 2 p.m. Results of the test will be sent to the American Radio Relay League, the club’s umbrella agency, in Newington, Conn.
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