Surfing Radio Waves Far and Wide:

eHam.net News — LE MARS — If you were around Le Mars Fire-Rescue Station No. 1 Saturday afternoon, you may have noticed radios and antennas were strewn across the parking lot. That was because Amature Radio Emergency Services (ARES) held a live demonstration in the parking lot from 1-5 p.m. Also referred to as ham radio, Amateur Radio is a hobby and service that brings people, electronics and communication together. People use ham radio to talk across town, around the world, or even into space, all without the Internet or cell phones. “We had seven people and seven stations,” Plymouth County ARES Emergence Coordinator Brian Nitzschke said. “Every station had a little bit of a different concept of what they were doing.” Along with Plymouth County, hams, each with their own unique call sign, from Buena Vista and Woodbury counties were also represented. Hams are crucial, because during times of emergency and when a grid is overloaded, hams operate off the grid and can help lessen the load on emergency services by taking non-emergency communication on, Nitzschke explained. “We can relay health and welfare traffic, freeing up their systems for more tactical communications,” Nitzschke said. “We assist public service, but we aren’t a public service.”

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