Local ham radio operators hone emergency communication skills           

Coastside licensed ham radio operators will participate with other hams across North America in the annual ARRL Field Day. From 11:00 am Sat, June 24 through 11:00 am Sun, hams will practice contacting each other using a variety of radio frequencies and equipment. They will depend entirely on portable off-grid sources of electricity.

This year the local group will be set up at the North Venice Beach parking lot where they have operated for the last several years. There will be three short wave radios and a number of antennas. Most will be in use for the full 24 hours of the event. We expect to contact at least 500 or more other stations from all states and Canadian provinces.

The public is welcome to visit, even to get on the air themselves. As long as there is a licensed ham in control, anyone, regardless of age or experience, may participate. Most of the radio contacts will be using voice but Morse Code is still being used as well.

Hams tend to be pretty talkative and enjoy chatting with the public. So please stop by. Take Venice Road west from Hwy 1 and turn right at the kiosk.

We are pretty isolated here on the coast. Should an emergency such as an earthquake or flood occur, ham radio will be available for communicating with emergency agencies across the State and Country as well as providing communications between local agencies such as the Red Cross, Sheriff, Fire and Half Moon Bay Police and other city services. It can also provide a means to send messages to friends and family outside the emergency area.

Ham radio plays a special role in emergencies. This is because, unlike almost all other ways of communicating, it does not require any infrastructure. All it needs is a battery or other source of electricity, a radio and an antenna. Even small portable systems can reach other stations hundreds of miles away.

During the hurricanes last year, ham radio was the only communications means available in many Gulf areas since cell and wired phone service was knocked out. Many residents were saved from their flooded homes because hams were there in support of their neighbors.

Coastsiders live between two large fault systems, the well known San Andreas fault and the lesser known San Gregorio fault that crosses Half Moon Bay from the Ritz to Princeton Harbor. Geologists think that the San Gregorio is about half as likely to have a large quake as the always moving San Andreas. Even a quake on the Hayward fault could cause significant damage here.

If anyone is interested in getting a ham license, information will be available. Classes are offered over the hill which will allow you to get your first license in just one day. Morse Code is no longer needed for the Technician license but is still a requirement for General and Extra class licenses.

Local hams interested in emergency preparedness meet monthly at the Ted Adcock Center on 535 Kelly Ave in Half Moon Bay from 7:00 to 9:00 pm on the first Wed of each month except for July. They also meet on the air at 8:00 pm every Wednesday evening.

For more information, please call Dennis Paull, KC6PUN at 650-712-0498 Email to: [email protected]