RIDGELY — “There’s someone from Ohio — that’s 10 contacts so far!”, exclaimed Chuck Campbell, an avid HAM radio operator for more than two years. Campbell is in his 70s and took up the hobby late in life. He is an active member of Queen Anne’s County RACES (Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service, pronounced RAY-seas). He is also a part of the QAC Amateur Radio Club (QAARC). The Queen Anne’s Amateur Radio Club (QAARC) is a growing group of amateur radio operators who are passionate about the hobby. The club was formed in the spring of 2010 because of a need to support amateur activity and communication in the Queen Anne’s County area.
Several members of the club endured the heat and set up their kit in a field at Tuckahoe State Park to participate in the 2024 American Radio Relay League Amateur Radio Field Day exercise and contest June 22-23.
This event is the largest on-the-air operation in the amateur radio community and occurs annually on the fourth full weekend of June. It began at 1800 UTC on Saturday and ended at 2059 UTC on Sunday. Field Day is part educational event, part operational contest, and serves as an emergency preparedness exercise. Radio amateurs across the globe set up temporary radio stations in public locations to demonstrate the science, skill, and service that amateur radio provides to the community. It is an opportunity for experienced hams to mentor newcomers and showcase their abilities in operational techniques under emergency conditions or with temporary setups.
According to Corey Ruth, president of QAARC, “This was the hottest Field Day at least in recent memory, but the show must go on. It’s actually good practice setting up and operating in adverse conditions like this, since it’s highly unlikely to be sunny and 72 degrees in the event we get called upon to assist during an emergency.”
Club members ended up making over 400 contacts by the end, using a combination of voice, CW (Morse Code), and digital modes. They hit every corner of the Continental USA, plus Puerto Rico and some up in Canada too. Ruth continued, “It’s amazing how far these radios reach with some simple wire and 100 watts or less of power. That’s only the equivalent power of a single old incandescent light bulb!” What makes these radios so powerful in an emergency situation — they can be set-up and operated with just a car battery or a simple solar panel for power.
“What most people don’t understand is the critical service we provide in an emergency situation — when all the other forms of communications fail due to power loss, widespread outage in the cellular infrastructure, we can still operate and establish comms across a vast distance,”
shared Danielle Wilson of FEMA who was also on hand for the Field Day activities. “When Hurricane Maria, a deadly Category 5 hurricane devastated the northeastern Caribbean in September 2017, particularly the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, some of the first people FEMA sent were HAM Radio operators who established reliable communications back to the mainland.” A critical aspect to getting Puerto Rico back on the way to recovery, she noted.
HAM radio, also known as amateur radio, is a popular hobby and service in which participants use various types of radio equipment to communicate with other radio amateurs across the globe, for the purpose of self-education, civic service, and recreation. HAM operators communicate by transmitting voice, data, and Morse code on designated radio frequencies, which are allocated specifically for amateur use.
One of the primary appeals of HAM radio is its ability to connect people during emergencies or natural disasters when other communication infrastructures are unavailable. Operators often participate in emergency networks and provide critical communications support. To become a HAM radio operator, individuals must pass an examination that tests their knowledge of electronics theory, operating practices, and regulations enforced by national authorities like the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States.
RACES is an all-volunteer group of licensed amateur radio operators, vetted by the county and authorized to operate under and with the Queen Anne’s County Department of Emergency Services (DES). They meet monthly at the county’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC — the 911 center) in coordination with Lori Morris, assistant chief of the DES Special Operations Division, and her staff. Emergency Services can call upon the group to activate in an actual or anticipated emergency to deploy to locations across the county, including the EOC, fire stations, medical center, and emergency shelters.
“We provide a backup voice and data communications link between those sites, and to our counterparts in other counties across the state in case regular systems are disrupted. In our capacity as RACES members, we also provide the county DES with backup communications for the annual Bay Bridge Run/Walk,” Ruth said.
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