A group of Haines and California residents are learning to set up and operate ham radios this weekend to connect to the outside world in case of an emergency power failure.
Lynn Hyder of Haines and members of the Snaptrack Amateur Radio Club of Santa Clara, California will spend Saturday and Sunday at a cabin in Viking Cove for the annual Amateur Radio Field Day.
Field Day coordinator Jim DeLoach said over 35,000 people from across the country will use ham radios that day for an emergency preparedness exercise. The Haines group will quickly assemble three ham radios without existing infrastructure, using only battery power and stringing wires through trees.
“You have no power, you need to be able to quickly establish communication when power has failed,” DeLoach said.
DeLoach said it could take several hours to a full day to get the systems running before reaching out and talking to as many people as possible through the machines.
“It’s kind of a contest for us, the more people you talk to, you win,” DeLoach said. “It’s a way to get hands on practice setting up that emergency station and work through all the kinks involved.”
Although DeLoach said he didn’t know how many participants would be there, guests are invited to watch at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 24. Call 408-691-1349 for more information.