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Ham radio operators will gather this weekend at White Rock Lake and answer your questions about this interesting hobby, which allows for communication under any conditions, without the need for internet, according to members of the White Rock Lake Amateur Radio Club.
The club formed in 2019 in response to citywide power outages, according to a press release from the founders. It now includes 40 members from 17 East Dallas neighborhoods, they say.
Those members will set up at Dreyfuss Club Point Saturday, Jan. 28, from 1-5 p.m. as one branch of a nationwide event to demonstrate the practice to a public audience.
They will exhibit various radio arrangement using portable equipment and antennas and show how they make contact with others across the country.
During this winter field day (there also is a similar summer field day) ham operators from all over America establish temporary stations in public locations as a way to showcase their capabilities.
“Field days are an opportunity to demonstrate ham radio’s ability to work reliably under any conditions from almost any location and create an independent, wireless communications network,” organizers note. “Ham radio functions completely independently of the internet and phone systems, and a station can be set up in minutes. Hams can quickly raise a wire antenna in a tree or on a mast, connect it to a radio and portable power source, and communicate effectively both locally and around the world.”
The mission of the White Rock Lake Amateur Radio Club is to enable East Dallas and White Rock Lake area hams to intercommunicate in the event of an emergency, according to the club’s literature.
