SignOnSanDiego.com > News > North County -- ROARS is loud and clear in emergencies

SignOnSanDiego.com > News > North County -- ROARS is loud and clear in emergencies

"RAMONA October marked the 16th anniversary of the founding the Ramona Outback Amateur Radio Society, or ROARS.

Local ham radio operators founded the group to provide communications support in emergencies such as fires and earthquakes.


JOHN GASTALDO / Union-Tribune
Lee Pedlow (rear) and his son, Ian, are ham radio enthusiasts. Amateur radios can come in handy during emergencies when cell phone signals aren't available. The Pedlows are part of the Ramona Outback Amateur Radio Society.

Ham radio might seem like a throwback in this age of cell phones. But in the words of ROARS member Chuck Carlson, '9/11, the wildfires and Katrina proved that amateur radio does work.'

People take telephones and cell phones for granted, noted the group's president, Richard Elling, recalling the destruction of power lines and cell phone towers during the 2003 wildfires. "




73 fer nw,
Bob AD5VJ

10X# 37210, FP#-1141, SMIRK#-5177
http://www.n5iet.com/
Code may be taking a back seat for now,
but the pioneering spirit that put the code
there in the first place is out front of it all.