World Amateur Radio Day is April 18
MONROE COUNTY — World Amateur Radio Day is April 18.
On World Amateur Radio Day, ham radio operators around the world, including those in Monroe County, take to the airways and demonstrate their skills and capabilities, said Terry Kolton, local amateur radio operator.
Monroe County has several radio amateurs, also known as ham radio operators. The Monroe County Radio Communications Association is a local radio club. Some hams, including members of the Monroe County Amateur Radio Public Service Corp., train all year to serve communities during emergencies and disasters in the event that standard communication infrastructure goes down. The Monroe club also holds an annual Field Day event. Its website is mcrca.org.
On April 18, 1925, the International Amateur Radio Union was formed in Paris.
“World Amateur Radio Day celebrates the pioneering achievements and ongoing services of the ham radio community,” organizers said.
The National Association for Amateur Radio reports there are more than 3 million radio amateurs in the world. AARL has 2,400 affiliated radio clubs in the U.S., including the Monroe County group. The clubs offer newcomers a chance to discover radio and become a ham radio operator. Operators work together to develop personal radio communication capabilities and operate stations in their homes and other portable settings.
“Their use of radio signals, which reach beyond borders, brings people together culturally while providing essential communication in the service of communities,” organizers said.
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Ham radio operators are all ages.
For more information, contact local ham radio operators Kolton at 734-223-6261 or Tom Imlach at 734-915-4767.
To learn more, visit arrl.org.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: World Amateur Radio Day is April 18
