The Darke County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (DCARES) is abuzz as we enter Fall. October 6 will find us practicing our skills, as part of the national Simulated Emergency Test, sponsored by the American Radio Relay League. Much like firefighters and other emergency personnel have mock disasters, this will provide local ham radio operators the opportunity to hone their skills in sending emergency messages.
Building on knowledge from the 1978 blizzard, hams will be relied upon as if telephone and wireless services are out of comission. Setting up temporary stations at various government agencies and fire departments, messages will be sent over radio in various ways, both within Darke County, and throughout the state of Ohio.
For more information on this activity, or ham radio in general, feel free to join us Wednesday, September 26 at 6:30pm, for our monthly meeting at the Darke County Emergency Management Office. Contact information, and more about the group can be found at http://www.qsl.net/w8dca
