Radio enthusiasts will be out in force this weekend, helping to mark Amateur Radio Week, which was designated as June 16-22 by the City of Surrey.
On Saturday and Sunday, members of both the Surrey Emergency Program Amateur Radio (SEPAR) and Surrey Amateur Radio Communications (SARC) clubs will take part in an international excercise dubbed ‘Field Day’ which aims to raise awareness self-sufficient, emergency communications.
In South Surrey, ham-radio operators will gather at the former site of Grandview Heights Elementary (176 Street and 20 Avenue) for a demonstration event that is set to run for 24 hours – starting at 11 a.m. Saturday. Participants will aim to deliver various messages in many forms, without the use of phone systems, internet or other infrastructure that could be damaged in a theoretical crisis or disaster.
“Amateur Radio is not centralized. There is no single point of failure; it does not rely on the Internet, a power utility or a communications company, cell towers or other infrastructure to provide service,” said Stan Williams, president of SARC, in a news release.
“It works when nothing else is available. We need nothing between us but air.”
At last year’s event, a Surrey team placed first among Canadian teams taking part.
This year, the Surrey event will include a display and demonstration of what organizers call “an exciting new application of the hobby” – predicting earthquakes through the study of magnetic waves and how they interact with radio frequencies.
editorial@peacearchnews.com
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