Faster, better…

Apparently the use of Amateur Radio repeater systems is down nation wide. When telephone patches vanished after the advent of the cellular telephone suddenly the use of Amateur repeaters stopped.

Repeaters remain one of the best ways for local Hams to stay in touch to enjoy the fraternal experience having friends in the hobby offers. We do not do enough of this in my Maryland county and perhaps other places in the USA.

Calvert County, MD offers excellent repeater resources. There is the single club repeater of the Calvert Amateur Radio Assn., the larger interconnected N3PX repeater systems, and the repeaters available in Anne Arundel, St. Mary’s, Charles and Prince George’s County. We have to all get together, talk together, and serve together otherwise we are at risk of balkanizing our disdaster planning efforts with every county.

Hams need to get back to clubbing or interacting on the air locally. We’re too disconnected and I fear we are losing our identity of a cohesive mature group of potential emergency communicators that our county’s think they can depend on in an emergency.

Calvert has an exciting system of interconnected repeaters that connects all three Southern Maryland counties. Individual clubs have their own repeaters to connect members. We are not using any of them as often as we should. Our systems can provide the kind of support counties want in a disaster. using them day to day just to remain friends, compare notes, and brag about our own stations means we have practiced using the systems and understand the capability of each.

Are you a ham in Calvert County, MD? You can find me scanning UHF and the N3PX UHF repeater in Lusby. (It’s just easier at my QTH since most antennas are UHF because of my interest in GMRS.)

Amateur Radio is an exciting hobby and promoting it through the active use of local repeaters has always been a priority. Let’s do it! Not enough of us are on the air meeting each other. Club meetings are hard to make for everyone. Let’s get acquainted.

Look, I know from personal experience in California having been responsible for a RACES team at a police agency in a county that used resources from MANY CLUBS and repeater groups that communication and cooperation amongst the Hams is essential to any disaster organization they might claim to be a part of. To get there we have to talk. Turn on your radios and meet your next door neighbor,

[ad]

Related DougWeb posts:

1. Local Hams Assist the Red Cross and Skywarn (Charles County, MD) – Local Hams in Charles, St. Mary’s...
2. Calvert County Maryland has a GMRS Repeater Visit KAF9830.COM and find out more. I am hoping that...
3. Calvert County CERT – New Blog Calvert County CERT has a new blog at Blogspot.com. Bill...
4. Calvert County Blogs? Do you live in Calvert County, Maryland and author a...
5. Calvert County Schools Get Another Big Increase I think it was the Calvert Independent’s headline that caught...
6. Hot Off the Press: Calvert County ’09 Visitors’ Guide The 2009 Calvert County Visitors' Guide is now available. The...
7. Spending Discipline? In Calvert County? So your property taxes are through the roof. Expenses are...
8. Local AM/SWL/FM Radio Hobbyists I enjoy logging shortwave, AM, FM, and listening to scanners....
9. Calvert County Opens Shelters Our family subscribes to the County’s automated emergency telephone service....
10. Boaters: No Radio Checks on Channel 16! In the last hour and a half this Friday afternoon...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.