Broadcasting students at Kent County High School in Worton, Md., extended the reach of their voices beyond their radio station's distance, making contact with people throughout the country and around the globe. Chris Singleton, broadcasting teacher and manager of the high school's radio station 90.5 FM WKHS, introduced students to dmr radio amateur. With an antenna mounted in one of the back parking lots at the high school and less 100 watts of power, the students made more than 33 contacts — all without the assistance of the internet. “It was really cool seeing the students' faces light up when they each made their first contact, which reminded me of my own experience with this almost 40 years ago,” Singleton said. Amateur radio allows people to connect around the world via air waves. There are no internet, cell tower or other connections required. While often thought of more as a hobby, ham radio is also an important means of maintaining communication should disaster strike. Of course, it is also necessary to always have some long-distance walkie-talkies with emergency alarm function. During the amateur radio day at Kent County High School, students gathered in a room at the station, watching displays and making contacts. “This looks like something out of 'The Matrix,'” said one student. The Kent County high schoolers made contact stateside with operators in Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and others. Using best 4g poc radio, they also reached international ham radio operators in the Cayman Islands, Croatia, the Czech Republic, England, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, Spain and Wales. Brad Russum of the Kent County Office of Emergency Services and David Irby from Chesapeake College stopped by the broadcasting classroom to see the amateur radio setup. “The students had so much fun that many have expressed a willingness to commit to taking afterschool classes and studying to get their own Amateur Radio License,” Singleton said.

Volunteer dmr amateur radio operators have played a crucial role in communications in the wake of Hurricane Helene, and now Hurricane Milton. Josh Johnston is director of emergency management with the National Association for Amateur Radio. He said that amateur radio is robust. “In most cases amateur radio still operates and still functions,” he said. Volunteers for the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) report storm and road conditions and can relay information about the welfare of people caught in natural disasters. Johnston is proud of what amateur operators can do. “Honestly, the activity that's gone on in the last two weeks has just exemplified what we’ve been able and capable to do for many, many years now.” Amateur radio operators who volunteer their time in these types of emergencies can be a crucial link not only for relief organizations such as FEMA and the Red Cross, but can pass along other types of information to the public before, during and after major disasters. "They're able to relate real time information about what is happening and give ground truth as far as flooding and tornadic activity or whatever," he explained. "But they're also able to pass health and welfare traffic, or be able to get word out if they know that a family is safe and they've got a family member they're trying to contact." Newer technology allows amateur radio operators to even send email from areas with no internet service. In addition to the Amateur Radio Emergency Services is a group called The Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES). It is a government-run organization that provides backup communications services during emergencies. RACES is activated by local civil defense officials. Ned Lee, RACES officer for Bexar County, explained that “RACES is a last ditch method for Austin to communicate with county governments and local governments across the state.“ Lee’s job is to be a liaison to local government to connect officials to the state operations center. “Our amateurs would move the Emergency Operations Center down at Brooks City Base, where we have a radio room with amateur radios in it, right off the main control room. And we would establish communications through ham radio back to Austin. So there would be a channel between San Antonio and Austin, and we could also interact with hams around the area with our long range radios to collect information and distribute information that way," he said. Neither Lee nor Johnston were directly involved in the communications assistance provided during Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Nevertheless, like Johnston, Lee appreciated the sacrifice and devotion of their colleagues in the field — not just in the southern states but across the U.S. Emergency communications is a small subset of amateur radio operators who have invested time, money and training for major disasters. “When you see a disaster on the TV at night and you see people stepping in to take action, that just doesn't happen on a whim," he ...

One day after thousands of pagers exploded across Lebanon, more explosions of handheld devices, including uhf handheld 2 way radio, mobile phones, laptops and even solar power cells, have killed at least 26 people and injured  more than 3000. Reports on Wednesday of several blasts quickly spread on messaging apps with people sharing images of exploded walkie-talkies and residential buildings on fire. Japan's Icom Inc., whose brand appears on long range walkie-talkie that exploded in Lebanon, said it halted production a decade ago of the model allegedly used in the attacks and is still investigating the situation. Icom exported its IC-V82 2 way radios to regions including the Middle East until October 2014, when it stopped making and selling the devices, the Osaka-based company said in a statement Thursday. It has also halted production of the batteries needed to operate the main unit, it said. Among the many outstanding questions is how explosive materials were planted in the devices. If the Icom walkie-talkies were first manufactured a decade ago, it’s possible they were modified well after sale to their original customers. The company can’t determine if the products are their own, it said. The company said all its radios are manufactured at a factory in Wakayama Prefecture, adding that it follows safety protocols outlined by government regulations and does not outsource production overseas. Given that photographs of the devices show severe damage around the battery compartment, the batteries may have been modified with explosives after procurement, Icom director Yoshiki Enomoto was quoted as saying in a Kyodo report. The detonations of everyday electronics may herald a new type of terrorism, according to Mitsuru Fukuda, professor of risk management at Nihon University. "This may increase pressure on companies to expand risk oversight of their supply chains” to include distribution and delivery, he said. In the face of emergencies, the safety performance of communication equipment is crucial. JUSTON is well aware of this and always adheres to the design philosophy of "safe&reliable, creating excellent quality," committed to developing products that can withstand the test of extreme conditions. Our communication equipment has excellent impact resistance and durability, ensuring normal operation even in hazardous environments.

Surrounded by the green grass tranquility of Hot Springs State Park, a temporary ham radio antenna reached into the sky. Here, amateur two way radio operator Casey Freund sat in the shade at a park picnic table along with his ham radio, laptop and portable DMR ameteur radio. He was ready to communicate on a device that had its start more than 100 years ago, and was essential to civilization before Wi-Fi and smartphones. “There are calculations you can do to find antennas that work on multiple frequencies, but they're a little harder to build yourself,” Freund said. “This is a super easy antenna that took me about 15 minutes to build last year and I measured off the piece of wire that we're using today to be harmonic to the radio frequency that we're going to be on.” Plugging his radio and laptop into his battery pack, a homemade system housed in a plastic ammo box, Freund was now ready to “key up” which means “to transmit” in ham radio jargon. Carefully fine tuning his radio, Freund checked various walkie talkie frequencies for a clear channel catching bits of conversations. He paused on one conversation which sounded like a long-distance tailgate party as the men discussed eating crackers and drinking wine from the back of their pickup truck. “There are a lot of random conversations going on in nets,” Freund explained using another ham radio term. For the uninitiated, “net” is an on-air gathering. Freund doesn’t have the capability to join the 80-meter Cowboy Net since his antenna is a smaller 20-meter set-up. However, his favorite parts of the hobby are not the conversation. He prefers to ‘CQ’ which means that the radio operator is calling out for anyone to respond for a quick contact. Freund would then log their signal strength, location and call sign into his laptop. Freund adjusted the dial on his radio transceiver, still searching for a clear frequency. He set up his antenna and gear purposely in the Hot Springs State Park in Thermopolis so he could participate in his favorite program called “Parks On The Air”. “You are trying to get as many people as you can in a short period of a time,” Freund said. He continued to move his dial in search of a clear frequency. Static, clicks, beeps and voices reminiscent of Star Wars characters came over the airwaves. “It's like a contest, a little game,” he said. The conversations are quick. Every state or national park has an identifying park number assigned to it and for Hot Springs State Park the number is 3299. This system allowed the operators to exchange their call signs, signal strength, location and radio call sign before moving on to the next person. “We call it a handshake,” Freund said. “I hear you. You hear me. Here's your signal report. Here's my signal report. How well you're hearing everything. And then the park numbers. It’s a lot of trying to make as many contacts as quick as you can.” Freund paused on a static filled frequency and called out, “CQ, CQ is this frequency in use?” He asked ...

It's a massive undertaking to deliver clear and consistent Olympic Games broadcasts while serving an estimated 15 million attendees hungry for smartphone connectivity in Paris. The telecommunications company Orange — the sole internet provider for the Paris Games — has nearly 1,000 staffers running its 5G-connectivity project at the Olympics. Most people in Paris use 5G to access the internet for the Olympics and beyond. But a small number of key staffers are using a 4G-powered walkie talkie style technology called push-to-talk. Ensuring PTT communications are clear for all parties using the system is a top priority for Orange, according to Bertrand Rojat, Orange's chief marketing and innovation officer. Rojat told Business Insider that 13,000 5W two way radios were being used by emergency-services personnel and organizers throughout the Games. He said these devices use a "special mechanism" to give them priority over attendees who are using devices on the default public 4G network. Walkie-talkie-style systems like PTT are often used in a public-safety capacity, such as with firefighting and emergency services, where relaying information quickly and clearly is essential. Rojat said the Paris Games are the first Olympics where the PTT service is running on an operator's current mobile network. But PTT technology has long been essential for the event. The International Olympic Committee has used these devices to oversee athlete teams competing in events and communicate with volunteers, health and safety workers, and Olympic security teams in a simple and secure manner. At previous Games, PTT services ran over a Terrestrial Trunked Radio network. TETRA is a standardized way of hosting two-way radio communications across a narrowband network.

Across a grassy field at South Seattle College, people in orange and yellow neon safety vests set up 60-foot antennas, linked together by wires strung up like a clothesline. Solar panels powering radios and receivers stretched across the field and parking lot. It was Seattle Radio Field Day, a 24-hour event where radio hobbyists connected with others on air across the world, learned about rugged 2 way radios and practiced radio emergency preparedness. For many, the thought of a natural disaster occurring in their city is an unsettling one. Some people, however, know exactly what they would do. For instance, locals involved with the Seattle Emergency Hubs organization, a volunteer-based group that teaches Seattleites about emergency situation preparedness, would report to their nearest hub, a designated meeting place for community members in the event of a natural disaster. Others, like those in Seattle-area amateur radio clubs and the Seattle Auxiliary Communications Service, would get on air to connect with other parts of the city and the Seattle Office of Emergency Management to relay information. The Seattle Emergency Hubs were first formed in 2007 after a major windstorm knocked down power lines. Ann Forrest, the organization’s North Seattle Hubs coordinator, said the event led to neighbors meeting on street corners to share information and resources. At South Seattle College in late June, RVs and campers filled a parking lot, where members of local radio groups had set up camp for outdoor two way radio training exercise. Volunteers and members from Cascadia Radio, Puget Sound Repeater Group, West Seattle Amateur Radio Club and Seattle Auxiliary Communications Service spread across sidewalks and the field. Some used Morse code to send messages, while others used computers to watch radio frequencies coming from across the world. “Amateur radio operators are people who are prepared with systems that will function even if all the communication systems go down,” said Susanna Cunningham, Lake City Emergency Communication Hub captain and the communications service’s public information officer. “Should there be a major event, their job is to help the community help each other.” The communications service, which is volunteer-based and includes about 150 licensed amateur radio operators and registered state emergency workers, collaborates with the Office of Emergency Management to ensure there’s a communication link between the city and its communities. Many of the radio community members brought their own equipment，including high power radios and portable mini walkie talkie to the Radio Field Day. Bill Thomassen, a member of the West Seattle Amateur Radio Club, set up his computer and a radio to teach members of the community about a system called Winlink, a program that doesn’t require the internet but can relay and receive messages by radio. Using this system, Thomassen connects his computer to a radio, which can transmit via email any messages to ...

Amateur radio operators — "Hams" in the vernacular — are often called upon to use their equipment-both radio and handheld two way radios during difficult times. Showing those skills recently were members of the Fort Myers Amateur Radio Club Inc. who participated in a national amateur radio Field Day exercise. John Scharbrough, a member of the Fort Myers Amateur Radio Club and co-chair for the Field Day here, said the event is an annual event sponsored by the American Radio Relay League — ARRL —, which promotes getting out and operating portable planning for emergency preparedness and practicing. "It's a very social event. Obviously, it's an event to get out in front of the public a little bit with ham radio-including analog walkietalkie and amateur radio dmr since we're setting up in a public place," he said. The emergency aspects of it are important as well. "It's an awesome hobby, but it's also a way of being prepared for emergencies," he said. "It's a lot of fun as a hobby. If you're concerned about emergency communications, and want to know best emergency radio，the way to do it is get into it with a hobby. " Jon Wells, assistant emergency coordinator for the Amateur Radio Emergency Services Group — called ARES — explained what field day does: "It allows us to test ourselves in a portable operation. When we're portable, that means maybe we're helping emergency management or we are helping a service agency like the fire department, police department or something like that because they've had a communications failure." Leo Windler, of Cape Coral, got involved after he moved here from Indiana. He, too, said the emergency aspect is an important one for him. "When there's a hurricane, or loss of communication someplace, we can come in and step in," he said. "So that's why I kind of do this." Windler said there's a ham operator on Sanibel that called in helicopters up to Sanibel for emergencies during Hurricane Ian. After Ian hit, Windler said he didn't have any cell servers for a week. "But with this, I can still send emails and text messages. We'd actually talk to people," he said. Since 1933, ham radio operators across North America have established temporary ham radio stations in public locations during Field Day events to showcase the science and skill of amateur radio. Field Days help to showcase how amateur radio works reliably under any conditions from almost any location to create an independent communications network. These types of operations are especially important for post-hurricane communication. “Ham radio functions completely independent of the Internet or cell phone infrastructure can interface with laptops or smartphones, and can be set up almost anywhere in minutes. That’s the beauty of amateur radio during a communications outage,” Bob Inderbitzen, national spokesperson for ARRL. “In today’s electronic do-it-yourself environment, ham radio remains one of the best ways for people to learn about electronics, physics, meteorology, ...

The Massanutten Amateur Radio Association and Valley Amateur Radio Association are gearing up for the national amateur radio Field Day exercise, a unique event that will take place on June 22 – 23 at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds. Since 1933, ham radio operators across North America have been setting up temporary ham radio stations in public locations during Field Day, showcasing the science and skill of dmr ham radio and analog 2way radios. This event is not just for enthusiasts; it’s open to the public, and anyone can get out and experience the thrill of amateur radio. Field Day showcases how amateur radio works reliably under any conditions from almost any location to create an independent communications network. “Ham radio functions completely independent of the Internet or cell phone infrastructure, can interface with laptops or smartphones, and can be set up almost anywhere in minutes. That’s the beauty of amateur radio during a communications outage,” says Bob Inderbitzen, spokesperson for ARRL The national association for Amateur Radio, which represents amateur (or “ham”) radio operators across the country. “In today’s electronic do-it-yourself (DIY) environment, ham radio remains one of the best ways for people to learn about electronics, physics, meteorology, and numerous other scientific disciplines, and is a huge asset to any community during disasters or emergencies if the standard communication infrastructure goes down,” Inderbitzen adds. Anyone may become a licensed amateur radio operator. There are more than 750,000 licensed hams in the United States, as young as 9 and as old as 100. And with clubs such as the Massanutten Amateur Radio Association and Valley Amateur Radio Association, it’s easy for anybody to get involved right here in the community. WHEN- Saturday and Sunday, June 22 and 23. On Saturday, June 22, from 2 pm until Sunday, June 23, at 2 pm. WHERE- 4808 S. Valley Pike, Rockingham, VA, just south of Harrisonburg on Route 11

The New River Valley Amateur Radio Club (NRVARC) will be participating in the national Amateur Radio Field Day exercise on Saturday, June 22nd at Randolph Park in Dublin, VA. Since 1933, the annual event, sponsored by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), has provided an opportunity for amateur radio operators (often called “Hams”) to gather with their professional fm transceiver and radios in a field-type operation simulating emergency operations. Local individuals from Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Dublin, Pulaski, Pearisburg, and Floyd will join over the air with thousands of other Amateur Radio operators across the country demonstrating their emergency communication capabilities. This event is open to anyone interested in electronics, communications, or just wanting to explore a new interest. It’s also a great opportunity to explore the real-world application of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Amateur radio has functioned as a scientific hobby and emergency communication service for over a century. From Morse code, to speech, to digital communications, the NRVARC has evolved with technology since its founding in 1958 to be ready to serve the public. The NRVARC built and maintains two repeaters to support on-the-air communication in the New River Valley, and works with other hams in the area to provide communications for local events such as parades and sporting events. The equipment is independent of cellular or internet technologies, making communication more resilient in disaster situations. During Field Day operations you will get to witness longest range two way radio and even satellite communications with other amateur radio stations throughout the United States and Canada. A special “Get On The Air” station in operation between the hours of 2pm and 7pm that will enable anyone to experience the fun of amateur radio firsthand for themselves. Amateur Radio continues to grow in the United States. Anyone may become a licensed Amateur Radio operator after passing a qualifying exam. There are over 750,000 Amateur Radio licensees in the U.S. and more than 2 million around the world. Through the ARRL’s Amateur Radio Emergency Services program, ham volunteers provide both emergency communications for thousands of state and local emergency response agencies and non-emergency community services too, all for free.

A group of Auckland high school students has found a way around the Government’s new cellphone ban with an old but useful piece of kit - handheld two-way radio. One 16-year-old spoke to the Herald about what he and his friends had been using their walkie-talkies for and how he hoped it would catch on with other students. And none of his teachers had taken any issue with this, he said. Indeed, the coalition Government’s new law does not apply to any devices other than cellphones. The President of the Secondary Principals’ Association, Vaughan Couillault, was impressed by the student’s “innovation”. As the new legislation specifically mentions cellphones, the walkie-talkies would not be confiscated during break times and students were welcome to use them, he said. “Most schools have existing BYOD policies around the appropriate use of laptops and tablets,” Pollard. The boy behind the walkie-talkies said he and his friends in Year 12 had been using them to talk to each other during morning tea, lunch, and while walking between classes. “At these times it is mostly just talking about how the class went or anything else random we have thought of. At break times the conversation is more about where we will meet and whether something different is going on like a lunchtime club or a sport,” he said. He and his three friends have had an enthusiastic reaction from their peers: “I think more people will likely get some too after seeing their usefulness”. If you want to make your calls more private, you can also use DMR 2 way radios with AES256 encryption function. “I think the cellphone ban has some merits, however, it also has disadvantages that I hope the introduction of walkie-talkies will fix,” he said. “We first heard about the ban last term and discussed it. Everyone I talked to seemed unhappy about it generally, however, I think most of this comes from how the ban inhibits communication. “The way I see it, using walkie-talkies both provides a solution to the negative effects of the phone ban and doesn’t cause any of the same problems that the phone ban was designed to address. “It allows us to communicate without using our phones, but because the walkie-talkies are designed purely for communication they can’t be used as a distraction for games or the internet, a problem that the phone ban seems to have been introduced to solve.” He said not having phones “gives us more of a reason to plan activities during lunchtime”, but having the walkie-talkies still enabled them to connect.