“Radio Hams” at the South Florida Science Museum join in National Deployment
Public Demo of Emergency Communications June 25-26
West Palm Beach, FL – The South Florida Science Museum will be hosting “hams” who will join with thousands of Amateur Radio operators around the United States to practice their emergency capabilities on June 25 and 26.
“Over the past year, the news has been full of reports of ham radio operators providing critical communications during unexpected emergencies in towns across America including the California wildfires, winter storms, tornadoes and other events worldwide,” said Lew Crampton, CEO for the Museum. “During Hurricane Katrina, Amateur Radio – often called ‘Ham Radio’ – was often the ONLY way people could communicate, and hundreds of volunteer ‘hams’ traveled south to save lives and property. We’re delighted to feature these modern day heroes at the South Florida Science Museum and to spotlight their activities with a weekend of demonstrations.”
When trouble is brewing, Amateur Radio’s people are often the first to provide rescuers with critical information and communications. On the weekend of June 25-26, the public will have a chance to meet and talk with West Palm Beach Amateur Radio Club ham radio operators at the South Florida Science Museum and see for themselves what the Amateur Radio Service is about. Showing the newest digital and satellite capabilities, voice communications and even historical Morse code, the hams will be demonstrating their emergency communications abilities.
This annual event, called “Field Day” is sponsored by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the national association for Amateur Radio. Using only emergency power supplies, ham operators will construct emergency stations in parks, shopping malls, schools and backyards around the country. Their slogan, “When All Else Fails, Ham Radio Works” is more than just words to the hams as they prove they can send messages in many forms without the use of phone systems, internet or any other infrastructure that can be compromised in a crisis. More than 35,000 amateur radio operators across the country participated in last year’s event.
“We hope that people will come and see for themselves, this is not your grandfather’s radio anymore,” said Allen Pitts, W1AGP, of the ARRL. “The communications that ham radio people can quickly create have saved many lives when other systems failed or were overloaded. And besides that – it’s fun!”
There are over 685,000 Amateur Radio licensees in the US, and more than 2.5 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 nonemergency community services too, all for free. To learn more about Amateur Radio, go to www.emergency-radio.org.
The West Palm Beach Amateur Radio Club will be demonstrating Amateur Radio emergency communications at the South Florida Science Museum, 4801 Dreher Trail North, West Palm Beach, FL 33405 on Saturday and Sunday, June 25th and 26th. They invite the public to come and see ham radio’s new capabilities and learn how to get their own FCC radio license before the next disaster strikes. The club also maintains a permanent Amateur Radio station at the Museum that allows visitors to get on the air year round.
The South Florida Science Museum delivers entertaining and educational journeys through the many worlds of science and technology for curious minds of all ages. Located just off I-95 and Southern Blvd. in West Palm Beach, the Museum features more than 50 hands-on exhibits, a digital planetarium, fresh and saltwater aquariums, as well as natural history exhibitions. New happenings at Museum include Attack of the Bloodsuckers and Tree Houses exhibits, the Amateur Radio Center open on weekends and holidays as well as Nights at the Museum the last Friday of each month. Each year the Museum welcomes more than 125,000 visitors and reaches more than 45,000 students through workshops at the Museum and outreach programs to local schools. Established in 1961, the Museum is a non-profit organization dedicated to exciting curiosity and furthering the understanding and appreciation of science and technology.
For more information on South Florida Science Museum programs and offerings please call 561.832.1988 or visit www.sfsm.org.