Amateur radio operators wired in to help when needed (Ontario)

It wasn’t long after Marconi sent a message across the Atlantic from Signal Hill in St. John’s, Nfld. in 1901 making wireless telegraphy possible that hobbyists started developing their own transmitters and stations.

What became know as ham or amateur radio operators and technologists continue to flourish in a licensed hobby that sometimes includes Morse code and now incorporates digital technology.

Locally, the York Region Amateur Radio Club first developed in 1959. With its current membership of about 70, the club gathers the first Tuesday of every month at the Sharon Temperance Hall, with the exception of July and August.

“The hobby is very diverse,” explains longtime member Eric Brown, also known as Eric VE3EB, his call signal. “There are just so many facets.”

The group’s primary function of course is communication, which they do for fun as well as to help out at events and in emergencies.

Read more – Village Report: https://bit.ly/3R190YW