Forget cell phones — amateur radio shines in the wake of Helene (North Carolina)

Helene knocked power out across the Carolinas resulting in cellular and internet outages. But when modern technology fails, wireless radios shine.

“We have a specific mission and that is to provide emergency communications in disasters,” said Dan Gitro, a licensed amateur radio operator in Iredell County who is known to his fellow ham radio enthusiasts as K2DMG.

Amateur radio operators, also known as ham radio operators, stepped up to offer a helping hand.

“We don’t need modern technology for amateur radio,” Gitro explained. “We need a battery, a generator, something to power a radio and you can have communication anywhere in the world.”

That’s how Gitro has been able to coordinate welfare checks and emergency broadcasts after Helene.

Read more – WCNC: https://bit.ly/3YblH4v