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Free amateur radio training to be given on May 3

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By Elizabeth Marie Himchak

When the next emergency strikes and cell phones don’t work, will you still be able to communicate with others far away?

For Rancho Bernardo Emergency Radio Services members, the answer is yes.

The group — one of many in the region — is trying to expand its communication network by promoting an all-day training class in Poway on May 3. The location will be given to registrants, limited to 35 attendees on a first-come basis.

While primarily for Rancho Bernardo or Poway residents, the event is open to anyone, so those interested are encouraged to register soon by sending an email to sandiegohamclasses@me.com.

The free class is for those have “absolutely no experience” and want to get a technician class amateur radio license, said RBERS President Patrick Horgan.

Immediately following the course, the license test will be administered for a $5 fee. Horgan said if people study the course materials prior to the class there is typically a 95 percent pass rate on the first test attempt.

Horgan said technician class is the first of three license levels radio operators can receive and participants should plan on staying from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., though they are likely to finish their test an hour or so earlier. Participants need to bring a lunch and snacks.

Horgan said participants do not need to own any radio equipment prior to taking the class. Afterwards, they can decide what type of radio to purchase. He said a basic dual-band handheld radio starts at $39 and a “good, main brand” radio is around $160. To have a base station in a house or vehicle costs close to $200.

Horgan said the RB group formed in 1986 so it could provide emergency communication for the community. During the Southwest Blackout that left millions of people without electricity throughout Southern California, Arizona and parts of Mexico on Sept, 8, 2011, he said radio operators in Rancho Bernardo were among the few who were communicating with others in the region and other states after some cell phones and electricity-run landlines stopped working.

Members helped relay messages, such as where gas stations operating on generators were located, he said. Other messages sent were to tell people out-of-state that individuals here were OK.

According to Horgan, cell phone systems are made to handle about 10 to 15 percent of cell phones in the area at a time on a normal basis. When there is an emergency and everyone is trying to use their cell phones at once to call for help or let people know they are OK, the system overloads and calls cannot get through.

RBERS is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission and has around 30 members, including Horgan who has been a licensed radio operator since 1976. He said the group has equipment set up at each community center in Rancho Bernardo and it holds regular drills, including one last Saturday, where they tested signal quality. Members also meet monthly at Cocos.

While amateur radio — also known as ham radio — is typically a hobby for the operators, Horgan said it serves a real purpose and people don’t realize how vast the radio network is. For example, he has talked with operators in Johannesburg, South Africa, and the American Red Cross, Caltrans and San Diego Sheriff’s Department are among entities that have a ham radio component.

“Most emergency organizations do, but (people) just don’t hear about it,” he said.

For more information about amateur radio, send an email to rbers@live.com.

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