Amateur Radio Club

The LW Amateur Radio Club meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 10 a.m. in Clubhouse 3, Room 9. Ham, also known as amateur radio, Family Radio Service (FRS) and General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) radios play a vital role in emergency communications. They work without relying on existing infrastructure, making them ideal in disasters like earthquakes and wildfires.

Beyond protecting themselves and their families, people who learn how to use radios to communicate can help others during a communication outage.

Volunteers are needed for every Mutual. Anyone interested in ham, FRS or GMRS is welcome to attend a club meeting and meet the club’s helpful, diverse and talented members. For more information, call 562431-6586, ext. 2409.

Debbie Campbell became interested in ham radios as a child, her father was a telegraph operator for the railroad and lived in a train depot. She was always fascinated by the trains co-

Debbie/Campbell ming through and hearing the sounds coming from his morse code keyer.

Campbell’s first job out of high school was with the federal agency USGS, National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC). Since then she has always been interested in emergency operations. She is currently in the Emergency Information Council for Leisure World ( www.eiclwsb.org). She is a member of Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES), and Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services (RACES), both serving Seal Beach/Los Alamitos. She is also certified in West Orange County Community Emergency Response Team(WOC-CERT), and Leisure World CERT.

If anyone is interested in ham, FRS or GMRS radios, it suggested to get a GMRS license from the FCC, for $35 for 10 years. Then purchase a GMRS radio and have fun communicating with friends and family. The Amateur Radio Club is eager to teach new users how to use these radios and be ready for an emergency.