For about 24 hours June 28 and 29 members of Iola’s Amateur Radio Club will test their skills at responding to an emergency whenever ham radio operators might provide the only link with the outside world.
The annual national field day will have operators from through the nation setting up shop with radios. Their only power will be batteries and generators, no commercial connections.
“It’s a chance for us to make sure we’re prepared to deal with any emergency,” said Ralph Romig, a founders of the club in 2007.
The Iola club will be at Fees Park on the west side of Gas.
“You can’t throw your equipment into a corner and then expect it to work on a moment’s notice,” Romig said. “The field day gives us a chance to work out the kinks and see how many other hams we can contact.
“We’d love to have people come to see what we do and give us a chance to talk about amateur radio,” Romig said.
A feature of the day will be a dipole antenna Romig built.
“I’m more of a tinkerer than an operator,” he mused, while explaining how the dipole device will permit him to rotate it to better communicate.
How extensive communications will be always depends on such things as the weather, sun spots and flares, and frankly the skill of the operator, Romig said.
ROMIG HAS been involved in radio communications since his days as an oil field dispatcher in the Permian Basin of west Texas in the 1950s.
After moving to Iola permanently about 10 years ago he was operating his amateur radio when he ran onto Red Roberts.
“It was what you call an eyeball contact,” Romig said. “I was on Lincoln and Robert was on his radio south of the (old) hospital, about half a mile away.”
Through their shared interest, the two Iolans became friends and eventually decided to embrace other hams in the area.
“I got a list from the FCC (Federal Communications Commission), sent out letters and we got 15 to 18 responses,” Romig said.
He and Roberts, now dead, formed the Iola club in 2007. Today it has about 20 members.
While health problems have curtailed Romig’s activities, most other members of the club help law enforcement as storm spotters when severe weather threatens, and are available for other emergencies.
