PUBLIC SERVICE

Through Amateur Radio Emergency Service -- The American Radio Relay League

We are a volunteer group of ham radio operators dedicated to providing communications to our communities during emergencies and disasters. When cell phones and the communications of other agencies become overloaded and fail, Amateur Radio Communications can get the message through locally or to practically any place on earth. Our volunteer group also provides communications for the Ironton - Lawrence County Memorial Day Parade, (every year since 1989) walk-a-thons, runs, and other worthy events.

SOARA -- ARES ham radio operators participate in drills with the local Emergency Management Agency and have a very good working relationship with EMA Director Michael Boster. They also can work with other agencies such as law enforcement, fire, and Red Cross. SOARA -- ARES has a child search program and have been trained by a deputy from the Sheriffs department. In the event of a child abduction or a missing person, hams could be dispatched to areas like the riverbanks, strip mine area, lake areas etc. Their mobile and portable stations would allow them to communicate their findings back to the Emergency Operations Center.

Our ham radio operators provide their own equipment, such as mobile radios, base stations, hand-held radio, and antennas. These can amount to thousands of dollars. On our base stations we can talk all over the world but for local communications, the frequencies we must use for local operations, repeaters are needed to provide close-by communications in our hilly regions. Once a signal is sent to a repeater, the repeater amplifies this signal and sends it back out, thus giving much greater range.

NEW TWO METER REPEATER AND NEW NET FREQUENCY

In checking the coverage of our new repeater, we have had stations as far North as Columbus, OH and as far South as Salyersville, KY, and Logan, WV. Check in to the Ohio Valley ARES/RACES Net on Thursdays at 8:30 P.M.,on repeater 146.610 please see if you can make it in. Hams talk all over the world on HF frequencies but this is great for 2 meter operation.

THE OHIO VALLEY ARES/RACES NET IS EVERY THURSDAY AT 8:30 P.M. ON REPEATER 146.610 -- ALL HAMS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CHECK IN.

Repeaters are very expensive, we recently had a new repeater and associated items installed and placed on the air at a cost of $3,077.00. It is the 146.610 repeater with a call of W8SOE and is located in the Northern Section of Lawrence County, OH. This purchase was possible by the donations from merchants, agencies, members, individuals, industries, and others. We wish to THANK EVERYONE who contributed to our repeater fund, your help is greatly appreciated.

More good news is that SOARA -- ARES was able to purchase a new Icom AH-4 antenna tuner to connect to a Eagle One antenna built, installed, and donated by Steve Sheers, W8AFX. Several years ago Steve built and donated a complete portable HF station. All of this is located at our radio room in the rear room of the 911/EMA building. The portable rig can be taken in the field and used for communications in emergencies

Also located at the repeater site in Northern Lawrence County is a Amateur repeater, W8SOE, on the frequency of 444.625. In another section of our county we have a repeater on the frequency of 146.715, W8SOE with a tone of 103.5. When we link these repeaters it will give us communication ability to cover all of the county and then some during emergencies and disasters.

After you read this home page please go to top of this page, look on the top left under the picture of Miss Liberty where you will find links to other pages on this website. Click on one of these subjects and it will take you to another page.

Thanks for your visit to our website, please come back again.

SOUTHERN OHIO AMATEUR RADIO ASSOCIATION INC. -- AMATEUR RADIO EMERGENCY SERVICE.

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