2023 April TD News
Dean Eppley | Published on 4/1/2023
Hunkered down during a blizzard is an ideal time to practice using my amateur radio (aka Ham). Why? Cellphones aren’t always reliable off-roading so I got an FCC amateur radio license for emergency use. After charging up my handheld Yeasu radio, I went searching for repeaters. Repeaters rebroadcast local signals greater distances. Repeaters are located on mountain tops and are sometimes linked to other repeaters for covering great distances. I was able to reach the SNARS standalone repeater on Mount Rose and the linked W6YOP repeater on Alder Peak from Tahoe Donner. What a blast. Amateur radio enthusiasts monitor these signals almost continuously. As a “newbie” I was hesitant to ask for more than a radio check, but learned the fun of amateur radioing is conversing with others. I met a bunch of very helpful longtime enthusiasts who were very giving of their time. I’ll be checking in regularly!