Souris ham radio operators make contacts around the world

Amateur radio enthusiasts on P.E.I. got quite the thrill this weekend, making more than 100 contacts from around the world spanning as far as Australia.

The group set up what is known as a"lighthouse activation" at thelighthouse in Souris, P.E.I.

• Ham radio operators reach out from Souris lighthouse

Organizer GeorgeDewar made aportable antenna from 52 feet of copper wire, which was suspending from a flagpole to the top of the lighthouse.

His friend Bernie Cormier known as "BerniefromMoncton" also setup two vertical antennae.

Dewar said this was themost successful of the fouractivationsthe group has done so far, with contacts made in the U.S., Croatia, Germany, France and England as well as Melbourne, Australia.

"For some reason the conditions in that direction for that short period of time were extremely good," said Dewar. "That proves that the antenna that my friend Bernie built works extremely well."

Visitors from around the world

The public was invited to the event, bringing visitors from far away to show up in person as well.

"There was a couple from Australia showed up and a couple of young girls from Japan were there and were they ever interested," he said.

"They insisted on going outside with Bernie so he could explain his antennas, how they work and how he built them."

An 'emergency service'

While connecting with someone thousands of kilometres away via ham radio offers a thrill, Dewar said the eventprovides important practice as well.

"Thehamsare regarded by the federal government as an emergency service," he said.

"We've got all these modern conveniences for communicating, but if you have a power outage or something like that well, they're not available. So as a last resort the hams are a reliable source of communication when needed."

The group is planning another similar event forJune 25. The location will beannounced later.

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