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Visit Of Virginia State Senator Mark R. Herring (D)
Randy Sly, - W4XJ was directly instrumental in arranging the Senator's visit.
Randy was also responsible for this
Washington Post Article: "Ham Radios A Vital Link In Emergency Preparedness"
by Arianne Aryanpur,
Washington Post Staff Writer on
Thursday, June 15, 2006; Page LZ01
Below are Randy's Press Releases
Date: June 1, 2006
To: All Media Outlets
From: Randy Sly, Public Information Officer
Loudoun County Amateur Radio Group
Phone: 703-404-0754 / [email protected]
Re:
Loudoun Amateur Radio Week and Field Day 2006
Attached (see below) you will find a Press Release, Backgrounders,
and other information for Loudoun Amateur Radio Week and Field
Day 2006, two events that will be feature the Loudoun Amateur
Radio Group (LARG) a club of Amateur Radio operators from around
the Loudoun County area.
Amateur Radio made headlines a lot this past year, particularly due
to our role in providing early emergency communications during last
year�s hurricane outbreak, when no other means of contact was available. The Amateur Radio Service again proved to be the only totally reliable emergency communications resource in the world since we need no infrastructure in order to communicate. The importance of this capability is documented on page 177 of the recent report of the Select Bipartisan Committee of the House of Representatives, "A Failure of Initiative," on Hurricane Katrina. Amateur Radio is included in the list of "What Went Right" in
the White House report, "The Federal Response to Katrina: Lessons Learned" Amateur Radio is one of the few communications services that succeeded in Katrina's aftermath.
On a local level, Loudoun County Amateurs participate in emergency
activations such as SKYWARN, the severe weather spotting program
of the National Weather Service, and the Amateur Radio Emergency
Service, which supports the Red Cross and County Emergency Operations
Center. In addition, Loudoun �hams� perform many events of public service, providing communications for the Reston Bike Club-Red Cross Charity Bike Ride, the Multiple Sclerosis 150 Charity Bike Ride, US-Trail Rides, Potomac Safety Day, Hamilton Safety Day and other events as requested by the County, or individual groups.
You are invited to attend a special Field Day gathering for the Media
and Public Officials between 3:00pm and 5:00pm on Saturday afternoon,
June 24. There will be radio demonstrations; an opportunity to interview
club officers, officials from the Virginia Section of the American
Radio Relay League, and others; along with visits to any or all of
our six operating stations.
After reviewing the material, please feel free to contact me for any additional
information. If you are looking for heroes or human interest, Amateur Radio
is world of fascinating activity.
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LARG News Release
Loudoun Amateur Radio Group - P.O. Box 1004 - Purcellville, VA 20134
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TO PRINT AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA:
CONTACT: RANDY SLY (703) 475-5777 / [email protected]
LOCAL RADIO ENTHUSIASTS SHARE THEIR PASSION FOR TECHNOLOGY AND PUBLIC
SERVICE DURING AMATEUR RADIO WEEK
(Purcellville, VA, June 6, 2006) -- On-air demonstrations, displays and emergency
preparedness activities are on tap for members of the Loudoun Amateur
Radio Group (LARG) as they gear up to celebrate Loudoun Amateur Radio
Week which has been declared by the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors
as an annual observance for the third week of June. Currently, the
LARG Amateur Radio display is located at the Purcellville Public Library.
The week culminates with the group�s participate in an annual national
preparedness exercise called "Field Day," June 25 and 26. Field
Day is sponsored by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the national association
for Amateur Radio.
During Field Day, operators set up in local parks, at shopping malls,
or even in their own backyards, and get on the air using generators
or battery power. Field Day was designed to test operators' abilities
to set up and operate portable stations under emergency conditions
such as the loss of electricity. "We want the community to know that in the event of an emergency, we will be ready to assist in any way we can," says Boyd Garrett, LARG President. "While
people often think that cell phones or other communications technologies have
replaced ham radio, we can still provide an important communications service
that others can't."
Field Day is a serious test of skill, but it is also a contest for
fun and the largest "on-air" operating event each year. During
the weekend, radio operators try to contact as many other Field Day
stations as possible. More than 30,000 Amateur Radio operators across the
country and Canada participated in last year's event.
LARG will hold this year�s Field Day at Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve,
south of Leesburg, and will be operating from 2:00pm, June 25 until 2:00pm,
June 26. �We
hope that anyone who is interested in seeing what Amateur Radio is all
about will visit us," Garrett stated. The public is cordially invited
to visit our Field Day site on Sunday, June 26 between 10:00am and
1:00pm."
Today there are more than 670,000 Amateur Radio operators in the
United States and more than 2.5 million worldwide. To find out more
about Amateur Radio, how you can get started, or more information
about Field Day, contact Randy Sly at [email protected]. Information
on Amateur Radio is also available on the web at www.helloradio.org.
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