Youth and Community Are The Focus for Mt. Baker ARC
August 2, 2004 -- When you think of young
people and Amateur Radio you have to look no further than Mt. Baker Amateur
Radio Club. Located in Western
Washington State, Mt. Baker ARC is a club that is very proactive when it comes
to youth and Amateur Radio. From
sponsoring youth fairs and ham radio classes to their well-organized mentor
program, the folks at MBARC are focused on the future by introducing ham radio
to kids.
Amateur Radio is more
than technology; it is a people training people to provide a service for
people. That seems to be the foundation
at Mt. Baker. The club has built an
Amateur Radio station at the Whatcom County Search and Rescue building and also
operates two emergency communications vans to assist on rescues and other
emergencies that may threaten the area.
 Teamwork is the key to success at Mt Baker ARC. |
Amateur Radio made a big
impression on the state emergency services a few years ago during a natural gas
pipeline fire that had disrupted telephone service. It seems that the Washington State Patrol Chief was unable to
contact his office to request additional assistance at the emergency scene.
Amateur Radio operator Gary Crawford, W7GLC, was on the scene and made the call
via two meters and got the required help dispatched to the scene. Since then Amateur Radio and MBARC have been
a very visible part of the community.
The sheriff's department has assigned a special deputy, now a ham
himself, just to work with the Amateur Radio operators.
In addition to emergency
preparedness and such, the members of Mt. Baker like to have fun. They have many contesters and DXers in the
club and everyone has a great time at the club's ARRL Field Day event. Many of the young people that have attended
the youth fairs and ham radio classes that Mt. Baker sponsors come out to show
off their skills at Field Day. This
year the GOTA station was captained by 14-year-old Laura Parkinson,
KD7SBD. According to long time club
member and mentor John Munroe, W7KCN, "Laura did a great job of rounding up a
bunch of young people and getting them on the GOTA station. She sat next to each one and coached them
through the QSOs." She even acted as
control operator for 13-year-old Andrea Acosta. Andrea, who has yet to get her license, worked 70 stations in
three hours. Wow!
Mt. Baker ARC Mentor Energizes Young Ham
One week after learning of ham radio, at age 13 Caleb
Gerbrandt earned his Technician license and received the call KD7RDY. In the two years since taking that first
class offered by Mt. Baker Amateur Radio Club, Caleb has accomplished a lot
including upgrading to Amateur Extra.
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The club has a list of
mentors and in addition to basic Amateur Radio mentoring, some have
specialties. W7KCN's specialty is DX
and contesting and every now and then he gets the opportunity to meet a young
person that just excels in this area and he gets a lot of pleasure in showing
them the ropes. One of these operators
is Caleb Gerbrandt, KD7RDY. John and
Caleb met at one of the club-sponsored youth fairs a couple of years ago and
since then they have developed a great friendship. Caleb gives a lot of credit to John for teaching him about DXing
and contesting. Caleb's CW proficiency
accounted for a large part of the club's CW contact at Field Day. (Read more about KD7RDY.)
Mt. Baker has a very
interactive website that has several PowerPoint presentations available for
download and there is also a fantastic guide for new hams called "A Guide For
New Amateurs." This ten-page booklet
was written by several of the club members and features plain English, simplified
explanations to some of the things that a new ham will encounter. The booklet is available on line at the
club's webpage and is also handed out at VE sessions to all candidates that
successfully pass their exam and to all new people that attend club meetings. The website is easy to navigate and has lots
of information for everyone. http://www.qsl.net/k7skw/
A general interest club
with a roster of over 110 members, of which over 60 % attend the meetings and
club functions, MBARC has also developed a strong social environment during its
almost 60 years as a club. Some of the
non-radio events that the club hold are the Christmas dinner, May banquet, and
Annual Corn Feed, a pot luck barbecue featuring corn on the cob and regional
favorite grilled Northwest salmon. The
club also sponsors VE sessions twice per month and licensing classes based on
the demand for them. This club has its
sights set on the future and is doing quite a lot to strengthen Amateur Radio
and the community.
Page last modified: 11:28 AM, 23 May 2006 ET
Page author: w3iz@arrl.org
Copyright © 2006, American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
