For people interested in learning about being an amateur radio operator, a collection of books donated to the Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County by the Steubenville-Weirton Amateur Radio Club makes that venture an easier, more comprehensive one.

“Amateur radio is a hobby consisting of people who are interested in utilizing various means of radio communication to connect to each other either locally or worldwide with anything from simple to highly sophisticated radio devices,” explained Gregory Day, who serves as secretary-treasurer of SWARC. “It is a hobby that was first developed in the early part of the 20th century. The American Radio Relay League, the national organization for amateur radio, was established in 1914,” he noted.

The club donated a set that consists of 17 different volumes, six of which are a six-volume set of the same title.

In parts of the United States where there is not always a robust communications network, repeaters are especially important for emergency response. Oklahoma’s five-county area, in the south, lost theirs recently to a “controlled burn” held routinely on ranch land except….it got out of control. (Sadly they had no insurance).

Fire has destroyed the W5BLW repeater in southern Oklahoma, taking down a critically important resource for SKYWARN, the Red Cross and local emergency operations in five counties of the region. According to Vance Smith, KE5BAL, of the Ardmore Amateur Radio Club, it will be a slow road back for the repeater, which stood for more than 16 years.

Vance stated repeater was consumed by a controlled burn that went the wrong way on the private ranch property where the repeater stood. By the time the damage was noticed on the mountaintop, it was too late.