June 17, 2016 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com • 3A
In case of emergency, ham radio operators dial in
Cascadia threat
raises urgency
for amateur
radio devotees
By R.J. Marx
Cannon Beach Gazette
It was hot at the convention
center, but sales were hotter on
the loor of the SEA-PAC con-
vention, the Northwest’s largest
amateur ham radio show.
Before midday Saturday,
June 4, Bill Eaton of Ham Radio
Outlet in Tigard had sold out of
the season’s most coveted item,
the ICOM IC-7300. They go for
$1,499, “but they’re gone.”
What makes this device so
special? “It’s the new, great DSP
(digital signal processing) il-
tering receiver, transmitter with
SDR(software deined radio)
built into it — it’s got a nice
color touch screen,” Eaton said.
“We had 16, they were gone in
the irst hour.”
Radio communications are
expected to play an important
role in the event of a disaster that
brings down utilities.
From June 7-10, ham ra-
dio operators will participate
in Cascadia Rising, the emer-
gency preparedness exercise
simulating the irst four days
following a Cascadia earth-
quake or tsunami.
“It doesn’t matter where you
DANNY MILLER/EO MEDIA GROUP
Richard Lang prepares to use his soldering iron while work-
ing on a transceiver kit during the do-it-yourself workshop
at the SEA-PAC Ham Radio Convention, at the Seaside
Civic and Convention Center. he convention lasted three
days and included a variety of seminars, presentations and
activities for ham radio enthusiasts.
are,” SEA-PAC Public Infor-
mation Oficer Nicole Crosby
said. “There are earthquakes in
California, looding in the Mid-
west and hurricanes in the East.
Each one is its own problem
area.”
From Morse Code
to the digital age
Ham radio operators are in
all generations — it’s a hobby
spanning Morse code to the
digital age.
Upstairs, novices and bar-
gain-hunters alike prowled ta-
bles of used equipment.
“It’s what every amateur
radio operator does,” Tim
Coleman of the Clark County
(Washington) Amateur Radio
Club said. “We buy used equip-
ment to get started in the hobby,
then we upgrade equipment,”
he said. “Then we sell the old
stuff.”
Don Hawkins of Portland
displayed R.L. Drake equipment
from the 1970s, “the transition
stage between vacuum tubes
and semiconductors,” according
to Hawkins.
Like Coleman and other
lea market vendors, he said he
looked forward to a trip to the
convention loor “to buy new
Annual Cannon Beach Cottage &
Garden Tour fundraiser scheduled
The Cannon Beach History
Center & Museum celebrates
its 13th year of opening the
doors to grand beach homes,
historic cottages, and archi-
tectural wonders of your fa-
vorite coastal town. The fund-
raiser is scheduled for Sept.
9-11.
The tour is a multi-day
event beginning with an ex-
clusive concert and reception
on Friday, Sept. 9, featuring
vocalist Kelsey Mousley and
“The Next Right Thing.”
Tasty morsels will be provid-
ed by Sea Level Bakery and
Newman’s at 988.
On Saturday, attendees are
invited to a special luncheon
and lecture at the Tolovana
Inn. This year’s lecture will
focus on vintage and tradi-
tional design and the reawak-
ening of these styles in home
design. The speaker, Libby
Holah, received her master of
architecture from Washington
University and has had her
vintage and historic designs
featured in 1859 Magazine.
Home tours take place
from 1 to 5 p.m. in the Tolo-
vana area of Cannon Beach.
Attendees will have the oppor-
tunity to tour historic cottages
(the original “tiny house”),
grand beach homes, lodges,
and inviting gardens. One
of the highlights of the 2016
tour will be the former sum-
mer cottage of Frank and Irta
Woodield. Frank Woodield
was a proliic and acclaimed
photographer of the Oregon
coast and Astoria during the
early 1900s. Irta Woodield
was a talented poet.
Following the tour, attend-
ees are invited to a concert
and reception at the Cannon
Beach History Center & Mu-
seum for a concert featuring
Maggie & the Cats.
The inal event of the
weekend is an English style
garden tea at the Tolovana
Inn on Sunday, Sept. 11. At-
tendees will enjoy English
style tea while enjoying a
presentation by the event’s
guest
speaker,
Sherian
Wright.
Tickets for this event will
be available on July 1. Tick-
ets for each event may be
purchased individually, or as
a weekend package. For more
information, contact the Can-
non Beach History Center &
Museum at 503-436-9301,
email info@cbhistory.org.
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toys” from his own sales pro-
ceeds.
Downstairs, Portland’s Louis
Bybee offered Morse code keys,
power ampliiers for radio, sol-
dering guns, tools, power sup-
plies — what he called “a little
bit of everything.”
Jack Tiley of Spokane,
Washington, displayed antique
measuring instruments donated
by Gonzaga University to raise
money for the local amateur ra-
dio club.
His prize was a potentiome-
ter, a precision box for calibrat-
ing capacity devices.
“This was the way they did
it before they had precision in-
struments,” Tiley said. “It’s very
unusual. It’s what they used in
the primary standards labs in
the 1940s and ’50s. Today it’s
a collector’s item or a museum
piece.”
Ron Plummer of Los Ange-
les is celebrating his 70th year in
ham radio.
“When we started in the hob-
by, it was all tubes,” Plummer
said. “There weren’t any tran-
sistors. Almost everybody built
their own equipment. Now you
go to the store and buy what you
need.”
Morse code still has its role
in radio communications, Plum-
mer said.
Also referred to as “CW,” or
continuous wave, Morse code
adds reach and is a “great way
to talk to people all around the
world,” especially when there is
a language barrier.
In case of emergency
Radio communications are
expected to play an important
role in the event of a disaster that
brings down utilities.
At his SEA-PAC table, John
Hays, director of marketing for
NW Digital Radio, displayed
a high-speed digital radio with
expanded network reach. The
UDRX-40 Universal Digital
Radio sells for $395, and is sup-
ported on Windows, Android,
Macintosh and Linux browsers.
“There’s a resurgence in having
an alternative way to send mes-
sages in a disaster,” Hays said.
In the Seattle area, hams are
building a high-speed network
to supplement the internet,
which could be brought down
in a disaster. “It’s bigger than
Cascadia, but Cascadia’s cer-
tainly part of the motivation,”
he said.
One vendor had nothing with
a plug, battery or cable on her ta-
ble.
Gretchen Otto, a distributor
of Thrive Life, offered samples
of “Freeze Dried Snackies,”
ideal for a well-stocked home
following a disaster, she said.
“Once you open them, for most
of the items, you have a year to
eat the contents,” she said. “The
beauty of it is, you can literally
eat everything without water
except maybe the sauces and
cookies. I’ve tried every meat,
every vegetable, every fruit,
without water. “Some were a
little dry, but good.”
Getting started
Whether getting into ama-
teur radio for fun or for survival,
newbies don’t need to spend the
$1,500 necessary for state-of-
the-art equipment. Used equip-
ment can be found for under
$100, and all radio operator tests
are priced at $15, according to
Crosby.
Entry level is called “tech-
nician,” followed by general li-
cense and amateur extra, which
allows access to all available
U.S. Amateur Radio operating
privileges on all bands and all
modes.
For more information, con-
tact Clatsop County Auxiliary
Communications or the Ama-
teur Radio Emergency Service.
Local clubs include the
Sunset Empire Amateur Radio
Club, Seaside Tsunami Amateur
Radio Society, Cannon Beach
Amateur Radio Society and Or-
egon Coast Hams.
Links to these and other am-
ateur radio groups can be found
at clatsop-ares.org.
“From people who do it for
fun, to contest teams, emergency
communications, preparedness,
weather-watchers — people
use the ham radio,” Ham Radio
Outlet’s Eaton said. “It’s a great
means of communication.”
CORRECTION: In the Seaside High School Class of 2016 graduation section, informa-
tion regarding graduating senior Michael Oberembt was incorrect. The corrected entry is below .
MICHAEL OBEREMBT
Parents or Guardian: Andrew and Trixi Oberembt
College Plans: Attend Clatsop Community College
Career Plans: Work in computer repair or comput-
er programming
Paciica Project: Seaside Chamber
AmbassadorsHonors/Awards/Scholarships:
Student of the Month
SHS Extracurricular Activities: Seaside Chamber
of Commerce
Making Sweet
Memories for
Over 50 Years
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APPLY IN PERSON ANYTIME AT:
1371 SW Hemlock, Cannon Beach
OR SEND YOUR RESUME TO:
Employment@Pelicanbrewing.com
www.yourlittlebeachtown.com/employment
Questions? Call Stephanie 503-965-7779 ext. 307
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