10A • June 10, 2016 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com Ham radio operators prep for Cascadia Radio from Page 1A a disaster that brings down utilities. From June 7-10, ham radio operators will partici- pate in Cascadia Rising, the emergency preparedness exercise simulating the irst four days following a Cas- cadia earthquake or tsuna- mi. “It doesn’t matter where you are,” SEA-PAC Public Information Oficer Nicole Crosby said. “There are earth- quakes in California, looding in the Midwest 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 hob- by spanning Morse code to the digital age. Upstairs, novices and bar- gain-hunters alike prowled tables of used equipment. “It’s what every amateur radio operator does,” Tim Coleman of the Clark County (Washington) Amateur Ra- dio Club said. “We buy used equipment 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 equip- ment from the 1970s, “the transition stage between vac- uum tubes and semiconduc- tors,” 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 toys” from his own sales proceeds. Downstairs, Portland’s Louis Bybee offered Morse code keys, power ampliiers for radio, soldering guns, tools, power supplies — what he called “a little bit of every- thing.” Jack Tiley of Spokane, Washington, displayed an- tique measuring instruments donated by Gonzaga Univer- sity to raise money for the lo- cal amateur radio club. His prize was a potenti- ometer, a precision box for calibrating capacity devices. “This was the way they did it before they had preci- sion instruments,” Tiley said. “It’s very unusual. It’s what they used in the primary stan- dards labs in the 1940s and ’50s. Today it’s a collector’s item or a museum piece.” Ron Plummer of Los An- geles is celebrating his 70th year in ham radio. “When we started in the hobby, it was all tubes,” Plummer said. “There weren’t any transistors. Al- most everybody built their own equipment. Now you go to the store and buy what you need.” Morse code still has its role in radio communica- tions, Plummer 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,” espe- cially when there is a lan- guage barrier. In case of emergency Radio communications are expected to play an important R.J. MARX/SEASIDE SIGNAL An antique measuring instrument known as the po- tentiometer was displayed by Jack Tiley. role in the event of a disaster that brings down utilities. At his SEA-PAC table, John Hays, director of mar- keting for NW Digital Radio, displayed a high-speed digi- tal radio with expanded net- work reach. The UDRX-40 Universal Digital Radio sells for $395, and is supported on Windows, Android, Mac- intosh and Linux browsers. “There’s a resurgence in hav- ing an alternative way to send messages in a disaster,” Hays said. In the Seattle area, hams are building a high-speed net- work to supplement the inter- net, which could be brought down in a disaster. “It’s bigger than Cascadia, but Cascadia’s certainly part of the motiva- tion,” he said. One vendor had nothing with a plug, battery or cable on her table. Gretchen Otto, a distrib- utor 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 literal- ly eat everything without wa- ter 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 sur- vival, newbies don’t need to spend the $1,500 necessary for state-of-the-art equipment. Used equipment 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 license and amateur extra, which allows access to all available U.S. Amateur Ra- dio operating privileges on all bands and all modes. For more information, contact Clatsop County Aux- iliary Communications or the Amateur Radio Emergency Service. Local clubs include the Sunset Empire Amateur Ra- dio Club, Seaside Tsunami Amateur Radio Society, Can- non Beach Amateur Radio Society and Oregon Coast Hams. Links to these and other amateur radio groups can be found at clatsop-ares.org. “From people who do it for fun, to contest teams, emer- gency communications, pre- paredness, weather-watchers — people use the ham radio,” Ham Radio Outlet’s Eaton said. “It’s a great means of communication.” R.J. MARX/SEASIDE SIGNAL Jack Tiley sells equipment at SEA-PAC. SEASIDE SIGNAL/SUBMITTED PHOTO Patty Petersen will be coming to Seaside for the Muscle and Chrome Car Show June 18. Patty Petersen returns with ‘Mompala’ By Eve Marx For the Seaside Signal When Patty Petersen’s 1964 Chevro- let Impala cruises down the street, she’s thinking of her mom. The Vancouver, Washington, resident is the proud own- er of the car she calls “Mompala,” a tro- phy-winner at Muscle and Chrome for the last two years. Mompala has also had the honor of being featured two years in a row in Cruize Magazine. “My mother bought the car brand new in 1964 after raising 13 kids,” Petersen said. “She paid cash for it. It was a pret- ty big thing for her to come home with a brand new car.” The car has been kept safe and sound in the family ever since her moth- er, Marie, died SEASIDE SIGNAL/FILE PHOTO in 1999. A look under the “At shows, hood at this mus- I build a shrine cle-bound beauty to my mother at the 2015 Seaside inside the car,” Muscle and Chrome Petersen said. Car Show. “My daughter made a special blanket and I have all these amazing pic- tures of my mom with her Chevy Impala. When I take Mompala to shows, I spread that blanket over the seat. It’s a real con- versation starter.” When she was a child the car seemed small. “But now it seems like such a big car! The trunk is huge!” she laughed. Produced and coordinated by the Seaside Downtown De- velopment As- sociation, Sea- side Muscle and SEASIDE SIGNAL/FILE PHOTO Chrome arrives June 18. Five Visitors are en- city blocks of thralled by this entry show quality ve- in the 2015 Muscle hicles from 1960 and Chrome Show. to 1978 plus fac- tory built vehicles from 1979 to the pres- ent will be on display. Petersen is a single woman and takes care of the car on her own. “I have a me- chanic but this is a lying solo project,” she said. “I’m the youngest of 13. My brothers didn’t have an interest in show- ing the car, but I did.” That interest continued through the years. “I’ve always loved classic cars.” Petersen said. “I’m a breast cancer sur- vivor and the car keeps me grounded. Mompala is such therapy for me. It’s a good kind of nostalgia.” Whenever Petersen brings the car to a show lots of younger people look at it and appreciate its beauty, but the biggest response comes from older folks who like to stand around and tell their own classic Impala stories. “I’ve had a lot of body work done on the car,” she said. “I know the story be- If you go Registration and check in for Muscle and Chrome begins Friday, June 17, at 1 p.m. at the Seaside Civic and Convention Center and is open until 7 p.m. For modern muscle car fans, the Kepler Motors Motion Supercar will be on display at the Seaside Civic and Convention Center during the show on June 18. The car features a 550-horsepower 3.5 litre twin-Turbo engine, is all-wheel drive and can go from 0 to 60 mph in less than 2.5 seconds. Participants are invited to Leisure Time Campground for a compli- mentary barbecue from 5 to 6 p.m. The Cruise Highway 101 event starts at 6:30 p.m. for registered vehicles and their owners. On Saturday, June 18, registration and check-in takes place 6-11 a.m. at the Seaside Civic and Convention Center. hind every ding and dent.” Interior work still remains to be com- pleted. Petersen said it’s not always easy be- ing a single woman with a classic car. “The car world tends to be a man’s world, so it’s nice when women can be high- lighted. It’s very empowering not only to me, but hopefully to other women.” Petersen is a member of Beer Boys Racing, the Vancouver-based club and former winner of Best Club Participation trophy at Muscle and Chrome.