Last year, our Emergency Ecomm Project—outfitting the Perry County Emergency Management Agency with a competent ARES ham radio station—kicked off with a vote by club members to spearhead the effort. Since then, significant progress has been made toward achieving this goal.
The county government has expressed eagerness for this project to be realized, as there is currently no operational ARES station within the county’s emergency preparedness resources. Following those discussions, our club was given the authority to develop, assess, and implement the necessary steps to make it happen.
The club also decided to reach out to the more than 60 county GMRS license holders to solicit their involvement in supporting and participating in county ARES emergency preparedness efforts.
Fresh on everyone’s mind at the time was the pivotal role amateur radio played in North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
The first step was to assess the condition of the radio gear, antennas, and operating space at the county 911 communications center. While that assessment verified the presence of functional HF/VHF/UHF radio gear, it was discovered that the feed lines to the tower atop the courthouse had been cut during recent renovations. In addition, antennas on the tower were found to be in poor condition and in need of replacement.
The county government agreed to replace the feed lines, and this Spring, CommPros ran more than 600 feet of LM400 cable in the form of three separate feed lines from the tower, terminating in the future operating space of the county ARES station. A club member donated two antennas for UHF/VHF, and in late spring, club members removed the old antennas and installed the new ones.
During this time, it was decided that the club should raise funds for the project, and a grant was written to seek donations totaling $10,000 to cover equipment purchases needed to bring the county ARES station up to date. The club also voted to start a GoFundMe as an additional means of raising the necessary funds to complete the project.
The GoFundMe is currently active and can be viewed by visiting https://gofund.me/9428332cf
Project completion is scheduled for the 2nd quarter of FY2026.
If you would like to be involved in this crucial project, send your email of interest to ARES-Info@PerryCountyARC.Org.