Connections coast to coast

On Nov. 11, members of The American Legion Amateur Radio Club (TALARC) across the country conducted on-the-air events to connect with civilians and fellow veterans alike - all while promoting amateur radio as a vital communications tool.

Mark Halabuda is both a TALARC member and communications officer for Rose-Sheeley Post 1034 in Wallkill, N.Y. He runs radio events, or nets, each month for TALARC, allowing him to speak to people from across the country and around the world, yet he's just as interested in promoting amateur radio to Wallkill residents - and Post 1034, too.

"My goal is to make the public aware that our Legion post is more than Memorial Day, Veterans Day and poppies," he said. "We are active 365 days a year."

With the idea of making his activity literally more visible, Halabuda asked for and received permission to set up his radio station in the local library on Veterans Day. He uses a digital system called DSTAR - using that software, his laptop, a few accessories and the library's Internet connection, station W2UIS was ready for transmission.

In the course of the day, W2UIS reached out to a number of other stations. Some visiting schoolchildren even got in on the act - Halabuda said they "had fun and made contacts with stations not only in the United States, but England, Ireland, Canada and New Zealand, right from that table."

Halabuda plans to make the library setup a monthly occurence, hopefully with the assistance of other local hams, as well as working with the school district; he makes the point that ham radio qualifies as a STEM activity.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, club station K6TAL at Post 519 in Palm Springs, Calif., put on a daylong event of its own. TALARC chapter vice president Tom McLean said that between two different frequency meters, they got about 58 contacts nationwide. Non-club members also hit the waves, including Legionnaires attending a dinner function at the post and some visiting enlisted Army personnel.

"We had fun making contacts," McLean said, "and it was rewarding to hear how many hams nationwide responded to our call and thanked us for our service and what we were doing from the Post 519 Amateur Radio Club on behalf of veterans."

K6TAL's event even made it onto the news, thanks to area TV station KESQ.

One station K6TAL made sure to contact early, when "band conditions were excellent," was K9TAL, the National Headquarters station operated out of the headquarters building in downtown Indianapolis. TALARC Vice President Bill Sloan said that in all, the station made over 200 contacts during its Veterans Day Special Event Station. All those who communicated with K9TAL can send for a personalized Special Event commemorative certificate and a QSL card from TALARC. Send a 9X12 self-addressed stamped envelope to The American Legion Amateur Radio Club, 700 N. Pennsylvania Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204. Please allow about three weeks for return delivery.