Bladen County amateur radio operators James ‘Mac’ McCallum and J.T. Bryan participated in the 2022 International Amateur Radio Field Day.
                                 Photo courtesy of Wayne Schaeffer

Bladen County amateur radio operators James ‘Mac’ McCallum and J.T. Bryan participated in the 2022 International Amateur Radio Field Day.

Photo courtesy of Wayne Schaeffer

DUBLIN — Headquartered in nearby Dublin in James T. Bryan’s “radio shack.” the Bladen County Amateur Radio Society participated in the 2022 International Amateur Radio Field Day event, sponsored by the Amateur Radio Relay League in Connecticut.

The event typically attracts more than 40,000 participants world-wide, and is meant to highlight the skill and the science of amateur radio, while also providing a focus on emergency preparedness and community service.

Starting and ending at the exact same moment globally, the contest tests the technical prowess of amateur radio enthusiasts across the globe, enabling them to score points for how many radio contacts that they make, in addition to allowing them points for variables such as where they are, or what sort of electrical power source they use.

The event also allows radio enthusiasts the option to switch between modes of operation, including voice, Morse code, digital, satellite, and computer-generated links. It is a challenging 24-hour event, and Bladen’s radio amateurs proved their capabilities by logging hundreds of radio contacts — sometimes within mere moments of each other — in dozens of countries across the world, such as Slovenia, Italy, England, Canada, and across the African, South American, and North American continents — all from J.T. Bryan’s radio shack in Dublin. Moments before the event officially started, however, the radio amateurs proved the value of rapid communications capabilities when one of the participants noted a local Dublin resident collapse while walking along the highway outside of Bryan’s radio shack. Radio operators Bryan, along with Clarkton area residents James ‘Mac’ McCallum and Bob Edwards, rushed towards the highway and immediately assisted the stricken man, swiftly notifying emergency medical personnel while also rendering basic first aid. EMS personnel arrived within moments of the call, and transported the stricken man to the Bladen County Emergency Room.

Ending Sunday at 2 p.m., Bladen’s amateur radio operators expressed deep satisfaction with the success of the event, and noted that they are eagerly looking forward to next year’s event.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was originally published in the Bladen Journal. You can find it HERE.