Alligator River/Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge
P. O. Box 1969
Manteo, North Carolina 27954
Contact: Bonnie Strawser - 252-473-1131
Contact: Bonnie Strawser - 252-473-1131 |
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News Release
October 14, 2006
Photo by Jane Gilbert
Jim Gilbert, current resident volunteer at Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge and avid amateur radio operator, represented Pea Island in a radio event to promote National Wildlife Refuge Week. Jim, and wife Jane, live in their camper on the refuge and volunteer three days a week. This is their second 3-month volunteer session at Pea Island.
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge Was "On the Air" for National Wildlife Refuge Week!
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge was on the air this past weekend. Amateur radio operators established a "special event" radio operation from the Pea Island Headquarters on NC 12 as part of a National Wildlife Refuge Week event. Amateur ("Ham") radio operators at 6 refuges spread across the Eastern United States were communicating with each other and other hams and shortwave listeners (SWL). Participants shared postcards commemorating the contacts. Most hams have collections of these cards spanning many events as well as casual contacts which occur locally and around the world.
The "special event" stations served more than one function. They called attention to the event, in this case National Wildlife Refuge Week, but they also served to practice setting up communications in remote locations as would be required in public service activities where emergency communications may be needed.
If you have a shortwave listening capability or are an amateur operator, the ham station at Pea Island used the call sign W5IRW/4 and operated on the 40 meter band around 7.245 as well as the 20 meter band around 14.260. Since frequencies are shared in the amateur service, operators must accomodate the earliest user of a frequency and not intefere with each other. For further information about future events, contact the Pea Island Headquarters at 987-1118.