Amateur Radio Is Getting New Life In Eastern Nevada
The Eastern Nevada Amateur Radio Society logo
In recent decades you would have had to look pretty hard to find any signs of amateur radio activity in the wide open space between Las Vegas and Elko in the area known as the Great Basin.
In an area with only a handful of small towns and roads on which you can travel dozens of miles and not see a home, amateur radio was limited to an occasional repeater IDing.
More often than not any such repeater ID carried the call-sign of Joe Christensen WB7WTS. Christensen took a kind of "Johnny Appleseed" approach to ham radio. His machines are sprinkled across Nevada. Of course he planted repeaters in the towns of Ely and Tonopah. But he also made sure the tiniest of places had a repeater. Little settlements like Goldfield, Eureka, Lund, Warm Springs, and Pioche all have their own WB7WTS machines.
Beginning about five years ago a resurgence of amateur radio began in Eastern Nevada. Bruce Palmer and others began the Ely Live Wires radio group in Ely. In time it was learned that a number of years earlier there had been a previous ham group in White Pine county. Upon hearing this, the Ely Live Wires adopted the vintage club's name, the Eastern Nevada Amateur Radio Society or ENARS. The club which meets at the historic Hotel Nevada continues to grow and is an ARRL Affiliated Club. Ely now has more than 30 hams and are now regular participants in public service events such as the Silver State Classic Challenge.
Ely area hams are also working to put a new VHF repeater on the air on Squaw Peak above Ely the first week of October. It will be on the same frequency as the prior machine (146.880- pl 114.8) and when completed will be linked to the 147.180+ on Kimberly, the 145.220- on Highland Pk, and the 146.850- machine at Warm Springs on US 6 between Ely, and Tonopah.
Radio exams are also now being regularly given in Ely at the White Pine County Emergency Operations Center. Last month 6 candidates presented themselves for upgrades .
One hundred and ten miles south on US 93 is Ely's next door neighbor, the town of Pioche. Here, amateur radio is coming to life with 14 licensed hams. Another 20 hams reside in other parts of Lincoln County.
Pioche can also now boast that they have their own radio club, the recently formed Great Basin Amateur Radio Club.
Both White Pine and Lincoln county currently have active ARES groups. The groups recently completed the statewide SET. Both groups are active in several Nevada Section nets.
In an area with only a handful of small towns and roads on which you can travel dozens of miles and not see a home, amateur radio was limited to an occasional repeater IDing.
More often than not any such repeater ID carried the call-sign of Joe Christensen WB7WTS. Christensen took a kind of "Johnny Appleseed" approach to ham radio. His machines are sprinkled across Nevada. Of course he planted repeaters in the towns of Ely and Tonopah. But he also made sure the tiniest of places had a repeater. Little settlements like Goldfield, Eureka, Lund, Warm Springs, and Pioche all have their own WB7WTS machines.
Beginning about five years ago a resurgence of amateur radio began in Eastern Nevada. Bruce Palmer and others began the Ely Live Wires radio group in Ely. In time it was learned that a number of years earlier there had been a previous ham group in White Pine county. Upon hearing this, the Ely Live Wires adopted the vintage club's name, the Eastern Nevada Amateur Radio Society or ENARS. The club which meets at the historic Hotel Nevada continues to grow and is an ARRL Affiliated Club. Ely now has more than 30 hams and are now regular participants in public service events such as the Silver State Classic Challenge.
Ely area hams are also working to put a new VHF repeater on the air on Squaw Peak above Ely the first week of October. It will be on the same frequency as the prior machine (146.880- pl 114.8) and when completed will be linked to the 147.180+ on Kimberly, the 145.220- on Highland Pk, and the 146.850- machine at Warm Springs on US 6 between Ely, and Tonopah.
Radio exams are also now being regularly given in Ely at the White Pine County Emergency Operations Center. Last month 6 candidates presented themselves for upgrades .
One hundred and ten miles south on US 93 is Ely's next door neighbor, the town of Pioche. Here, amateur radio is coming to life with 14 licensed hams. Another 20 hams reside in other parts of Lincoln County.
Pioche can also now boast that they have their own radio club, the recently formed Great Basin Amateur Radio Club.
Both White Pine and Lincoln county currently have active ARES groups. The groups recently completed the statewide SET. Both groups are active in several Nevada Section nets.
