Help Perry County, Pennsylvania Stay Connected in Disasters
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Building Resilient Communications for Our Community
When disasters strike—such as storms, floods, or power outages—our usual means of communication, including cell phones, landlines, and the internet, can fail. In those critical moments, amateur radio (ham radio) steps up as a proven lifeline.
Ham radio operators in North Carolina, for example, provided life-saving communication support to fire, life-safety, search and rescue, and EMS efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
The Perry County Amateur Radio Club (https://PerryCountyARC.Org) is spearheading this effort to establish a central, fully equipped emergency ham radio station at the county seat that ties together the expertise of more than 100 of the county's licensed ham radio operators and dozens of General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) licensees across our area. Without this dedicated station, coverage is limited, and vital connections between neighborhoods, first responders, and neighboring communities may be lost when they are needed most.
This fundraiser will make that station a reality. The project will:
- Install repeaters, antennas, and feedlines to provide reliable, county-wide coverage
- Equip a dedicated ham radio station with voice and digital communication tools, logging software, and monitoring capability
- Train and organize at least 20 volunteer operators to staff the station during emergencies
- Conduct regular drills to keep preparedness skills sharp and systems operational
- Serve as a vital communications link for federal, state, and local emergency preparedness agencies and their efforts
The budget is modest—about $12,000—but the impact is enormous. This station will ensure that when other systems fail, our community stays connected to vital emergency services.
This project is spearheaded by the Perry County Amateur Radio Club and supported by volunteers—neighbors helping neighbors. Every contribution, large or small, builds resilience for our entire community. Together, we can make sure that when disaster strikes, communication remains strong and lives are protected.
Upon completion of this project, all equipment and project assets will become the property of the Perry County government, headquartered in New Bloomfield, Pennsylvania.
Please consider donating today, and thank you for helping to establish this critical communications lifeline.