“In case of emergency, turn to your ham”

Ham radio operator John Fay, K7FAY, awaits a response from over the airwaves in front of his custom-built radio repeater at his home in Boulder City, Nevada. “Before chat rooms, instant messengers, cell phones and pagers, there was ham radio. Amateur radio may have serious competition with newer technology, but one local enthusiast wants to assemble a system of ham operators for an emergency, when computers may not work.
John Fay wants to organize a Boulder City emergency response group. From his den jammed with radios, reactors and antennas, Fay is Boulder City's contact for Clark County's Amateur Radio Emergency Service. If all phone and Internet service were wiped out, Fay would help the police and fire chiefs coordinate reactions and rescues.
Boulder City has 100 FCC-licensed ham operators, Fay said, and he hopes he can get a group together to maintain communications locally. Fay and his wife, Cara, KD6OEF, moved to Boulder City from Los Angeles two years ago, where John Fay frequently used his radios to check on earthquakes and fires.
He said Boulder City is "kind of isolated," and it could benefit from the fail-safe communication system the wireless radios could provide if traditional methods go down. He would like to see the group work together in more than just dire situations, Fay said. He foresees a group of people sharing a common fascination with the federally mandated airwaves for hobbyists.