GazetteXtra

GazetteXtra: "Fort Atkinson — No electricity? You still have options. No electricity and no phone line? Well, there’s still ham radio. Much of the ham radio’s appeal is its independence, said Dennis Rybicke, a member of the JefCARES, an Amateur Radio Emergency Service in Jefferson County. Ham radios aren’t dependent on commercial electrical power or telephone services. They can be operated on batteries and generators. Whether ham operators prefer communicating in Morse code on old brass telegraph keys, talking on hand-held radios or sending computerized messages via satellite, they all share an interest in global happenings and reaching out to help others in times of need, Rybicke said."