Club members right here in Burlington connect to other operators all over the world and even to astronauts in the International Space Station. The technology, which continues to inspire a passionate group of users, has managed to remain relevant even in the era of email and cellphones due to its reliability.

“When all else fails, ham radio doesn't, and we saw that just recently in this Rogers thing. What am I going to do? I haven't got a telephone. How am I going to talk? Well, ham radio people were still talking to each other,” said Tom Montgomery, a member of the Burlington Amateur Radio Club (BARC).

Club member Yves Isabelle, who lives in Burlington, said he has made use of his radio on the other side of the world.

“Just before COVID, like the month before we went into lockdown, my wife and I were travelling. We're in Australia, New Zealand. I had my little handheld radio with me. I was able to use handheld radio connect up to a repeater there that was connected to the internet, and I had a conversation with four guys from the club here in Burlington, from Sydney, Australia,” said Yves.

The group also supports local emergency services by providing equipment and expertise when called upon. Of course,NOAA（emergency weather）radios are being touted as a new tool for alerts and warnings during disasters.

“As much as it sounds complicated, it's not. In this hobby, YouTube is your friend. There's always somebody who's done it from scratch and done it right. Everybody uses it — the technology keeps changing,” said Yves.