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The Clay County Amateur Radio Society was established in the Winter of 1994 with the encouragement of then new West Point Fire Chief Richard Stripling.  Chief Stripling had come to West Point from the Columbus Fire Department where he had been instrumental in establishing the Lowndes County Emergency Management Agency and the 911 emergency system.   The Chief recognized the capabilities and importance of amateur (ham) radio operators in emergency situations from his past experience.  With the help of some of his old ham friends in Columbus, he contacted Denver Baker, Burt Cliett, Paul Roy, Jack Rowell, and others amateur operators in Clay County and organized a meeting.  At that meeting he asked those present to form an organization of local amateur radio operators and offered the new group a multitude of suggestions and support.  The club was formed and the Chief backed up his promises by providing us a place to meet each month, emergency radio equipment and antennas through The Clay County Emergency Management Agency, and a great deal of support for us when working with other city and county agencies.

In the Spring of 1995 the charter members of the Clay County Amateur Radio Society signed their newly drafted constitution and came together to provide a service for Clay County.  Our goal as a group is to provide emergency communications in support of West Point and Clay County's public service agencies.  We are a volunteer organization of  licensed radio operators who operate our equipment under the regulation of The Federal Communications Commission  .  We are NOT "Citizen's Band" operators and wish to make that fact clear as that image seems to be a common misconception by the press and public.  We have the licenses and equipment to communicate locally, nationally, or globally, during emergencies or merely as a hobby.  We freely offer our capabilities to the citizens of Clay County in time of need.

Through the help of private contributions and the Lee County CREATE Foundation we have installed a repeater system which provides a coverage area extending far beyond the Golden Triangle area.   The system was originally installed at the Clay County Courthouse with the gracious support of Chancery Clerk  Robbie Robinson and has since been moved to the high plateau atop the nearly 300 foot tall Prestage Farms feed mill building.  The system is insured through the local emergency management agency and has access to the publicly switched telephone network thanks to the support of  The Clay County Board of Supervisors.   The system is equipped with emergency backup power and should provide reliable local communications support for the area in the event of severe weather and tornados, ice storms, earthquakes,  or a similar local or national disaster.  Backup systems include repeaters in neighboring communities that can be easily accessed by local amateur radio operators.

In our efforts to further reinforce our commitment to provide reliable emergency communications we have done, or are in the process of doing several other things.  We have built a complete emergency powered "ham" station which can be set up in minutes.  This station could work in addition to the home stations each of our members have.   This station consists of a Kenwood TS-570 HF transceiver and two antenna systems capable of worldwide communications.  In addition, we have a commercial Yaesu VHF transceiver and antenna system capable of communicating with local police, fire, and public utilities.  The combination of HF and VHF radios gives us the capability of passing traffic between our local public service agencies and the "outside world" in the event of a disaster in Clay County.  We have formed links with the Clay County Chapter of the American Red Cross and in fact have a club member who is also a local Red Cross volunteer.  This connection, which could be critical in a disaster, continues, on a local level, the long standing relationship shared by amateur radio and the Red Cross for decades.  In cooperation with hams in Columbus, Starkville, Tupelo, and WTVA television, we are organizing the Golden Triangle SKYWARN Group.  This group will coordinate weather spotting in and around the Golden Triangle area and provide an early warning system for tornados and severe weather events.  Reports by local spotters will be verified by National Weather Service and broadcast on WTVA television in "real time".  This group should be a reality by the fall of 2001.

Who else are we?  We are your friends and neighbors.  We are citizens of Clay County and the surrounding area.  We are the people who drive around with weird antennas on our vehicles! We love to talk on our radios, kid each other, and talk about life in our community.  We have fun with our hobby even though we know there is a serious side to it.  We would love to have you come to one of our meetings and if you are interested, join our ranks!  The FCC licensing process is straightforward and the exams are thorough but not designed to discourage.  We have club members from ten years old to eighty years young.   Amateur radio is truly an national resource and is a privilege available to all Americans!  Please check out our links to learn more.

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