PRESS RELEASE – Alan D. “Al” Andres of rural Bryan, a member of the Williams County Amateur Radio Association, is looking forward to spreading the word about the value of amateur radio throughout the state in his new role as one of two Ohio Assistant Section Managers of the ARRL, the National Association for Amateur Radio.
In his new volunteer role, Andres will be charged with providing support to the Ohio Section, including staff who are involved with areas such as emergency communications, message traffic relay, volunteer monitoring, government relations, building strong bonds in communities, information services for amateurs and cooperation with affiliated clubs.
“One of the real benefits of this new position will be the opportunity to work alongside Ohio Section Manager Tom Sly to promote Amateur Radio in our various communities,” Andres said.
“Tom has been a long-time leader and supporter of amateur radio and what it can do for the people in Ohio.”
Andres, also known by his amateur radio call sign KD8ZBS, said amateur radio has so many facets that involve people today, including ham radio operators who use computers attached to their radios that make contact all around the world.
Radio operators can also be found setting up stations in parks with solar panels or battery power and contacting each other on their radios in regular contests that require them to operate remotely, and amateur radio groups have been seen across the country setting up mesh networks to help their communities and organizational partners provide communications in emergency and disaster situations.
“One of the most exciting aspects of amateur radio is the number of young people getting involved. They want to learn the science behind all the different operational aspects, and we are now seeing schools including amateur radio as part of their STEM or STEAM programs,” Andres said.
“The ARRL puts on teacher training sessions throughout the year to help with that. We’d like to see more opportunities for young people to get involved around the state,” he said.
Andres has also taken another step to help more people join the ranks of amateur radio operators. He was recently appointed as a Volunteer Examiner by the ARRL, which allows him and two other qualified examiners to test people when they apply for a new license or current operators when they are upgrading their present license.
Serving in a volunteer position such as this is not unusual for Andres. He is an active member of the Williams County Amateur Radio Association, presently serving as the treasurer and is on the board of directors.
He has taken numerous emergency incident courses and currently holds an amateur extra class license. He had previously served as a pastor of a church and is presently a member of New Hope Community Church of Bryan.
