Schoharie County Amateur Radio Association 2025 Pumpkin Patrol

SCHOHARIE COUNTY — Once again, the members of the Schoharie County Amateur Radio Association (SCARA) will be out watching the bridges that cross I-88 in the county. Every year there are incidents with people dropping things off the bridges that cross major highways, endangering drivers. This has happened across the country, unfortunately, as some take Halloween too far.

To help law enforcement agencies protect the driving public, Amateur Radio operators or “HAMS” as they're often known, on the night before, and on Halloween, station themselves at points from which they can watch the vulnerable bridges and report any suspicious activity to the police. The SCARA members cover all bridges that pass over I-88 that run through the county.

Amateur Radio operators voluntarily serve the county at no cost in many ways, including helping to keep vital communications open during disasters. In lighter situations, such as foot races for charity, they are an important extra layer of safety for runners and spectators and provide up-to-the-minute information from the race route.

They also enjoy the nearly limitless possibilities of the radio world. Some build their own equipment, some are active “contesters,” contacting as many other stations as they can in a given time or contacting special event stations.  SCARA members are active in Parks on the Air and Summits on the Air, two programs that set up temporary stations in interesting, sometimes remote, locations.

There are many modes of communication. Computers and cutting-edge digital methods are used by some, while others have fun using the first means of radio contact, Morse Code, or CW as it's known by hams.

SCARA meets monthly.  Anyone interested in learning more can visit the website at www.schoharieamateurradio.org