GMC News

(Milledgeville, GA) December 7, 2004 – The Georgia Military College Amateur Radio Club will be offering their services to the public this week. On December 8, 9, and 10, from 8:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m., the club will be stationed in Parham Hall to facilitate radiograms, which are sent to civilians, and MARSgrams (Military Affiliate Radio System), which are sent to active duty military. According to advisor Dr. John Robertson the club wanted to give the public an opportunity to send a free holiday greeting to friends and family who might be living in another part of the country or the world, or perhaps serving in our military.

So how does it work? The public should stop by Parham Hall with the name, address and telephone number of the person they would like to send a radiogram or MARSgram to, and a member of the GMC club will make contact with another amateur radio operator in that location who will then deliver the message to your loved one. Dr. Robertson said, “People love to receive these messages, which are similar to the old-fashioned telegrams. Delivery of the message is usually done by phone, however, messages will be delivered in person when possible.”

Amateur radio is a worldwide group of people who communicate with each other over a wide frequency spectrum using many different types of wireless transmitting modes. Today, there are approximately 675,000 amateur radio operators in the United States, and more than 2.5 million around the world.

GMC’s club is growing, and they are looking for new members. The club is open to any GMC junior college, high school or middle school student, as well as any member of the faculty or staff. If you are interested in additional information, please contact Dr. Robertson at jroberts@gmc.cc.ga.us.

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