Pequea Valley JANUARY 22, 2025
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
Hams, hoagies, cheesesteaks and radios
Freedom Life opens new church campus BY FRANCINE FULTON
be limited. In addition, several antennae building stations for different bands will be set up at the Winter Field Day. According to Hess, GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) has become a path to ham radio participation. “You don’t have to take a license test to get a (GMRS) license,” said Hess, who described GMRS as “a rapidly growing aspect of radio (communications).” “While it’s not ham radio, a lot of GMRS users are making the jump to ham radio,” he said, adding that GMRS licenses from the Federal Communications Commission are easily obtained via an online application. “Anyone in your house can legally use your license,” Hess explained. This year, the club plans to serve hoagies and cheesesteaks at the Winter Field Day. Hess described the family-oriented atmosphere at club events by telling a story of his now-10year-old daughter. “Everybody in ham radio in Lancaster County
After breaking ground more than a year ago, Freedom Life Church recently celebrated the grand opening of the Freedom Life Atglen Campus, located at 789 Gap Newport Pike (Route 41), Atglen. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Jan. 10, led by pastors Sam and Michele Masteller. “What a great day,” said Sam. “It has been awesome to see what God has done.” Sam welcomed those in attendance, including congregation members and church officials; neighbors from the community; and representatives from Weaver Construction, which was in charge of the building project. “Thank you for taking the time out of your schedule to honor this moment,” he stated. “I pray that whether you attend here (or another church), you experience the grace and mercy of God. None of this is for the ego of man; it is for the glory of God.” Among those who offered remarks at the event was Ken Weaver, president of Weaver Construction. “I am grateful for all of our partners that were part of the process,” he stated. “There was a network of subcontractors, engineers and architects who worked with us. It was a team approach, and we partnered with Freedom Life. It was a great joy to build this building with that team.” Other speakers included Eric Gerber, associate pastor, who opened the ribbon-cutting ceremony; Rick Shawley, a member of the Freedom Life executive team, who offered a prayer; and Tom Rees, a representative from the PennDel Ministry Network.
See RRR pg 4
See Freedom Life pg 2
Red Rose Repeater members Jason Bachman (left photo) and Mark Shenk (right photo) try to make contact with other ham radio operators at the 2024 Winter Field Day. BY ANN MEAD ASH
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hen Ralph Hess, president of the Red Rose Repeater Association (RRR), talks about the Winter Field Day the organization participates in yearly, he describes a c o m fo r t a b l e a t m o s p h e re where the food is as important as the radio chatter. “The crowd favor ite last year was that we deep-fried two turkeys,” recalled Hess. “Food is always high on the list of priorities at Red Rose events.” The 2025 event, presented by RRR as a participant with the Winter Field Day Association, will be held at the Welsh Mountain Community Center and Park, 564 Sandmine Road, New Holland. The group of amateur radio enthusiasts, known as hams, will begin to set up antennas at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 25, and activities will officially begin at 11 a.m. Winter Field Day will end at 4:59 p.m.
on Sunday, Jan. 26. The event is full weekend in January. Winter held for more than 24 hours to Field Day gives hams a chance to include radio operators from all hold field operations in remote time zones. Newly licensed and locations and to contact others inexperienced operators as well all over the world. The Winter as those with an interest in the Field Day Association advocates hobby are encouraged to attend. for ham radio operators to pracThere is no cost to participate, tice portable emergency commufood is provided, nications during and v isitors are winter weather welcome to drop in because the low “We will be anytime and bring temperatures, operating under sleeping bags or snow, and ice pose our club call sign, unique challenges cots if they plan to stay overnight in to operations. so ... anybody the center. An Amateur can come up and Radio Emergency “There are operate.” hundreds of clubs Ser vices (A R E S) and thousands presentation will of par ticipants,” be offered at 9 a.m. shared Hess, who added that on Jan. 25 as part of the event. there are more than 50 licensed Hess noted that the organization ham radio operators in the New practices emergency drills for Holland ZIP code and more than the closed Three Mile Island and 1,500 in the county. Dating back the functioning Peach Bottom to the 1930s, Winter Field Day nuclear power plants because is an annual event that brings ham radios continue to operate together amateur radio afficiona- when cellphones cannot and in dos to converse during the final areas where cell services may
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