Tuesday, September 14, 2021

NJ Club Loses Towers and Antennas to Ida - Donations Sought to Help Rebuild

The following is from New Jersey's Gloucester County Amateur Radio Club, via ARRL Southern New Jersey Section Manager Tom Preiser, N2XW, and CQ DX Editor Bob Schenck, N2OO:

The Gloucester County Amateur Radio Club, W2MMD, on September 1st 2021, suffered extensive damage to two of its towers and multiple antennas, during a EF3 tornado spawned by the remnants of Hurricane Ida. Many nearby homes and several farms were severely damaged or destroyed. The W2MMD club station building, a 14x70 mobile home, miraculously was undamaged despite being directly in the path of the twister, and the radio equipment remained safe and dry, but is unusable now without the towers and antennas.


The GCARC was founded in 1959, and is one of the most active general interest ham clubs in the region, with about 150 members. We are heavily involved in education and community service, and operate three repeaters and a very popular SATNOGS station. Our HF station is, or was, completely remote-controllable including antenna rotation and legal limit power. The station in its current form was the dream project of many club members past and present, and has taken some 40 years to build, as time and funds permitted.
 

In order to rebuild the antenna systems promptly and get the station back on the air as quickly as possible, we will need more funds than we have available at this time. We are therefore appealing to our fellow hams, friends, family, and community to help us in any way that you can. Your donation, no matter how small, will help get us back on the air, serving our community and helping friends around the world with vital HF and VHF communications.

Please see our GoFundMe page under the heading of "Rebuilding Club Station W2MMD" at <https://tinyurl.com/j4j49r29> and donate there, or visit our website at <http://W2MMD.org> and click on the link. You may also send a check or money order to Gloucester County Amateur Radio Club, P.O. Box 370, Pitman NJ 08071. There are some pictures of the damage on the club website. Thanks and 73 from W2MMD!