Cell service dies not far into the Weber Canyon behind Oakley, a scary proposition for summer residents worried about wildfires. That fear heightened for Dayne Raff, a member of the Beaver Springs Ranch community in the canyon, when he watched a documentary about the Paradise, California, fire t hat killed 85 people and wiped out 85% of the northern Sierra foothill town. Enough so the board president of the Cool Springs Water Company that serves Beaver Springs last spring organized a crew of amateur radio operators to develop a communication system in the canyon that may save lives. The group collected $2,000 for radio equipment from the Upper Weber Canyon Master Association, and secured a mountaintop location owned by Cool Springs Water Company to place a radio mast.  Next, Beaver Springs’ resident Alicia O’Meara donated a 55-foot repeater tower from her neighborhood property to use as the transmitter. O’Meara’s tower was disassembled and relocated to its new mountaintop home. After completing the installation and technical work, the new Weber Canyon Tower was up and running in May. The tower uses General Mobile Radio Service, is a licensed two-way UHF radio system specifically designed for reliable, short-to-medium-range communication. Unlike basic license-free walkie-talkies, which are limited to 2 watts, a handheld GMRS radio has up to 5 watts, which provides a broader transmission range. The extra power helps the signal push through rolling hills, trees, and other obstacles with greater ease and better audio quality. The result is residents from Gardner Fork to Smith Morehouse to Oakley to Kamas can access this simple emergency alert system and communicate with one another during unexpected crises. All that is required is the use of a standard GMRS handheld radio, eliminating the need for expensive equipment or home installation.  “Within half an hour of programming my $16 radio, I was listening and talking to people on a system that wouldn’t be denied by power outages or downed phone lines,” O’Meara said. The Beaver Springs Ranch HOA has encouraged everyone in the community to take advantage of this emergency service and has provided instructions on the basic programming for the Weber Canyon tower’s GMRS frequency, as well as suggestions for purchasing a radio and optional antenna.  The Upper Weber Canyon Master Association also reimbursed Raff for about $3,000 of expenses he took on to get the project done within a month of starting in April. The transmission tower donated by Alicia O’Meara goes up at its new location in May. Credit: Photo courtesy of Alicia O'Meara The post Weber Canyon community sets up emergency radio system in time for fire season appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less