A group of amateur radio operators in Caribou have banded together to start Aroostook County’s first municipal-based emergency service, hoping to modernize the region’s use of technology during disasters.
In a rural county where internet, cellphone and other types of communication can be spotty in good weather, storms can easily knock out those modes of communication. The newly formed group of volunteer amateur radio operators calling itself Caribou Emergency Amateur Radio Service will bring to Aroostook the only digital smart technology for amateur radios, known as D-STAR, north of Portland.
While General Mobile Radio Service radios are more common for hobbyists, D-STAR allows licensed operators and emergency personnel to send texts, emails and photos through radio. Operators connect D-STAR radio cables to special computers that remain functional during widespread power outages.