ARRL Oklahoma Section Manager Lloyd Colston, KC5FM, said participants in two programs during the annual Oklahoma Emergency Management Conference in Norman came away with “a health exposure to Amateur Radio.” The conference took place August 17-20.

James Spann, WO4W, kicked off the conference with a live-audience presentation of the popular “WeatherBrains” webcast. An award-winning television meteorologist for the Birmingham, Alabama, ABC affiliate, Spann is also a former Alabama Section Manager and Public Information Coordinator. “‘WeatherBrains’ has a long history of featuring Amateur Radio,” Colston noted. Episode 499 mentioned ham radio live from the conference in Norman.

In addition to his role as Okalahoma SM, Colston is the City of Altus Emergency Management Director, and he’s been a Public Affair Officer for the Navy-Marine Corps Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS). During the “communications smorgasbord” breakout session, he presented information about Amateur Radio and MARS. His talk discussed how his Section’s APRS network functions and how the MARS program uses Winlink. — Thanks to Oklahoma SM Lloyd Colston, KC5FM