No one can physically see this devoted community but its presence has been felt strongly throughout the Cleveland and North Central Ohio region for a half-century. The Burning River Traffic Net is still passing important traffic as it has done since its founding in 1975 as a 2m simplex net to deliver messages to recipients who lived outside the local telephone exchange, constituting a long-distance call at the time. Those messages include health and welfare updates, congratulations, emergencies and simple greetings. The net has since become repeater-based and meets every Monday, Thursday and Saturday at 9:30 p.m. local time. Members are called up on an as-needed basis on other days.
The Burning River Traffic Net is about to become visible and meet the community it has served for so long. The net, which is part of the ARRL’s National Traffic System, is inviting all hams and anyone interested in learning more about the net to be part of their anniversary celebration. It’s being held on the 21st of June at the Lorain County Metroparks Duck Pond Picnic Area pavilion at 1 p.m. local time. Net manager Keith Cook, KD8GXL, said “this is more than just a celebration of the past - it’s an opportunity to look forward to the next 50 years.”