It was a proverbially dark and stormy night, but nonetheless 28 hearty souls showed up for Frank Wolfe’s ham radio course at the Long Beach fire hall last Wednesday.

The participants – a range of ages from elders to youngsters, and a nearly 50/50 mix of men and women – listened to instructor Wolfe talk about medium and high frequency amateur band widths and the powers of 10. (One terawatt or 1012 watts is one trillion or 10 to the 12th power.)

The class will learn the basics of ham or amateur radio and will prepare to take the ham radio license exam – 35 multiple-choice questions selected from a pool of about 400 questions that are on public record.

Don’t forget that it was the hams that kept messages and information flowing during the big blow. It is not too late to join the class and be part of the team of ham radio operators that can assist in back-up communications during the next emergency.

If you would like to get in on this class, get a copy of the Gordon West Technician Manual and start reading.

(The book is available from the following retailers: Ham Radio Outlet in Portland, Ore.: 800-854-6046 (GWTM $18.95); Amateur Electronic Supply; Las Vegas, Nev.: 800-634-6227 (W5Y GWTM06 $18.95) or K1CRA Radio Store http://stores. ebay.com/The-K1CRA-Radio-Store or (www.k1cra.com), for $17.25)

The next class is Feb. 20. As Wolfe says, “The door will be open at 6:30 p.m., class starts at 7 p.m. I am also willing to start a class on the north end with a minimum of 10 people.”

Wolfe continues, “I expect a good deal of self-study. Bring your questions to class, otherwise I will bore you with ‘sea stories.'”

In other Eye of the Storm news, Kathleen Sayce reported that she and PUD Commissioner Diane Thompson have scheduled a “Local Solar Power” workshop for April 19.

The workshop will be held at the WSU Cranberry Research Station on Cranberry Road and will likely start around 9 a.m. (details in coming stories) and run until just after lunch.

The day will feature speakers on both passive solar and photovoltaic solar systems. Information on solar systems and local solar contractors will also be available, as well as information on PUD energy audits and rebates.

According to Sayce, “Most of your energy bill at home goes to heating water. Even in our climate, the sun is a good source of energy for pre-heating water for the home.”

The “Local Solar Power” workshop speakers will include Anthony Stoppiello, a local architect who is nationally known for his passive solar designs; Jim Dolan, PUD; and Jim Patterson, of Mr. Sun Solar, a local solar contractor.

There will be lots of time for questions and conversation. There will also be a range of solar heating information and a listing of other local contractors who can assist homeowners with solar systems.

If reducing your energy costs and becoming more self-sufficient, especially during a power outage, are important to you, don’t miss this workshop.

Sayce also talked about the intriguing idea of using a hybrid vehicle like the Prius as a back-up generator for a home. It is actually much more fuel-efficient than a regular generator and some resourceful folks have figured out how to do it. There is information about this ‘Prius as back-up generator’ concept at www.priups.com/ riddle/answer-1.htm

Keep your eye on this column for upcoming news and workshops that continue the momentum started at the Eye of the Storm.

Future workshops will include a discussion of under-grounding neighborhood power distribution lines (sponsored by PUD); an event for the bulk purchase and distribution of supplies for home emergency kits; information about what trees to plant to reforest our Peninsula after the heartbreaking loss of so many trees; and a Citizen Emergency Response Training (CERT) class.

If you are interested in a north end ham radio course, send an e-mail to Cate Gable at (categable@aol.com). If we can gather at least 10 people, we will start another course.