Ham radio keeps people connected, even “when all else fails”

Ham radio keeps people connected, even “when all else fails”

SALEM, Ohio — When the pandemic exposed how vulnerable her family was living on their isolated Ohio homestead, with spotty internet, unreliable cell service and long distances between neighbors, Polly Givens started thinking about what would happen if everything went dark. “If things had really gotten bad, we would have no idea what was going on, no communication outside of our area,” said Givens, a retired registered nurse and lifelong farmer i…