He was preparing for a potential emergency situation when a freak accident took his life.

Fifty-seven-year-old Larry Prelog, an experienced installer of ham radio equipment, died after a 60-foot tower collapsed beneath him.

He was participating in the American Radio Relay League's National Field Day. It's a day where operators compete to install antennas and make connections around the world.

Sadly, in Berrien County, the man who kept his local group connected was taken from them and his family.

When she met the man she was going to marry, Tammy Prelog knew some of Larry's love and attention would be given to his hobby as an amateur radio operator.

"When we first got married, I took my test to be the novice and have a call sign to talk to him if I had to when he wasn't home," she remembers.

Now, 22 years later, she never could have pictured his life ending while doing what he enjoyed most.

"He's been as high as 500 feet," Tammy explains. "He professionally installs these towers."

Matt Severin, a member of Larry's ham operator group, arrived at the Watervliet event Saturday just as the ambulance rushed Larry to the hospital.

"My heart dropped to my stomach. It's still not real," he says.

"He did everything right," Tammy emphasizes. "He had his safety belt on. Larry doesn't ever do anything unless it's by the rules."

Tammy and Matt say Larry loved to use his hobby as a tool to help others. Ham radios run off emergency power and work wonders in disaster situations.

"Our local group has regular meetings on the air to practice in case we have a bad storm in our area or communication is knocked out," Severin explains.

Severin says he and Larry also enjoyed adventures with their radios.

"We were both trying to talk to each other through the international space station a few months ago," Severin recalls.

They even once took a helium balloon and let it fly off, tracking it with their equipment.

Severin says Larry and his passion for the hobby will be missed. Tammy says her son, Larry Jr., is hoping to follow in dad's footsteps.

"He's taken his test twice. He missed it by one and is still trying to get in there," she explains.

The Blossomland Amateur Radio Association is accepting donations to help the family.

Their address is PO Box 175, St. Joe, Michigan 49085.

Severin says that, in Berrien County alone, there are about 150 to 200 licensed amateur radio operators. Nationally, he says there are about 700,000.