Amateur radio’s local Field Day event this year begins Saturday, June 24, at 11 a.m. out at the Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge’s Lead Lake Campsite. We will be operating several stations and will have a “Get on the Air” station where visitors, including children, can get on the radio and give it a try, with one of us present. Come out and you can see what we do, and we will be happy to get you on the air and tell you more about being prepared to communicate during emergencies. The campsite is well inside the Refuge so we will have signs out to guide your way. If you have never been out there, it is an interesting trip and you can do some bird-watching.
ARRL (Amateur Radio Relay League) Field Day is ham radio's open house. Every June, more than 40,000 hams throughout North America set up temporary transmitting stations in public places to demonstrate ham radio's science, skill, and service to our communities and our nation. Amateur radio is recognized by FEMA as an integral part of our national emergency communications infrastructure.
Amateur radio operators are organized in emergency support groups like Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES). ARES operates in Churchill County (CCARES) and supports emergency communications for the county, NAS Fallon, TCID, and other organizations like the Red Cross. For Field Day we go out to a field location and operate without “shore power” for 24 hours, making radio contacts around the region and country. We test radios, antennas, and other equipment, and hone our skills in the art. There are numerous frequency bands and modes that can be used, giving us extraordinary flexibility to work around problems.
Radio amateurs are licensed by the FCC and have to pass an exam to get a license. Most applicants can pass the Technician Class Test with only about five hours of study. There are no age restrictions on getting a license. With this license, new hams can start using an inexpensive handheld radio capable of talking through local mountain-top repeaters that extend the local area range. This is a great first step in emergency preparedness. Amateur radio is also a fun hobby. Our club holds weekly get-togethers on the air and monthly meetings with most topics on the hobby side.
If you are curious about ham radios or would like to have backup emergency communication options, ARCC can help get you started.
Check out www.facebook.com/ChurchillCountyAmateurRadio/ or our website www.nv7cc.org.
Comment
Comments