Amateur Radio Field Day

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Optimistic Paranoid

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The Amateur Radio Relay League - ARRL - is the national association of ham radio operators in the United States.  Every year they hold Field Day.  This year it will be held on June 24th and 25th.  It is described as follows:

In the United States, it is typically the largest single emergency preparedness exercise in the country, with over 30,000 operators participating each year. Field Day is always the fourth full weekend of June, beginning at 1800 UTC Saturday and running through 2059 UTC Sunday.


Since the first ARRL Field Day in 1933, radio amateurs throughout North America have practiced the rapid deployment of radio communications equipment in environments ranging from operations under tents in remote areas to operations inside Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs).

Operations using emergency and alternative power sources are highly encouraged, since electricity and other public infrastructures are often among the first to fail during a natural disaster or severe weather

To determine the effectiveness of the exercise and of each participant's operations, there is an integrated contesting component, and many clubs also engage in concurrent leisure activities (camping out, cookouts, etc.).

Operations typically last a continuous twenty-four hours, requiring scheduled relief operators to keep stations on the air. Additional contest points are awarded for experimenting with unusual modes, making contacts via satellite, and involving youth in the activity.

Field Day is frequently used to attract significant publicity for amateur radio, and some clubs simultaneously demonstrate technologies including single sideband voice, Morse code, digital modes such as RTTY, PSK31, and Winlink, among others), and communication via amateur radio satellite.


Note that last part.  While not every club chooses to do so, many treat it as an open house where the general public is encouraged to come and learn more about ham radio and how to become a ham.

You can find out where the closest one will be held by checking with this web site:

http://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator
 
I've done Field Day many times over the years....I even was a Field Day Chairman a time or two...


One Alpha West Texas, you are five-by-nine!

Seven Three, good luck in the contest....

:cool:
 
Optimistic Paranoid said:
The Amateur Radio Relay League - ARRL - is the national association of ham radio operators in the United States.  Every year they hold Field Day.  This year it will be held on June 24th and 25th.  It is described as follows:
<-------->
You can find out where the closest one will be held by checking with this web site:

http://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator

My Dad used to participate in those all the time. They would bring generators, serious crank up antennae, and of course all of the radio equipment.
He was also a member of the Civil Defense team, and was instrumental in putting a couple repeaters around the Vegas Valley. I think one was on Mt Potosi?
He got an early start in the Navy. I believe he was referred to as "Sparks."
 
Several of my buddies growing up went into electronics and now work at TV Stations.   I've been to many a Field Day and had a blast at these events.  I've helped with building Repeaters for their club and have been attending my area Ham Club meetings on and off.   Planning to get my license. 

There is something about being on a Hill Top in West Virginia all night long as the BBQ grills blaze and everyone parties taking turns making contacts to harvest the most QSL Cards that they can. 

It's just a great time if you haven't tried it yet.

images
 
gsfish said:
.....over the years it went from a situation where there were people making lots of their gear to the plug and play of today which does nothing for me. It's become so sophisticated electronically that an amateur can't possibly build anything close.

Well there are kits, and many examples of hams who have built some pretty sophisticated transceivers from scratch....but most of us stick to building simpler things like power supplies, station accessories, and antennas...

In years past, I have built up 4 repeaters, two of them were pretty much from scratch, from re-purposed mobile and older transmitters and receivers.

It is possible, but these days my eyes are just not up to the task of soldering, or even seeing, the tiny SMT components used in everything now.

Let me ask you something: Did you build the computer you are using to read this forum and access the internet?

Probably not, but you still enjoy the results.

Same with ham radio.

:cool:
 
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