Amateur radio’s local Field Day event this year begins Saturday, June 22nd at 11 a.m. out at the Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge - 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 show you about being prepared to communicate during emergencies. The campsite is well into the Refuge so we will have signs out to guide your way. We are serving hamburgers at 5 p.m.
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 mobile 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.
CCARES is our local emergency communications group 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 “grid power” continuously for 24 hours, making radio contacts around the country. We test radios, antennas, battery/solar and other equipment, and hone our skills in the art.
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. Our club gives license exams locally the 2nd Saturday of every month. With this license, new hams can start using inexpensive handheld radios capable of talking through local mountain-top repeaters that extend local area range. This is a great first step in emergency communications preparedness. Amateur radio is also a fun hobby. Amateur Radio of Churchill County (ARCC), our local club, holds weekly radio get-togethers and monthly meetings. The club recently went to Fort Churchill to participate in fun Parks On The Air.
If you are curious about ham radios or would like to have a backup emergency communication options, ARCC can help get you started. www.facebook.com/ChurchillCountyAmateurRadio/
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