Amateur radio will be showcased during a Field Day, slated from 1 p.m. Saturday, June 26 to 1 p.m. Sunday, June 27, at Rains County Emergency Operations Center. This event is open to the public and all are encouraged to attend.
Although hosted by Rains Amateur Radio Association of Emory, the event is one of many being hosted nationally. The Rains County event also “directly involves amateur radio operators in Hopkins, Wood, Delta, Lamar and Franklin counties, all participating at the same time,” according to David Frost, secretary of the Rains County radio club.
Since 1933, ham radio operators across North America have established temporary ham radio stations in public locations during Field Day to showcase the science and skill of amateur radio, which is often referred to as ham radio. Field Day is designed to show how ham radio works reliably under any conditions from almost any location to create an independent communications network.
“Ham radio functions completely independent of the Internet or cell phone infrastructure, can interface with laptops or smartphones, and can be set up almost anywhere in minutes. That’s the beauty of amateur radio during a communications outage,” says Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, spokesperson for ARRL The national association for Amateur Radio®, (www.arrl.org), which represents ham operators across the country.
“In today’s electronic do-it-yourself (DIY) environment, ham radio remains one of the best ways for people to learn about electronics, physics, meteorology, and numerous other scientific disciplines, and is a huge asset to any community during disasters or emergencies if the standard communication infrastructure goes down,” Inderbitzen adds.
There are more than 750,000 licensed hams in the United States, as young as 9 and as old as 100. Anyone may become a licensed amateur radio operator. Clubs such as Rains Amateur Radio Association, make it easy for anybody to get involved with ham radio ight in their community.
For more information about Field Day or amateur radio, contact 817-991-3812 or 903-408-0365 or visit www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio.
