On-air demonstrations, satellite communications, D-Star technology and emergency preparedness activities are on tap for members of the Peoria-Area Amateur Radio Club as they gear up to celebrate Amateur Radio Field Day, June 25-26, 2011. Field Day is sponsored by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the national association for Amateur Radio.
During Field Day, operators set up in local parks, at shopping malls, or even in their own backyards, and get on the air using generators, battery, wind or solar power. Field Day was designed to test operators’ abilities to set up and operate portable stations under less than ideal conditions such as the loss of electricity. “We want the community to know that in the event of an emergency, we will be ready to assist in any way we can, says Merle Joiner, Call Sign KB9VQH, PAARC Field Day Co-Chairman. “While people often think that cell phones or other communications technologies have replaced ham radio, we can still provide an important communications service that others can’t.”
Field Day is a serious test of skill, but it is also a contest for fun and the largest “on-air” operating event each year. During the weekend, radio operators try to contact as many other Field Day stations as possible. More than 30,000 Amateur Radio operators across the country and Canada participated in last year’s event.
The Peoria-Area Amateur Radio Club will hold Field Day at the Farm Pavilion, adjacent to Wildlife Prairie Park and will be operating from Saturday June 25 at 1:00PM to Sunday June 26 at 1:00PM. “We hope that anyone who is interested in seeing what Amateur Radio is all about will come out for Field Day,” says Fritz Bock, Call Sign WD9FMB, Field Day Co-Chairman.
Today there are more than 670,000 Amateur Radio operators in the United States and more than 2.5 million worldwide. To find out more about Amateur Radio or how you can get started, contact Fritz Bock at WD9FMB@gmail.com or our website at www.W9UVI.org . Information is also available from the American Radio Relay League, 225 Main Street, Newington, CT 06111 or by calling 1-800-32-NEW HAM. The URL for the ARRL’s home page on the World Wide Web is www.arrl.org.