Even when phones and internet are down, amateur radios still work. This “field day,” is to demonstrate the valuable technology.
Members of the Benton Amateur Radio Society will be participating in the national Amateur Radio Field Day exercise, June 28, 9:00AM – June 29, 1:00 PM at Mills Park in Bryant, Arkansas. 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. This event is open to the public and all are encouraged to attend.
Come to Mills Park to see solar panels, generators, batteries and radios in action! You can even get on the air and talk to people all over North America! Give it a try, see how easy it is and how much fun you can have! No Amateur license is required for contacts on our GOTA (Get On The Air) station.
For over 100 years, Amateur Radio — sometimes called ham radio — has allowed people from all walks of life to experiment with electronics and communications techniques, as well as provide a free public service to their communities during a disaster, all without needing a cell phone or the Internet. Field Day demonstrates ham radio’s ability to work reliably under any conditions from almost any location and create an independent communications network. Over 35,000 people from thousands of locations participate in Field Day every year.
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“It’s easy for anyone to pick up a computer or smartphone, connect to the Internet and communicate, with no knowledge of how the devices function or connect to each other,” said Sean Kutzko of the American Radio Relay League, the national association for Amateur Radio. “But if there’s an interruption of service or you’re out of range of a cell tower, you have no way to communicate. Ham radio functions completely independent of the Internet or cell phone infrastructure, can interface with tablets or smartphones, and can be set up almost anywhere in minutes. That’s the beauty of Amateur Radio during a communications outage.”
“Hams can literally throw a wire in a tree for an antenna, connect it to a battery-powered transmitter and communicate halfway around the world,” Kutzko added.
Anyone may become a licensed Amateur Radio operator. There are over 725,000 licensed hams in the United States, as young as 5 and as old as 100. And with clubs such as the Benton Amateur Radio Society, it’s easy for anybody to get involved right here in Central Arkansas.
For more information about Field Day, contact Peg Porterfield or visit www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio
