Local amateur radio club prepping for annual excercise

VW independent staff/submitted information

This weekend will see the members of the Van Wert Amateur Radio Club once again take part in the yearly emergency preparedness exercise known as Field Day.

The national contest, sponsored by the American Radio Relay League, puts ham radio operators and their equipment to the test by setting up emergency type operations to contact as many other ham radio stations as possible.  Field Day will be held this Saturday and Sunday, June 27-28, at the headquarters of the Van Wert County Emergency Management Agency on the grounds of Marsh Foundation. 

Part of the focus of Field Day this year will be an effort to “Get on the Air,” encouraging anyone interested in radio communications and ham radio specifically, to come and join in the fun. You can get on the air even without a license by coming to field day and working with a licensed amateur radio operator.

Field Day also gives seasoned ham radio operators a chance to work with club equipment, especially antennas, that they may not have at home. The Radio Club typically works stations in about 35 or more states and most Canadian provinces during field day, and the Club has won their classification four times in the past.

According to the American Radio Relay League’s (ARRL) website, the “Radio Connects” Field Day is the most popular on-the-air event held annually in the U.S. and Canada. On the fourth weekend of June, more than 31,000 radio amateurs gather with their clubs, groups or simply with friends to operate from remote locations. Each year, a competition is held and points are earned and awarded for the number of contacts that are established.

Field Day set up will begin at 6 p.m. Friday for the preliminary work, with the finishing touches applied at noon on Saturday. The actual hours of operation are a continuous 24-hour period from 2 p.m. Saturday until 2 p.m. Sunday. Visitors are welcome at all hours of Field Day.

For more information on Field Day, or the Van Wert Amateur Radio Club, go to the club’s website, w8fy.org or the League’s website, arrl.org. Field Day updates will be posted on the Facebook page of The Van Wert Amateur Radio Club.