On the fourth weekend of June of each year, thousands of radio amateurs (HAMs) gather with their clubs, groups or simply with friends to operate from remote locations. Field Day is a picnic, a campout, practice for emergencies, an informal contest and, most of all, FUN!
The Paulding County, Ohio Amateur Radio Club meets on the last Thursday of each month. They built a mobile radio operations center from a donated camper trailer. The location for their Field Day operations is at the parking lot across from the Paulding County Fairgrounds. The club works closely with the EMA and is available to assist first responders in the event of an emergency. This year Field day begins at 2pm on June 25th & continues for 24 hours until 2 pm on the 26th.
The club will have information available about HAM radio, and will be demonstrating amateur radio operations for anyone interested. Individuals must pass a test in order to legally operate the equipment unless they are working with a licensed control operator. This is a great opportunity for individuals interested in amateur radio to see what its all about.
The goal of Field Day is to contact as many other Amateur Radio operators as possible. Radio operators log their contacts into a computer and turn in the results at the end of the event for a club score. Field Day is also a good opportunity for new and prospective HAMs to learn how to operate new radio gear in abnormal situations and less than optimal conditions.
The American Radio Relay League is the national association for Amateur Radio in the USA, representing over 170,000 FCC-licensed Amateurs. The ARRL is the primary source of information about what is going on in ham radio. It provides books, news, support and information for individuals and clubs, special events, continuing education classes and other benefits for its members.
The Amateur Radio frequencies are the last remaining place in the usable radio spectrum where an individual can develop and experiment with wireless communications. Hams not only can make and modify their equipment, but can create whole new ways to do things.
ARRL Field Day is the single most popular on-the-air event held annually in the US and Canada.
