Hiwassee Dam – Fields of the Wood was the location for the annual American Radio Relay League Field Day on June 24-25.
Survivalists, ham radio operators and novices alike came out to learn, have fun and enjoy the company of other like-minded people regarding radio operations and emergency situations.
ARRL Field Day is the most popular on-the-air event held each year in the United States and Canada. Thousands of radio amateurs gather to operate radios from locations around the world.
There is a contest element to field day for some folks, as they try to log the most radio contacts.
The day’s objective was to hoist antennas from poles and in trees in order to reach as far as they can to make contact with other ham radio operators around the world. The event also provided an opportunity to test equipment and enjoy learning and participating in ham radio use to everyone.
Folks who were interested in using ham radios could take a test that, if passed, would allow them to receive a license from the Federal Communications Commission to enable them to use the radio to transmit. There are small fees in the process.
There are three different levels of licensing each requiring testing: technician, general and extra. Each level achieved provides additional frequency privileges.
Ham radios can communicate even when other sources, such as cell phones and the internet, have been disrupted due to a disaster or other emergencies where communication is lost.
Richard Leineke of Andrews has heard ham radio transmissions all of his life, as his father used to keep his ham equipment in the youngsters bedroom.
“I used to listen to it all night.” he said.
When asked how he feels about having the training and knowledge to use the radios, Leineke said, “I feel a lot safer. If all other communication, including 911, goes down, I can still get in touch with people who can help, and that’s real important.”
Although the activity has more male than female interest, plenty of women enjoy ham radios. Sandy Reid of Andrews is one of them.
“I just passed my test,” she said. “My husband’s into it, so it’s something we can do together. We’re paramedics, so it’s important to be able to communicate when everything else goes down.”
The radios can be used without commercial power and operate with solar, battery or generator power.
Steve Schwab of Hayesville was co-chair of the local field day event .
“Our group is the Western Carolina Amateur Radio Association out of Murphy,” he said. “Every year, we do this event, which gets all the amateur radio operators and clubs from around North America out in to fields and away from our houses so we can set up an emergency-type situation without power, as we would do in a real emergency.”
Contacts made to others are brief and simply state who they are and where they’re transmitting from. The information is then logged. The process goal is to determine how far a signal can reach as well as aiding in emergency preparations.
“We also do a lot with Emergency Management Services, police and fire. In a disaster, if police and fire can’t communicate, we can be a bridge that helps them,” Schwab said.
Details: Visit arrl.org/field-day or email kt4q.nc@gmail.com.