Ham radio operators from the Pioneer Amateur Radio Club (PARC) in Fremont will be participating in a national amateur radio exercise from 1 p.m. Saturday until noon Sunday. The event is ARRL Field Day, an annual amateur radio activity organized since 1933 by ARRL, The National Association for Amateur Radio in the United States.
The PARC Field Day site is at the Izaak Walton Fin and Feather Lodge in Fremont. This site is located west of Christensen Field on the south side of West 16th Street (Christensen Field Road) near its junction with North 20th Avenue. This event is open to the public and visitors are invited to attend from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Club members will be available to answer questions.
Hams from across North America ordinarily participate in Field Day by establishing temporary ham radio stations in public locations to demonstrate their skill and service. Field Day highlights ham radio’s ability to work reliably under any conditions from almost any location and create an independent, wireless communications network.
PARC, acting as the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), supports Dodge County Emergency Management in its efforts to protect citizens during and after natural and man-made disasters, such as the flooding in 2019. The ties to that agency have been strengthened greatly in the last four years.
Ham radio functions completely independent of the Internet and phone systems and a station can be set up almost anywhere in minutes. Hams can quickly raise a wire antenna in a tree or on a mast, connect it to a radio and power source, and communicate effectively with others.
During Field Day 2021, more than 26,000 hams participated from thousands of locations across North America. According to ARRL, there are more than 750,000 amateur radio licensees in the US, and an estimated 3 million worldwide. Hams range in age from as young as 9 to older than 100.
For more information about ARRL Field Day and ham radio, visit www.k0sw.org or www.arrl.or
