Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

From the Pamlico Amateur Radio Club

Ham radio operators from the Pamlico Amateur Radio Club in Beaufort County will be participating in a national amateur radio exercise from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, June 26  and 8 a.m. until 12 p.m. on Sunday, June 27 at Goose Creek State Park Visitor Center.

The event is ARRL Field Day (www.arrl.org/FieldDay), an annual amateur radio activity organized since 1933 by ARRL, the national association for amateur radio in the United States. Hams from across North America ordinarily participate in Field Day by establishing temporary ham radio stations in public locations to demonstrate 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.

This year’s event is also noteworthy given that a particularly active hurricane season is predicted. 

“Hams have a long history of serving our communities when storms or other disasters damage critical communication infrastructure, including cell towers,” said Tom Kottke, call sign KN4PHA and club president. “Ham radio functions completely independently 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 in 2020, more than 18,000 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.

Among the tenets of the Amateur Radio Service is developing and practicing skills in radio technology and radio communications, and even contributing to international goodwill. Hams range in age from as young as 9 to older than 100. A self-study license guide is available from ARRL: The ARRL Ham Radio License Manual (www.arrl.org/shop/Ham-Radio-License-Manual) and for Kindle (https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B07DFSW94G). For more information about ARRL Field Day and ham radio, contact Kottke at info@k4bch.com and visit www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio.