What Is Field Day?
As this weekend approaches we find ourselves heading into the biggest weekend in ham radio, FIELD DAY!!! For those who of you who don’t know what Field Day is – let’s take a look at how ARRL defines it.
Field Day is ham radio’s open house. Every June, more than 40,000 hams throughout North America set up temporary transmitting stations in public places to demonstrate ham radio’s science, skill and service to our communities and our nation. It combines public service, emergency preparedness, community outreach, and technical skills all in a single event. Field Day has been an annual event since 1933, and remains the most popular event in ham radio.
ARRL Website
Why Would The General Public Want To Attend?
- Do you want to talk to people from all over the world?
The universal language of ham radio is English. With ham radio you can have a conversation in real time with no need for public communications networks. The person you’re conversing with may be someone just up the holler, a few states away, across the country, or even someone on the other side of the world.
- Interest in Emergency Communications
Traditional communications systems can fail quickly as many of us learned during the July 2022 flood. During some of the most devastating flooding in the history of Letcher County, we witnessed the complete failure of landline based telephones, cellular telephone/data, internet, and public safety communications networks. Most of Letcher County woke up with no way to communicate with loved ones.
Hams have a long history of serving our communities when storms or other disasters damage critical communication infrastructure. Ham radio functions completely independently of the internet and phone systems and a station can be set up almost anywhere within 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 the July 2022 flood, within a short time of the failure of public networks, hams in Letcher County were on the air using battery and generator power to contact the state Emergency Operations Center.
Want to know more? If so, join us and learn what is possible with ham radio.
Do I Need To Be An Amateur Radio Operator To Participate In Field Day?
NO NO NO!!!!! You do not need to be a licensed amateur radio operator to participate in Field Day with the Letcher County Amateur Radio Club. If after your visit you wish to become licensed, we can help you with that. Everyone is welcome to come and join us on Saturday.
When And Where Will Field Day Be Held In Letcher County?
The club will be setup at the entrance of Little Shepherd Trail and US Highway 119 on Pine Mountain this Saturday June 24th 2023 beginning at Noon.
- 4482 US-119, Whitesburg, KY 41858
- GPS Coordinates 37.07670079416984, -82.81078615439505
Alternate location in case of rain or unforeseen circumstances, will be the Whitesburg Walking Track below the Whitesburg ARH Hospital
- 240 Cs-1018, Whitesburg, KY 41858 (Directions are to Whitesburg Water Plant beside walking track)
- GPS Coordinates 37.112943, -82.814807
On the air activities will begin at 2pm. We will go until everyone is worn out, the rain gets us, or the bears run us off. If we move to the alternate site we will have a hard limit of 9pm as the walking track closes to the public then.
What Will Be Available For Me To See?
The club will setup the following:
- Icom 7300 High Frequency Transceiver operating on battery power
- Chameleon Tactical Delta Loop antenna (40m through 6m)
- Evolve III laptop running FDLogger for logging of contacts
- We will operate this station under the club call KM4IAL
(KILO MIKE FOUR INDIA ALPHA LIMA) - Others will be bring additional stations to demonstrate
What Should I Bring With Me?
If you want to setup you own station feel free to bring what you need to operate. If you just plan to join us for the day, we suggest you bring the following:
- Comfy chair
- Cold drinks and snacks for yourself or to share
- Bug Spray and Sun Screen
- A pop up shelter for shade if you plan to stay for any length of time (several will be setup for use and you are welcome to come on under any, but it could get tight)
