Ham Radio Field Day - Public Welcome! June 23-24, 2012
I know a few of us have mentioned Field Day on the board in various threads and thought maybe some non-hams might be curious as to what we're talking about. Field Day is the most popular on-air event in North America. Over 35,000 people participate each year. It's held the fourth full weekend in June, so this year it's this Saturday, June 23rd starting at 2PM Eastern Daylight Time, continuing through 5PM Sunday the 24th, although some clubs may end their operations earlier than this either due to a rule which requires them to cease operations after 24 hours if they set up before field day begins, or due to fatigue
Saturday afternoon and evening is the best time to get in the action.
Basically, Field Day is an emergency preparedness exercise. We quickly set up antennas and radio equipment usually using non-commercial sources of power in a public spot like a park and try to talk to as many people as possible during the period. We get extra points for talking to as many different sections (areas of states or provinces) as possible, and there are bonus points for many things such as getting the media to visit, having a public information booth, and talking to (or through) the space station. Usually, an amateur radio club will organize a setup but individual hams participate on their own as well. Some take it very seriously and try to score as many points as possible to win the contest, others are very laid back and enjoy the opportunity to fraternize with friends and get outside. Either way, all welcome the opportunity to share the hobby with others and invite the general public to come check out ham radio and even get on the air. FCC (or Industry Canada) rules allow us to let the public operate under our licenses as a third party. If you're mic shy, we can still use help entering the people that we talk to into the computer!
You can easily locate a Field Day site on the internet HERE. This isn't a comprehensive list and it doesn't include sites in Canada, so if you don't see anything local to you, Google ham radio clubs in your area as they are most likely participating. You can read more about Field Day on the Amateur Radio Relay League's website HERE. Hope to hear you on the air!
I know a few of us have mentioned Field Day on the board in various threads and thought maybe some non-hams might be curious as to what we're talking about. Field Day is the most popular on-air event in North America. Over 35,000 people participate each year. It's held the fourth full weekend in June, so this year it's this Saturday, June 23rd starting at 2PM Eastern Daylight Time, continuing through 5PM Sunday the 24th, although some clubs may end their operations earlier than this either due to a rule which requires them to cease operations after 24 hours if they set up before field day begins, or due to fatigue
Saturday afternoon and evening is the best time to get in the action. Basically, Field Day is an emergency preparedness exercise. We quickly set up antennas and radio equipment usually using non-commercial sources of power in a public spot like a park and try to talk to as many people as possible during the period. We get extra points for talking to as many different sections (areas of states or provinces) as possible, and there are bonus points for many things such as getting the media to visit, having a public information booth, and talking to (or through) the space station. Usually, an amateur radio club will organize a setup but individual hams participate on their own as well. Some take it very seriously and try to score as many points as possible to win the contest, others are very laid back and enjoy the opportunity to fraternize with friends and get outside. Either way, all welcome the opportunity to share the hobby with others and invite the general public to come check out ham radio and even get on the air. FCC (or Industry Canada) rules allow us to let the public operate under our licenses as a third party. If you're mic shy, we can still use help entering the people that we talk to into the computer!
You can easily locate a Field Day site on the internet HERE. This isn't a comprehensive list and it doesn't include sites in Canada, so if you don't see anything local to you, Google ham radio clubs in your area as they are most likely participating. You can read more about Field Day on the Amateur Radio Relay League's website HERE. Hope to hear you on the air!
Last edited:
