Members of the San Benito Amateur Radio Association will participate in the national Amateur Radio Field Day exercise on June 23 at Christmas Hill Park in Gilroy from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Since 1993, ham radio operators across North America have established temporary ham radio stations in public locations during Field Day to showcase the science and skill of amateur radio. This event is open to the public and all are encouraged to attend.
Field Day is a showcase for how amateur radio works reliably under any conditions from almost any location to create an independent communications network.
“Ham radio functions completely independent of the Internet or cell phone infrastructure, can interface with tablets or smartphones, and can be set up almost anywhere in minutes,” said David Isgur, communications manager for ARRL, the national association for amateur radio which represents amateur radio operators across the country. “That’s the beauty of amateur radio during a communications outage.”
Isgur continued.
“In today’s electronic do-it-yourself (DIY) environment, ham radio remains one of the best ways for people to learn about electronics, physics, meteorology, and numerous other scientific disciplines, and is a huge asset to any community during disasters or emergencies if the standard communication infrastructure goes down.”
Anyone may become a licensed amateur radio operator. There are more than 725,000 licensed hams in the United States, as young as nine and as old as 100 according to an ARRL press release. And with clubs like the San Benito County Amateur Radio Association, Garlic Valley Amateur Radio Club, and Morgan Hill Amateur Radio Society, it’s easy for anybody to get involved right here in San Benito County.
For more information about Field Day or amateur radio, contact info18@sbcares.org or visit www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio.