San Benito County Amateur Radio Association national amateur radio exercise

Ham radio operators from the San Benito County Amateur Radio Association (SBCARA) in San Benito County, California will be participating in a national amateur radio exercise from 11:00 a.m. on Saturday until 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 27 – 28. 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 their skill and service. Their use of radio signals, which reach beyond borders, bring people together while providing essential communication in the service of communities. Field Day highlights ham radio’s ability to work reliably under any conditions from almost any location and create an independent, wireless communications network.

Due to the pandemic, this year’s event will be markedly different from years past. Continuing public health restrictions and social distancing practices will limit group gatherings for Field Day. Instead, hams from San Benito County will use the radio stations set up in their homes or taken to their backyards and other locations to operate individually. Many hams have portable radio communication capability that includes alternative energy sources such as generators, solar panels, and batteries to power their equipment.

For more information on SBCARA, check out their website at sbcara.org.  They also run remote testing sessions. For information on testing send an email to testing@sbcares.org.