6/25: Amateur Radio Field Day
The New River Valley Amateur Radio Club (NRVARC) will be participating in the national Amateur Radio Field Day exercise on Saturday, June 25th at Randolph Park in Dublin, VA. Since 1933, the annual event, sponsored by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), has provided an opportunity for amateur radio operators (often called “Hams”) to gather with their equipment in a field-type operation simulating emergency operations.
Local individuals from Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Dublin, Pulaski, Pearisburg, Floyd will join over the air with thousands of other Amateur Radio operators across the country demonstrating their emergency communication capabilities. This event is open to anyone interested in electronics, communications, or just wanting to explore a new interest. It’s also a great opportunity to explore the real-world application of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
Amateur radio has functioned as a scientific hobby and emergency communication service for over a century. From Morse code, to speech, to digital communications, since 1958 the NRVARC has evolved with technology to be ready to serve the public. The NRVARC built and maintains two repeaters to support on-the-air communication in the New River Valley, and works with other hams in the area to provide communications for local events such as parades and sporting events. Our equipment is independent of cellular or internet technologies, making communication more resilient in disaster situations. During Field Day operations you will get to witness, and possibly participate in, communications with other stations throughout the United States and Canada using less power than a 100-watt light bulb.
Amateur Radio continues to grow in the United States. Anyone may become a licensed Amateur Radio operator after passing a qualifying exam. There are over 775,000 Amateur Radio licensees in the U.S. and more than 2 million around the world. Through the ARRL’s Amateur Radio Emergency Services program, ham volunteers provide both emergency communications for thousands of state and local emergency response agencies and non-emergency community services too, all for free.
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Want to learn more? Individuals and small groups are welcome to drop by at the Randolph Park picnic shelter area on Saturday June 25th any time between 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM to look around, talk with hams, or for a personal tour. From I-81 South, take the Dublin Exit 98, proceed to the first stoplight, take a left at McDonald’s and proceed 1/2 mile to the entrance of Randolph Park. See what modern Amateur Radio can do. The folks there can even help you get on the air!
Visit our website at https://www.n4nrv.org for up-to-date information on the club, it’s activities, and more about amateur radio.
