See how 'hams' stay in touch with the world - from behind the Oak Ridge History Museum
From 2 p.m. Saturday until 2 p.m Sunday, June 22-23, the Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL), the National Association for Amateur Radio in the United States, will hold it’s annual Field Day event. Ham radio operators from the Oak Ridge Amateur Radio Club (ORARC) - Tennessee’s oldest ARRL affiliated club - will be participating in this annual amateur radio activity.
The ORARC will once again set up its station in the pavilion behind the Oak Ridge History Museum (Midtown Community Center and Wildcat Den) at 106 Robertsville Road in Oak Ridge. They will use a combination of portable generators, solar panels and batteries to power their equipment for the 24 hours of the exercise, according to a news release. ORARC ham operators will demonstrate two-way voice, radiotelegraph and digital communications modes. The public is encouraged to visit and can participate in this event.
For more information about ARRL Field Day and ham radio, contact Art Pettit at (865) 919-5373 and visit www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio.
Hams from across North America 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, the state and the nation. Field Day highlights ham radio’s ability to work reliably under any conditions from almost any location and create an independent, wireless communications network, according to the release.
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 laptops or smartphones, and can be set up almost anywhere in minutes. That’s the beauty of amateur radio during a communications outage,” stated Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, spokesperson for ARRL, which represents amateur or “ham” radio operators across the country. “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. Radio licensees in the world total about 3 million. Hams range in age from as young as 9 to older than 100.
ARRL Field Day 2024 Logo provided with permission of the ARRL
This article originally appeared on Oakridger: Ham radio operators to broadcast behind the Oak Ridge History Museum
