This weekend, Ski County Amateur Radio Club (SCARC) is hosting its installment of a national radio event: the American Radio Relay League Field Day. The event begins at noon on June 27, wrapping up at 5pm, and picks up again the next day from 9am to noon. Many of the amateur radio (also known as ham radio) operators will stay through the night.
For context, the American Radio Relay League Field Day, as Mike Ferguson, the Vice President of SCARC, explained it, is “a nationwide event conducted by over 30,000 amateur radio operators across the nation [and Canada] to simulate and practice emergency communications operations,” he said.
“What we do is simulate an emergency where traditional modes of communication are out of service,” he said. “For whatever reason: a hurricane, an earthquake, whatever … When those things happen, even if some of the cell phone towers stay up, they normally go down due to overload.”
“So the traditional communications outlets are rendered unusable, at least for a time,” Ferguson continued, noting that ham radio doesn’t rely on the internet, wires or anything like that. “The radio transmitter and receiver is the only effective mode of communications across the country.”
Ferguson further explained that this is not only a nationwide event, but a competition. All teams and clubs across the country have 30 hours of preparation time before the competition begins, setting up temporary communication sites (deployable and often mobile radio nodes).
Once the competition begins, they have 24 hours to make contact with as many stations as possible, after which the station with the most “contacts” wins a spot in the official membership journal of the American Radio Relay League, QST, as well as downloadable certificates and, of course, bragging rights.
While SCARC has never won the competition, its members are no strangers to success.
“It’s difficult to win; there’s … typically 5,000 stations on the air,” Ferguson said. “We’ve placed well in the top 10 or 15%, but never won as the radio club here in this valley.
“Personally, I’ve operated a single operation and I’ve won my category, but this group has never won,” he added. “It’s a lofty goal, not easily achieved.”
Ferguson is hoping that more community members will join this year, and left any hopefuls with the following message.
“Come and visit, say hi, see what we’re up to,” he petitioned. “We have the resources and assistance necessary to help people along the way.”
“It is an opportunity for our community to see and experience how many aspects of amateur radio come together and to highlight our many roles,” a press release stated. “A radio station will be available to provide members of the community an opportunity to make on-the-air information exchanges, or “contacts,” with other stations around the country under the guidance of a licensed operator.”
This event will be held at Colorado Mountain College’s Spring Valley campus on June 27 from noon to 5 pm and June 28 from 9 am to noon. For more information, visit k0rv.org