Even when phones and internet are down, amateur radios still work. This “field day,” is to demonstrate the valuable technology.
Have you ever wondered what would happen if cell towers and internet were suddenly not available? Ham radio operators from the Benton Amateur Radio Society in Central Arkansas will once again participate in a national Amateur Radio Field Day exercise in Bryant, Arkansas. Every year, they show how easy and essential this type of communication is, and the need to keep it around.
Watch or participate from 10:00 a.m. Saturday, June 22nd, continuously until 1:00 p.m. Sunday, June 23rd at Mills Park. This event is open to the public and all are encouraged to attend.
This field day is an annual amateur radio activity organized since 1933 by The National Association for Amateur Radio in the United States (ARRL).
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Ham radio operators 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 reach beyond borders and 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.
“It’s easy for anyone to connect to the Internet and communicate,” said Sean Kutzko of ARRL. “But if there’s an interruption of service or you’re out of range of a cell tower, you have no way to communicate. 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. That’s the beauty of Amateur Radio during a communications outage.”
“Hams can literally throw a wire in a tree for an antenna, connect it to a battery-powered transmitter and communicate halfway around the world,” Kutzko added.
Among the tenets of the Amateur Radio Service is developing and practicing skills in radio technology and radio communications, and even contributing to international goodwill. Hams range in age from as young as 9 to older than 100.
Anyone may become a licensed Amateur Radio operator. There are over 725,000 licensed hams in the United States, as young as 5 and as old as 100. And with clubs such as the Benton Amateur Radio Society, it’s easy for anybody to get involved right here in Benton, Bauxite or Bryant.
A self-study license guide is available from ARRL: The ARRL Ham Radio License Manual . For more information about ARRL Field Day and ham radio, contact Peg Porterfield at [email protected] or (501) 794-2172 or visit www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio.