Amateur radio day set for June 22

Members of Red River Valley Amateur Radio Club will participate in the national exercise Amateur Radio Field Day, From June 22 to 23, at Civic Center of Love.

Since 1933, amateur radio operators across North America have established temporary amateur radio stations in public places during Field Day to showcase the science and skill of amateur radio. This event is open to the public and all are welcome to attend.

For more than 100 years, amateur radio – also called amateur radio – has enabled people from all walks of life to experiment with electronics and communication techniques, as well as provide a free public service to their communities during a disaster. or an emergency, all without the need for a cell phone or the Internet. Field Day demonstrates the ability of amateur radio to operate reliably in all conditions from almost any location and to create an independent communication network. Over 35,000 people from thousands of locations participated in 2018 Field Day activities last year.

“It’s easy for anyone to pick up a computer or a smartphone, connect to the internet, and communicate, not knowing how the devices work or connect to each other,” said David Isgur, communications manager for the American Radio Relay League, the national association of radio amateurs. “But if there’s a service outage or you’re out of range of a cell tower, you have no way to communicate. Amateur radio operates completely independent of internet or mobile phone infrastructure, can interface with tablets or smartphones, and can be set up almost anywhere in minutes. That’s the beauty of ham radio during a communications failure.

“Hams can literally throw a wire up a tree for an antenna, connect it to a battery-powered transmitter, and communicate halfway around the world,” Isgur added. “Hams do this by using a layer of Earth’s atmosphere as a sort of mirror for radio waves. In today’s electronic DIY environment, amateur radio remains one of the best ways for people to learn about electronics, physics, meteorology, and many other scientific disciplines. Additionally, amateur radio is a huge asset to any community during disasters or emergencies if the standard communications infrastructure fails.

Anyone can become a licensed amateur radio operator. There are over 725,000 licensed hams in the United States, as young as 9 years old and as old as 100 years old. And with clubs like the Red River Valley Amateur Radio Club, it’s easy for anyone to get involved right here in Paris.

For more information on Field Day or amateur radio, contact Jerry Keisler (WA5KZA) or visit www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio.