For many Amateur Radio Operators, Field Day is a highlight of the year
Peg KDØVQO and Ed KUØRTZ Operating Field Day If you haven't had your share of HF radio activity at home this year, this is your chance to "Be Radio Active". This year, we want members who have not been as active as they'd like to be to join in setting up and running the stations. ARRL Field Day is one of the largest operating events for amateur operators and radio clubs across America, with some contacts in foreign countries. It has been an annual event since it's start back in 1933, and provides an opportunity to practice emergency preparedness skills aimed at supporting the public in times of disaster when normal communications infrastructures fail. SFTARC has made it essentially a yearly event since the club was founded. In the earlier years, it was set up in various parks; however, since the 1980s, it has been held at the Ensor Park and Museum.
The weekend offers a wide variety of activities. Many folks simply enjoy the casual visits in the open outdoors; others enjoy helping put up the antennas and the stations, which can be educational and a display of technical skills, (with a few added tricks). Others are anxious just to see how the antennas perform and how far away and numerous the contacts will be. Throughout the 24 hour period the excitement of contacts from far-off foreign countries gets rapidly passed around the site. Most years, usually 3–6 foreign countries are contacted.
Saturday and Sunday, June 22nd and 24th, are the dates for this year's Amateur Radio Field Day, in which hams across North America participate.
Field Day Discussions Abound
The 24-hour operating event is not just for SFTARC Amateur Operators. The public is invited to visit and learn about the operation. This year, the club is planning to operate voice, CW (morse code), and digital computer modes (FT-8) with three stations on the HF bands plus a 6-meter (VHF) station. A GOTA (Get On The Air) station will also be setup to let newly licensed amateurs and the general public operate the radio under the guidance of an experienced operator. The SFTARC’s Field Day will be held at the Ensor Museum in southwest Olathe, on 183rd St., just west of Ridgeview Rd.
Some of the primary activities and times are listed below:
Friday morning, June 21st, about 7:30 a.m. Initial antenna setup
Saturday morning, June 22nd, 9 a.m.: Continue to setup (trailer, stations, generator, power cables)
Saturday noon: hot dog lunch provided by the club
Saturday afternoon, 1 p.m.: On-the-air operation begins
Saturday evening, 6 p.m.: chicken dinner provided by the club
Sunday morning, June 25, about 7:30 a.m.: breakfast served
Sunday noon: lunch (hot dogs and any dinner leftovers)
Sunday, 1 p.m.: Radio operations terminate, and we begin taking down the stations and antennas
Event Documents: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1xp8dVnZsIiGW8FEqXeO3sbhW7evFbP8W?usp=drive_link
Come enjoy being part of the largest single emergency preparedness exercise in the United States, with over 30,000 operators each year.