RivCo 'Ham' Radio Enthusiasts Plan 24-Hour `Field Day' Saturday

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Amateur radio operators will broadcast from multiple locations in Riverside County over a 24-hour period this weekend, sending messages via their personalized sets as part of a continental event highlighting how nontraditional sources of communication can be vital during emergencies.

So-called "ham" radio operators in across Riverside County, including cities of Cathedral City, Lake Perris, Riverside and San Jacinto, will be among roughly 31,000 amateur radio enthusiasts across the United States and Canada expected to take part in the American Radio Relay League's annual Field Day, slated to begin Saturday morning and continue into Sunday morning at various locations.

During the event, participants establish temporary broadcasting stations in their homes, parks, schools -- anywhere they can raise an antenna -- to communicate with one another.

"Some groups use Field Day as an opportunity to practice their emergency communications readiness," the ARRL said on its website. "This is an annual demonstration ... to see how amateur radio can serve in an emergency."

This year's relay is expected to take on a higher level of intensity following the twin earthquakes on Wednesday that devastated parts of Venezuela. The 7.1-magnitude and 7.5-magnitude quakes struck less than a minute apart, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Venezuelan government sources have cited a current official death toll of 200, but over 40,000 people are unaccounted for, according to published reports. More than 200 buildings were damaged or destroyed in Venezuela's capital, Caracas. A comprehensive account of the destruction, especially in surrounding locations, has not been provided.

The number of people rendered homeless is still being assessed, and the condition or availability of utility services, which were already deficient, remains unknown.

The South American nation has been in a severe economic malaise since U.S. trade blockades started over a decade ago.

The Newington, Connecticut-based ARRL touts the utilization of ham radios as a means of ensuring connectivity to places throughout the country when modern devices, such as mobile phones and wirelessly connected computers, may not work or be available.

Amateur radio operators have aided authorities and transmitted essential information to the public during wildfires, tornadoes, winter storms, hurricanes and other crises, the league said.

Ham radios generally broadcast on high-frequency channels, with varying ranges, not found on most commercial receivers.

More information is available at arrl.org/.