Local amateur radio club to participate in Field Day June 22-23

Amateur radio operators from the HacDC Amateur Radio Club will be participating in Field Day, a national amateur radio exercise, on June 22 beginning at 2 p.m. until Sunday, June 23 at 2 p.m. at the Armed Forces Retirement Home, 140 Rock Creek Church Road NW. They will use the callsign W3J.

Field Day (www.arrl.org/FieldDay) is an annual amateur radio activity organized since 1933 by ARRL, The National Association for Amateur Radio in the United States. Hams from across North America participate in Field Day by establishing temporary stations in public locations to demonstrate their skill and service. Their use of radio signals, which reach beyond borders, brings people together while providing essential communication in the service of their communities. Field Day highlights ham radio’s ability to work reliably under any conditions from almost any location to create an independent, wireless communications, "when all else fails" network.

Hams across the Washington area will also use radio stations set up in their homes or taken to their backyards and other locations to operate individually or with their families. Many hams have portable radio communication capability that includes alternative energy sources such as generators, solar panels, and batteries to power their equipment.

This year's event is also noteworthy given that a particularly active hurricane season is predicted. “Hams have a long history of serving our communities when storms or other disasters damage critical communication infrastructure, including cell towers,” said club president Don Jones, whose FCC-issued callsign is K6ZO. “Ham radio functions completely independently of the internet and phone systems and a station can be set up almost anywhere in minutes. Hams can quickly raise a wire antenna in a tree or on a mast, connect it to a radio and power source, and communicate effectively with others,” Jones added.

More than 30,000 hams participate in Field Day annually from thousands of locations across North America. According to ARRL, there are more than 750,000 amateur radio licensees in the U.S., and an estimated three million worldwide.

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. A self-study license guide is available from ARRL: The ARRL Ham Radio License Manual (www.arrl.org/shop/Ham-Radio-License-Manual) and for Kindle (https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B07DFSW94G).

The HacDC Amateur Radio Club (www.w3hac.org) welcomes everyone in and around the Nation’s Capital, including people at all levels of amateur radio licensing and from every walk of life. Founded in 2009 by five licensed area hams, HARC welcome all types of hams — from builders and makers to operators who want to connect with people around the globe. Its members have brought ham radio to rural Malawi, launched and tracked weather balloons, hosted members for frequent on-the-air radiosport contests, supported Field days, Lighthouse weekends, and road race communications, and operated a UHF repeater with coverage of most of the District of Columbia.

For more information about amateur radio and ARRL Field Day , contact club president Don Jones at k6zo.599@gmail.com, or visit www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio.