This year, a group of hams local to the Yorktown area are planning on setting up a Field Day station at the Hilltop Hanover Farm. The purpose of this event is threefold –practice skills in providing emergency communications, provide an opportunity to educate the community about amateur radio and raise funds to assist the Hilltop Hanover Farm in developing sustainable energy sources.
The Amateur Radio Service was formed by the United States Government to provide communications services in the public interest as well as an outlet for creative technically interested individuals. Amateur radio operators, often referred to as “hams” or “ham operators” have provided communications services to the public during times of national and international emergencies. Most recently, hams provided emergency communications following the deadly tornado that struck Joplin, MO. Other examples of service to communities after disasters include the earthquakes that devastated Japan and Haiti, the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, and the terrorist attack on New York City in September of 2001. In a recent address, the FEMA Administrator, Craig Fugate told his audience: “when all else fails, Amateur Radio is often times our last line of defense.”
Once a year, in order to practice operating under emergency conditions, hams in the United States and around the world, participate in an event called “Field Day.” This event is sponsored by the American radio Relay League, the national organization of hams. On June 25 and 26 this year, many hams participate in Field Day exercises by packing up their equipment that is normally located in the comfort of their homes and setting up their stations in a location that might be used in the time of an emergency. These locations are away from normal sources of power and other utilities and the hams attempt to contact as many others stations as possible in a 24 hour period.
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The Hilltop Hanover Farm and Environmental Center, situated on in Yorktown Heights, is a working crop farm and environmental educational center located in Yorktown Heights, NY. The farm was a former dairy farm dating back to the 1600's. Today the farm is a regional education center that offers programs on healthy and sustainable food production and teaches skills for small-scale suburban and urban farming techniques, illustrating sustainable living practices for the region and local communities.
