Ham radio Field Day events planned throughout Southwest PA
Amateur radio clubs across the country are getting ready to participate in the annual American Radio Relay League Field Day next weekend.
The Washington Amateur Communications (WACOM) will be setting up June 22 and 23 at Mingo County Creek Park in Finleyville at the historic log cabin near the observatory.
In Fayette County, the Uniontown Amateur Radio Club will operate off of the club’s property at 433 Old Pittsburgh Road, Uniontown.
And in Allegheny County, the South Hills Amateur Radio Club will gather with other Pittsburgh area clubs at Babcock Grove, off Sesqui Drive in South Park.
Clubs and individuals throughout the United States and Canada participate each year.
The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) has organized the event since 1933. It serves as a training exercise as well as an opportunity to introduce the public to ham radio.
Field Day is the most popular on-the-air event held annually. More than 40,000 operators from thousands of locations participate, testing their ability to set up and operate under simulated emergency conditions.
Cory Sickles, public information officer for the Uniontown club, described it as a stress test for their capabilities.
“How quickly can you set up a station, get on the air, and how many contacts can you make in a 24-hour period. This would be a simulation of the efficacy in handling messages, which we call traffic, handling messages for agencies you are serving,” Sickles said.
Gary Robbins, the public relations chairman for the South Hills Amateur Radio Club, said clubs are scored based on their contacts.
“It’s also sort of a friendly competition. We turn in our scores, logs for the contacts we make,” said.
According to Sickles, points are awarded for each voice contact. Scores can be multiplied depending on the conditions under which the calls are made. The Uniontown club will get a bonus for doing everything “off the grid.”
“We’re going off grid with a generator. Having publicity like this gives us an extra 100 points,” Sickles said.
The events, which run from 2 p.m. June 22 to 2 p.m. June 23, are free and open to the public.
Attendees will be able to see live demonstrations, get hands-on experience with radio equipment, and communicate with other operators across North America.