Side Trips on the Journey

One of the hobbies I have been able to spend a little more time with this summer has been Ham radio. On Saturday and Sunday (July 29/30) was an event called Field Day. This is an annual event (always the 4th weekend in June) and is a contest for Ham radio enthusiast to see how many radio contacts they can make under field conditions. For details, see the ARRL website here.

Last year, I was in Mobile, AL and had a brand new Ham license and attended my first field day. This year, I I went to field day with a brand new general class license, and as a member of a Columbia area Amataur Radio Club (MJARC). On Saturday morning, the local clubs set up antennas and equipment, and at 2:00 p.m. EDST, the contest began. I was helping with the 80 meter rig, and within the first couple of hours we had over 20 contacts with other contest stations in NC, SC, VA, GA, and TN. This next picture is of the tent where the 80 meter rig was set up and the antenna we used.

One of the premises of this contest is to communicate under "field" conditions, which means portable field antennas and radios operating only on battery power.

This antenna is a 10 meter setup, made from pieces salvaged from a grocery store display.

Field day is not only a chance to get out and spend some time playing with antennas and radios, it is also the annual event where local amateur radio clubs publicize amateur radio. In Columbia, we had several Scout groups (boys and girls) who came to visit, and some of them even got the opportunity to talk on the radio (supervised by a licensed operator). Others came to complete requirements for merit badges and such.

Each club has a public information officer (like Marvin here) whose job it is to help promote amateur radio to the general public. As most of you know, I go involved in amateur radio because of disaster preparedness, which was our internship project with LDR.

During disasters, such as tornadoes, hurricanes, forest fires, etc. amateur radio operators provide communications for disaster organizations such as LDR and The Red Cross. After Katrina, there were many areas across the Gulf Coast where cell phones towers and telephone lines were down for weeks. Amateur radio operators provided communications in these areas by relaying shelter information and supply list to relief agencies.

My hope, by being involved in amateur radio, my experience with LDR and the Red Cross, will be to help churches in the ELCA (particularly in the NC Synod) prepare for disasters in their congregations and to have their own amateur radio operators to help with communications during emergencies.

For any Hams that stumble on this page, catch me on Echolink (KI4UDZ) or on D-Star. I don't have an HF rig yet, but I usually am on Echolink a couple of times a week.

For anyone else who reads this, I hope you learn something. If you want more information, the ARRL site is the best place to start and will provide information to help you find a local club. Most clubs would love to help with a Scout program or to get involved with local emergency preparedness plans.