Amateur radio operators demonstrate disaster readiness at ‘field day’ event
Visitors will have the chance to participate under the supervision of licensed radio operators
– The Paso Robles Amateur Radio Club (PRARC) will showcase emergency communications on June 22-23 during the annual ARRL Field Day at the Warbirds Museum parking lot, 4251 Dry Creek Road, Paso Robles, Calif. The event serves as a public education exercise, demonstrating the same rapid message handling used in real emergencies. Visitors will have the chance to participate under the supervision of licensed radio operators.
According to the American Radio Relay League, “Field Day is ham radio’s open house. Every June, more than 40,000 hams throughout North America set up temporary transmitting stations in public places to demonstrate ham radio’s science, skill, and service to our communities and our nation. It combines public service, emergency preparedness, community outreach, and technical skills all in a single event. Field Day has been an annual event since 1933 and remains the most popular event in ham radio.”
The Paso Robles Amateur Radio Club, founded in the 1940s, consists of amateur radio enthusiasts from North San Luis Obispo and South Monterey County areas. The club aims to spark interest in electronics, radio operations, and community service through activities and the use of the amateur radio service. Radio amateurs have varied interests, including electronics tinkering, satellite communications, rocketry telemetry, developing new communications technologies, and public service events.
Often called “ham radio,” the amateur radio service has been around for over a century, growing into a worldwide community of licensed operators using various communication technologies. Its members range from youngsters to grandparents, including rocket scientists and rock stars. Most are regular individuals who enjoy learning and transmitting voice, data, and pictures through the air to unusual places without relying on commercial systems.
In the United States, there are over 775,000 FCC-licensed amateurs, more than ever before. There is no age limit, allowing even youngsters to merge radio with their interests in computers, Bluetooth devices, model rocketry, robotics, and drones.
For more information, visit the PRARC website at https://www.pasoroblesradio.net/ and the ARRL website at http://www.arrl.org/field-day.
