ST. GEORGE — The Dixie Amateur Radio Club is inviting ham radio enthusiasts to their next field day for local operators. Those who want to learn more about the many uses of ham radios are also encouraged to attend.
Field Day is an open house for ham radio operators. Every June, more than 40,000 hams throughout North America set up temporary transmitting stations in public places to show the ham radio’s science, skill and service to interested community members.
The Dixie Amateur Radio Club participates in field day exercises twice per year. The exercises performed by operators combine public service, emergency preparedness, community outreach and technical skills all in one single event.
“Mostly it’s ham radio operators that come in,” DARC President Don Leonard said. “For 24 hours they try to get as many contacts as they can from all over the United States and sometimes Canada.”
To make it fun, points are awarded to the operators. No prizes are awarded but the operators can still be competitive, Leonard added. Operators powering their radios using solar earn more points, as well as those contacting a youth ham radio operator, something that does not occur that often.
“It’s to let (the public) know what ham radio is about — it’s been around for over one hundred years,” Leonard said. “So it’s not nothing that is just a fad. It has been a major contributor to all sorts of communication breakthroughs.”
The club is an American Radio Relay League affiliated club and those with the most points scored at Field Day events nationally receive a feature in the club’s magazine.
The ham radio-based event has been held annually since 1933, and remains the most popular event for operators. Sadly, they are a dying breed, said Rachel Campbell, assistant event coordinator for the local event.
“If we don’t keep this alive, those frequencies that have been allotted for amateur radio, by the government and other governments around the world, will be taken back,” she said. “And then to get them again would be a huge fight.”
Last winter, ham radio operators in St. George made contact with others in 47 out of 50 states in the nation. But to Campbell, the “digital side” of ham radio is where it’s at.
“We can talk to the space station and we can bounce signals off the moon — and that’s just the voice side,” Campbell said of ham radio capabilities. “You can send emails through a wire antenna, you don’t need the internet. There are also digital modes where you can send instant messages to other operators. There are many things you can do with a ham radio.”
The DARC Field Day will be held in the Dixie Sun Bowl parking lot, located at 150 S. 400 East, St. George. The 24-hour event begins at noon on Saturday, June 24, and ends at noon on Sunday, June 25.
To learn more, visit the ARRL website, follow the Dixie Amateur Radio Club on Facebook or visit the DARC Field Day website.
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