The last week end in June in almost every county and locality here in the United States you will see Hams (Amateur Radio Operators) hanging wire antennas in trees, putting antennas up in parking lots, or vacant lots, or in fields, or in school yards. Some of the antennas they hang are home made and some can be bought at a Ham Retail Store, but they all transmit and receive on the frequency they were made for! This is FIELD DAY!

They set up tents to sleep in (mostly in shifts) and tents to operate their radios from (to keep the equipment out of the sun and rain). The Hams bring radios, computers, code keyers, 12 volt batteries, inverters, converters, and some type of generating equipment. As you see they are setting up to practice running their rigs when commercial power is not available where they are at!

These are individual Hams, a small group of Hams, or some Ham Clubs as they also get contest points for contacts with other Hams through out the country that are not using commercial power. I have even seen a Ham on a bicycle that was mounted on a frame cranking an alternator through a battery to power the radio that he was using. Seeing that, I was convinced that some Hams will use anything to charge a battery or power their radios when commercial power is not available!

The ARRL (American Radio Relay League is a National Amateur Radio Club with many local chapters) has had field day competition since 1933. Almost all the Hams involved in the field day exercise are also members of ARES, RACES, or SKYWARN which are a few of the emergency organizations made up of Hams and other interested people. During the year, ARES members pass messages (in a certain format) some from foreign countries or domestic places to a Radio Operator that lives in the same county or locality as the receiving person for the message. That Ham then calls the person that the message is for using the telephone to deliver the message. Sometimes there is a return message to the originator so it is put in the correct format and sent back in the same manner that was used originally. This helps to keep operators both familiar with message format and the method to pass a message to the correct area as well as what to do with it then!

In each area that these Hams set up to operate their rigs from non-commercial power they have at least one computer. Depends on the radios that they have but they could use this computer to keep track of the different stations that they have made contact with, or it could be connected to a TNC (terminal node connector) and a radio for sending/receiving digital modes. Digital modes are Morse code (using a computer they can go over 80 words a minute sending/receiving), Packet, RTTY to name a few of the common modes. They can also send/receive some of the newer modes that has been developed or the modes that still need improvement.

Radios are set around the area for operation on different frequencies (depending on the antenna set up), and when the time comes are staffed for operation. Most of the operators are very talkative, and carry on a conversation with every station they make contact with. Non radio licensee(s) and radio license holders that their license is good for different frequencies are invited to talk on the radio or use the computer with a licensed ham (that is licensed for that frequency sitting nearby usually drinking from a coffee mug with the clubs call sign on it) using that hams call sign and saying they are third party!

When Mother Nature unleashes her fury, these Hams are ready for action. Amateur Radio Operators have been active in every (that I know of) emergency situation in most parts of the world. During hurricanes, tornadoes, snow/ice storms, floods, tsunamis, both natural and some man made emergencies they are there to keep communications with the outside world! They help the groups that answer or set-up for the disaster by aiding with internal communications, passing communication from survivors to their family or friends, and help with getting the right equipment moved to a place that it is needed!

This week-end is just not devoted to operating radios, but most members of the Radio Club (wearing Tee Shirts identifying them as club members with the clubs call sign and date/place of the field day) invite their families and the general public out to their site! Most of the time the local club will provide the meat (mostly hot dogs), and members provide the other food and silverware for a picnic. They have games that all of the family can join in and just fun things that everyone can do.

Working emergencies is one thing that almost every one that has been a Ham for awhile has been involved. There has been several articles on either the television news or in the news paper about a Ham picking up a distress signal from either a ship or boat that was sinking and notify the Coast Guard to get them help. Not long ago there was a small boat that was attacked by Pirates and a boy had been shot the distress signal was picked up by a Ham. These are things that either they are not on a frequency that the Coast Guard monitors or the weather conditions are such that their signal is not picked up by a monitoring agency.

Dave Glass

Dave has been licensed since 1993 and made Amateur Extra in 1996. He was interested in electronics since the late 50?s at which time he learned the Morse code listening to an AM radio that had the ?Ham Bands?.

After the service in the late 60?s Dave became very active in two way communication with CB radio. After serving as an elected officer at the local club level Dave was also elected as an officer at the National level of a CB organization. During the mid 70?s he was very active in lobbing in Washington DC for CB licensing and attended the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) on the licensing problems they were having with the so called ?CBers? and getting the actual license from Gettysburg, PA. (the FCC licensing facility). The recommendation made by his organization was then adopted by the FCC for temporary licensing for the use of the CB radio until Gettysburg issued the actual license. Later the World Frequency Organization dropped the license requirement for the local use of that frequency.

Going to school in the mid and late 70?s again for electronics he did not attempt to get his Amateur Radio License until 1993. Like a lot of starting Amateurs he took and passed the written exam for Novice as well as the Morse code that was required at 5 wpm. Also at that session he passed the written element that is required for the Technician level. By the end of that year Dave had taken and passed the written and Morse code test required for his General ticket for Amateur Radio.

Dave did not change his call sign from KD4YFL to his current call of KS4LI until he was licensed as Amateur Advanced in 1995. After receiving his Amateur Extra License in 1996 he served with several teams that gave licensing exams from Amateur Novice to Amateur Extra including the Morse code exams that were part of the licensing structure at that time.