West Georgia Amateur Radio Society Field Day 2018

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Category: Amateur Radio
Written by Blake Raab (N4BWR)

If you are a licensed amateur radio operator, Field Day, sponsored by the ARRL probably needs no introduction. For everyone else, read on to find out why we are so excited.

Every year on the fourth weekend in June, the American Radio Relay League sponsors an event called Field Day. Licensed amateur radio operators and clubs all over North America set up our radios and antennas, usually in less than optimal situations (such as outside), and spend 24 hours trying to make as many contacts via amateur radio as possible. It is an opportunity for us to show the science, skill, and service involved in amateur radio to the general public, as well as to give ourselves an opportunity to practice and keep our skills sharp. Emergency management agencies, from FEMA down to the local level, often call on amateur radio operators in emergencies to serve as backup communications, as well as to provide assistance in passing tactical information, reports from the ground, and many other things.

While Field Day is a great opportunity for us to practice, I am always very excited for the opportunity it presents to show the public everything that amateur radio can do. It is not just a quaint old hobby. Amateur radio has evolved and developed with technology. Our radios can interface with the internet to communicate worldwide, we can send digital text and images over radio waves, and even communicate through orbiting satellites! If you show up at a local Field Day site, which you can find here, you can even get a chance to operate a radio and talk with someone in another state or another country. You don't need a license to do this at Field Day, since there will be people there to help you. 

The West Georgia Amateur Radio Society is very happy, once again, to make use of the Mobile Command Vehicle, with many thanks to the Carroll County Sheriff's Office Emergency Management Agency. Here's a video tour of the Mobile Command Vehicle from last year.

 

Tell CBS to Air a Special about Amateur Radio in Puerto Rico

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Category: Amateur Radio
Written by Blake Raab (N4BWR)

Tonight, 10/31/2017, CBS aired an episode of NCIS in which amateur radio was grossly misrepresented. Among other things, amateur radio operators were portrayed as social outcasts, and CB-style "handles" were used instead of valid FCC-issued callsigns. It's time to hold the media and broadcasting companies accountable for how they portray amateur radio. It's not just 100 year old technology, and it's not just a quaint hobby. We hams know that amateur radio has evolved with technology, and in some cases, even driven it. Amateur radio thrives in the digital age, because we can integrate digital technologies. Most importantly, we are willing and able to provide vital communications when critical infrastructure fails. Emergency management agencies at all levels have us written into their plans. Sign this petition and urge CBS to air a special about amateur radio and how vital it has been in emergency communications, especially the recent hurricanes.