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Ham radio operators on the air for nationwide event June 26 and 27, 2021

Last Updated on June 22, 2021 by Cass County Amateur Radio Club

Ham radio operators from the Cass County Amateur Radio Club will be participating in a national amateur radio exercise from 2 p.m. on Saturday until 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 26 and 27, 2021.

The event is Field Day, an annual amateur radio activity organized since 1933 by ARRL, the national association for amateur radio in the United States.

Amateur radio operators across North America ordinarily participate in Field Day by establishing temporary ham radio stations in public locations to demonstrate their skill and service. Their use of radio signals, which reach beyond borders, bring people together while providing essential communication in the service of their communities. Field Day highlights ham radio’s ability to work reliably from almost any location and create an independent, wireless communications network.

Many hams have portable radio communication capability that includes alternative energy sources such as generators, solar panels and batteries to power their equipment.

Ham radio operators can assist in a variety of ways, including storm spotting for the National Weather Service when severe weather threatens. Hams can also provide communications when normal communication systems such as landline phones and cell towers and the Internet fail. Hams can quickly raise a wire antenna in a tree or on a mast, connect it to a radio and power source and communicate effectively with others.

During Field Day 2020, more than 18,000 amateur radio operators participated from thousands of locations across North America. There are more than 750,000 US amateur radio operators and an estimated 3 million worldwide.

The Cass County Amateur Radio Club will be holding its’ Field Day operations at the Cass County Emergency Management Agency office at 1227 N. SR 17, approximately 1 mile north of Logansport. Cass County Radio Club Field Day Chairman Marion Bell Jr. invites local government officials and the general public as well as students, to attend the event, to learn about Amateur Radio and its capabilities. The Club will take precautions due to COVID-19, including the wearing of masks and social distancing. The public will also have the opportunity to “get on the air” during the Field Day event.

For more information about amateur radio, visit the American Radio Relay League website at www.arrl.org.

SOURCE: News release from Cass County Amateur Radio Club

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