Ham handlers meet at Mammoth

Special to Jobe Publishing

Photos by Lynn Traylor

 

Ham radio operators from the Mammoth Cave Amateur Radio Club in Glasgow, KY participated in a national amateur radio exercise from 1 PM on Saturday until 1 PM on Sunday, June 26 – 27. The event is ARRL Field Day (www.arrl.org/FieldDay), an annual amateur radio activity organized since 1933 by ARRL, the national association for amateur radio i

Hams from 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 communities. Field Day highlights ham radio’s ability to work reliably under any conditions 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.

Hams have a long history of serving our communities when storms or other disasters damage critical communication infrastructure, including cell towers. Ham radio functions completely independently of the internet and phone systems and a station can be set up almost anywhere in minutes. 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 hams participated from thousands of locations across North America. A self-study license guide is available from ARRL: The ARRL Ham Radio License Manual(www.arrl.org/shop/Ham-Radio-License-Manual) and for Kindle (https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin=B07DFSW94G). For more information, go to the Mammoth Cave Amateur Radio Webpage (WWW.KY4X.ORG).