Baylor Amateur Radio Club to Operate 24-Hour Field Day

Baylor University amateur ham radio operators will begin a 24-hour field day starting at 1 p.m. Saturday, June 28, and lasting until 1 p.m. June 29. The Baylor Hams plan to set up field radio communication stations at the Baylor intramural fields, get on air and contact thousands of other operators in the United States and Canada as part of participation in the American Radio Relay League's Field Day (ARRL).
The objective of the event is to see who can make the highest number of contacts during the contest.
The ARRL Field Organization has been effective in establishing emergency communications during tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, fires, earthquakes and other disasters. Amateur Radio Emergency Service and the Radio Amateur Communication Emergency Services regularly participate. The league estimates more then 35,000 hams participate in Field Day every year.
According to Patrick Hynan, president of the Baylor Amateur Radio Club, Field Day is the annual "shakedown run" for the ARRL's Nation Field Organization. "Field Day is a way for hams to get outdoors and have fun under some difficult conditions," Hynan said. "But it's also a chance to fine-tune emergency communication skills. We use generators and battery power and set up antennas in the field. The idea is to put together a self-sufficient working station quickly and begin making contacts."
The Field Day is a competition as well as a "trial run" for emergency communications skills used during disaster situations. Special awards will be given to operators who use alternative power sources such as solar, wind and methane.
For more information, contact Hynan at 666-4873.