C.O. ham radio field day coming up this weekend, teaches public about an important hobby
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) - A large Ham Radio training event occurs on Saturday and Sunday, June 25-26. This year, the public is invited to attend. Stations will be set up in Sisters and near La Pine, according to the High Desert Amateur Radio Group.
Field Day is the single most popular on-the-air event held annually in the US and Canada. On the fourth
weekend of June of each year, thousands of radio amateurs gather to operate from remote locations.
Field Day is a picnic, a campout, practice for emergencies, an informal contest and, most of all, FUN! .
Groups use the opportunity to practice their emergency response capabilities. It is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate Amateur Radio to the organizations that Amateur Radio might serve in an emergency, as well as the general public. The contest part is simply to contact as many other stations as possible and also to learn to operate our radio gear in abnormal situations and less than optimal conditions.
We use these same skills when we help with events such as marathons and bike-a-thons; fund-raisers
such as walk-a-thons; celebrations such as parades; and exhibits at fairs, malls and museums — these
are all large, preplanned, non-emergency activities. But despite the development of very complex, modern communications systems — or maybe because they ARE so complex — ham radio has been called into action again and again to provide communications in crises when it really matters. Amateur Radio people (also called “hams”) are well known for our communications support in real disaster and post-disaster situations.
One of the events during Field Day is the “Get On The Air” (GOTA) station at the Sisters site only.
Under the supervision of an experienced ham operator, visitors are encouraged to talk on the air using
one of our radios.
LOCATION:
Sisters: Creekside Park, 504 South Locust Street, Sisters, OR 97759.
Public welcome on Saturday, June 25th from noon to 9 PM.
Contact: Max Vaughan, (541) 706-1475 , hidarg-sec@hidarg.org
La Pine: Travel to the road directly East across Hwy 97 from the Vandevert Exit. Go 1.3 miles and turn right
(After the turn, you will go by the County gravel pit.). Go .62 miles and turn left.
Then go .28 miles and then turn left into the Field Day site. Lat 43.832096 Lon -121.407933. There will be signs at each turn east of Vandevert Road. Public welcome on Saturday, June 25th from 11:00 AM and 4:00 PM. Contact: Jeff Scott, (541) 728-1876 w7jst.jeff@gmail.com
