Ham radio is on the air

Virtual Field Day exercise weekend of June 27, 28

Ham radio operators from the Conejo Valley Amateur Radio Club will participate in a national virtual amateur radio exercise from 11 a.m. Sat., June 27 through 2 p.m. Sun., June 28.

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

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.

Field Day demonstrates ham radio’s ability to work reliably under any conditions from almost any location and create an independent, wireless communications network.

Due to the pandemic, hams from the Conejo Valley and around Ventura County will use the radio stations set up in their homes or in their backyards and other locations to operate individually for this year’s event.

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 functions independently of the internet and phone systems. A station can be set up almost anywhere in minutes.

Throughout the pandemic, hams in the Conejo held daily roundtable net discussions on the air as a way to help overcome social isolation and online fatigue.

Local hams range in age from 9 to over 90 years old.

During Field Day 2019, more than 36,000 hams participated from thousands of locations across North America.

According to ARRL, there are more than 750,000 amateur radio licensees in the U.S., and an estimated 3 million worldwide.

For more information about Field Day and ham radio, visit arrl.org/FieldDay or the Conejo Valley Amateur Radio Club website at cvarc.org.