BROOKINGS – The Brookings Radio Research Club will hold its annual Amateur (Ham) Radio Field Day event June 22-23 at the Brookings Gun Club located 2 miles east of Interstate 29 on Highway 14 on the north side of the road.
This event is open to the public, and all are encouraged to attend. Come anytime from 1 p.m. Saturday to 1 p.m. Sunday.
Amateur radio – also called ham radio – has allowed people from all walks of life to experiment with electronics and communications techniques, as well as provide a free public service to their communities during a disaster or emergency, all without needing a cell phone or the Internet.
Field Day demonstrates ham radio’s ability to work reliably under any conditions from almost any location and create an independent communications network.
Ham radio functions completely independent of the Internet or cell phone infrastructure, can interface with tablets or smartphones, and can be set up almost anywhere in minutes. Amateur radio is a huge asset to any community during disasters or emergencies if the standard communication infrastructure goes down. At an Amateur (Ham) Radio licensing (VE) test session, anyone may become a licensed amateur radio operator.
There are more than 725,000 licensed hams in the United States, as young as 9 and as old as 100.
There will be an Amateur (Ham) Radio licensing (VE) test session at 3 p.m. Saturday, June 22, at the Field Day event.
This is for a new license or upgrading your present license. There is a $15 FCC fee for electronic processing and submittall of the exam to the FCC Contact information.
For more information, contact any Brookings Radio Research Club member, visit the club website at www.w0bxo.org, or www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio or KBOQEF Richard Canaday, 212 Half Moon Road, Brookings, 692-2037, for more information.
