Railfan Technology > Amateur Radio "Field Day" this weekend.

SHAMELESS PLUG FOR AMATEUR RADIO:

This weekend is the biggest event in the US for amateur radio ("ham") operators,
many of which are also Railfans and/or current or former RR employees.

It provides a chance for those with scanners to visit an operation and see what
goes on during a ham radio outing.

"Field Day" (including setup and teardown time) runs from about 11:00 EDST Saturday,
24 June to about 1500 Sunday, 25 June 2017.


An bit from our club's press release concerning "Field Day:"

Since 1933, ham radio operators across North America have established temporary ham radio
stations in public locations during Field Day to showcase the science and skill of
Amateur Radio.
This event is open to the public and all are encouraged to attend.

For over 100 years, Amateur Radio (sometimes called “ham radio”) has allowed people from
all walks of life to experiment with electronics and communication techniques, as well as
provide a free public service to their communities during a disaster, 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. Over 35,000 people from thousands of locations participated in Field Day in 2016.

Hams can literally throw a wire in a tree for an antenna, connect it to a battery-powered
transmitter and communicate halfway around the world.

Hams do this by using a layer of Earth’s atmosphere as a sort of mirror for radio waves.
In today’s electronic do-it-yourself environment, ham radio remains one of the best ways
for people to learn about electronics, physics, meteorology, and numerous other scientific
disciplines, and is a huge asset to any community during disasters if the standard
communications infrastructure fails.

Anyone may become a licensed Amateur Radio operator. There are over 725,000 licensed hams
in the United States, as young as 5 and as old as 100.

Visit www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio.

To locate a "Field Day" operation in your area:

http://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator



For those in the Pittsburgh, PA area:

Members of the NORTH HILLS AMATEUR RADIO CLUB will be participating in the 2017 national
Amateur Radio Field Day exercise from June 24 starting at 2 PM to June 25 at 12 PM.
The operation will be located at the Eden Hall Campus of Chatham University, 6090 Ridge
Rd. Richland Township, PA 15044-9746. We will be operating as K3GT.

We will be easy to find as you head north on Ridge Rd. from Bakerstown Rd. on the west
side of Ridge Rd.
GPS is N 40.66707 W 79.95556.
The operation will be across from the flagpole.


The North Hills Amateur Radio Club holds meetings at LaRoche
College, 9000 Babcock Blvd in McCandless, PA on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month
at 7 PM in room PSC 105 of the Zapalta Building. Guests are welcome.


Visit www.nharc.org for more details.

This weekend always sneaks up on me and my ham friends.

We have talked on the radio about going to Chama, NM and operating Field Day up at Cumbres Pass.

Maybe having the C&TS dropping off one of their older rider box cars for us to use, or sheltering in the snow shed if it is still safe.

Also they have a pavilion that was damaged this past winter, once they get it repaired , that would be another place to have shelter.

One thing we need to watch out for is the wild critters, like bears and other 4 legged critters.

My ham group also operated Field Day from the Texas State Railroad several years ago from a caboose while it was in operations.

Unfortunately I was unable to attend the function. Everyone had a great time and it was a challenge for HF antennas because of the pine tress.

Good luck, I might try to listen.

Pat
WA5VRO
South Austin, TX