Public Demonstration of Emergency Communications June 26 – 27

Kingston, TN. at Fort Southwest Point Pavilion. Roane County’s “hams” will join with thousands of Amateur Radio operators who will be showing off their emergency capabilities this weekend. Over the past year, the news has been full of reports of ham radio operators providing critical communications during unexpected emergencies in towns across America including the California wildfires, winter storms, tornadoes and other events worldwide.

During Hurricane Katrina, Amateur Radio – often called “Ham Radio” – was often the ONLY way people could communicate, and hundreds of volunteer “hams” traveled south to save lives and property. When trouble is brewing, Amateur Radio’s people are often the first to provide rescuers with critical information and communications.

On the weekend of June 26 – 27, the public will have a chance to meet and talk with Roane County ham radio operators and see for themselves what the Amateur Radio Service is about. Showing the newest digital and satellite capabilities, voice communications and even historical Morse code, hams from across the USA will be holding public demonstrations of emergency communications abilities.

This annual event, called “Field Day” is the climax of the week long “Amateur Radio Week” sponsored by the ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio. Using only emergency power supplies, ham operators will construct emergency stations in parks, shopping malls, schools and backyards around the country. Their slogan, “When All Else Fails, Ham Radio Works” is more than just words to the hams as they prove they can send messages in many forms without the use of phone systems, internet or any other infrastructure that can be compromised in a crisis. More than 35,000 amateur radio operators across the country participated in last year’s event.

We hope that people will come and see for themselves, this is not your grandfather’s radio anymore,” said Allen Pitts, W1AGP, of the ARRL. “The communications that ham radio people can quickly create have saved many lives when other systems failed or were overloaded. And besides that – it’s fun!”

In the Roane County area, the Roane County Amateur Radio Club will be demonstrating Amateur Radio at Southwest Point in Kingston, TN on June 26th 12 noon until June 27th at 2:00 pm.. They invite the public to come and see ham radio’s capabilities and learn how to get their own FCC radio license before the next disaster strikes.

There are over 650,000 Amateur Radio licensees in the US, and more than 2.5 million around the world.

Through the ARRL’s Amateur Radio Emergency Services program, ham volunteers provide emergency communications for thousands of state and local emergency response agencies, all for free.

To learn more about Amateur Radio, go to www.emergency-radio.org.

The public is most cordially invited to come, meet and talk with the hams. See what modern Amateur Radio can do. They can even help you get on the air!

If you need any help getting to the meeting, talk-in will be on 147.120 MHz (+, 82.5 pl).

• Map of Roane Co. Rescue Squad Building
• 375 Old Highway 70, Harriman, TN 37748

2735 Roane State Hwy, Harriman, TN 37748

35.880104 N 84.562125 W

It is our biggest annual event, held the 4th full weekend in June every year. It’s an emergency training event and has a contesting element thrown in. Groups all across the country will begin setting up their equipment “in the field”, or a location you normally wouldn’t find an amateur station, at 10am eastern time. They have 4 hours to finish and start operating at 2pm eastern time.

They operate for 24 hours straight. The emergency part is to see how quickly they can set up a working station in a not-normal location. The contest part is to see how many contacts can be made in the 24 hour period using this make shift station.

We welcome you to come by and see what we do. We will be setting up at Fort Southwest Point in Kingston. It’s June 27 and 28. Setup will be from 10am to 2pm on the 27th. Operations will be from 2pm on the 27th to 2pm on the 28th.

Hope to see you there!

AT FIRST THIS PAGE HAD INCORRECT DATES FOR FIELD DAY. IT IS ACTUALLY JUNE 27 AND JUNE 28.

Due to some technical errors (and I don’t know what they are) I can’t add the video we’d like to to this post.

To see it go here. http://www.ke4rx.org/wp-content/2009-field-day.wmv

We’ll show you how to use the program for everything you could need to do.

The network will be wireless but we will be able to handle up to 3 wired computers. If you need to connect by ethernet to the network, please bring your own peice. 25 foot or longer is reccomended.

Hope to see you there for a great meeting!

An ARRL video on Emergency Communications will be presented followed by the monthly business meeting.

And remember that our rummage sale and the raffle drawing for the quilt will be held on Saturday, May 16th from 8:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.  at the covered pavillion at the “Gravel Pit” in Kingston.  Donate items for the rummage sale to raise operating funds for the club.

On Mondays, join us for the Roane County Amateur Radio Club net. It takes place on the KE4RX/r repeater at 8 pm eastern time. You don’t have to be a member of the club to check in and everyone is welcome.

On Tuesday nights, except for the 3rd Tuesday of the month, we have our ARES net. It’s also on the KE4RX/r repater at 9 pm. Everyone is welcome to check in, you don’t have to be a member of Roane ARES (or any ARES).

If you aren’t there, you’re likely to be assigned more to do! See ya Tuesday!

We have reserved our normal location at Fort Southwest Point in Kingston.