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Operating in the countryside
away from mains electricity is
not just fun but good practice
for operation during an
emergency.
They use portable
generators,
solar panels,
wind power; and large
batteries
like car batteries to
supply their own electricity.
It sounds like fun!
It is, but it’s hard work
too setting up a
complete Radio
Station and everything
else that’s needed.
No - not usually. Many
aerials - antennas as
Radio Amateurs
often call them -
are as easy to set
up as running
a long wire
to a tree
or pole.
Are such big masts
always needed?
Sometimes antennas are
fastened high up on poles but
for some purposes they are
hand held on the ground.
So can we go and see what’s
going on over there today? It
looks different to the JOTA day.
That’s because today is a
National Field Day
.
#
Radio
Amateurs like it when people
ask questions about their
hobby. Let’s wander over..
# National Field Day
takes place over the first weekend in June and is a CW (Morse Code)
event. A SSB (voice) Field Day is held during the first weekend in September and a VHF Field
Day in July. These, and lots of other special events and contests throughout the year, help
develop expertise such as: operator technique; antenna design, construction, and erection;
generator maintenance; and, increasingly, computer expertise linked to radio communication.