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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Norm Styer at (540) 338-2584 or [email protected]
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
NEWS SUMMARY:
Loudoun County Hams Gear Up to Practice Emergency Communication Skills on
June 23-24.
(Leesburg, June 8, 2001) — Amateur Radio operators of the Loudoun Amateur
Radio Group will work around the clock to set up field radio communication
stations, get on the air, and contact thousands of other operators in the
US and Canada as part of participation in the American Radio Relay League’s
Field Day. According to Gary Quinn, Chairman of the Field Day Committee of
the Loudoun Amateur Radio Group, Field Day is the annual “shakedown
run” for testing emergency preparedness. “Field Day is a way for
hams to get outdoors and have fun under some difficult conditions,”
Quinn says. “But it’s also a chance to fine-tune emergency
communication skills. We use generators and battery power, and we set up
shelters and antennas in the field. The idea is to put together self-sufficient,
working stations quickly and begin making contacts. This year we‘ll
establish seven field stations to operate on voice, Morse code, digital and
satellite communication systems. Each station will have computer logging
and message handling capabilities and some will be fully computer controlled.
Several of the stations will operate only on battery power as in a real emergency
situation while the others will be on portable generator power.”
The ARRL Field Organization has been effective in establishing emergency
communications nets during floods, hurricanes, fires, earthquakes and other
major disasters. Members of formal emergency organizations such as the Amateur
Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and the Radio Amateur Communication Emergency
Services (RACES) regularly participate. The ARRL estimates that more than
35,000 hams participate in Field Day every year. The Loudoun Amateur Radio
Group Field Day operations will be at Gary Quinn‘s Catoctin Hollow Farm
northwest of Waterford. Set up begins at 4 PM, Friday, June 22, 2001. The
public is invited to visit the Field Day Site on Saturday, June 23 from 12:00
to 4:00 PM or on Sunday from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. For more information, contact
Norm Styer at (540) 338-2584.
SUMMARY: Loudoun Amateur Radio operators to contact thousands of other
hams throughout North America in the nation’s largest ham radio on-air
event.
WHO: Licensed Amateur Radio Operators in Loudoun County.
WHAT: Hams will set up and operate field radio stations to contact other
hams throughout the US and Canada over 24 hours. Objective is to see who
can make the highest number of contacts during the contest period.
WHERE: Catoctin Hollow Farm, 14282 Rehoboth Church Road, Lovettsville, VA
20180. From Leesburg take Route 7 bypass west to Route 9 exit; continue west
on Route 9 approximately 6 miles to the first traffic light at Rt. 287 (Berlin
Pike). Turn right (north) on Rt. 287 and go 2 3/4 miles until you reach Ash
George Road. Turn right (east) on Ash George and go 3/4 mile and turn left
onto Rehoboth Church Road. Go about 1/2 mile and look for the sign and driveway
with Quinn on the mailbox and address sign with numbers 14282.
WHEN: Saturday , June 23, starting at 2:00 PM through Sunday, June 24, at
2:00 PM. The public is invited to visit the Field Day Site on Saturday, June
23 from 12:00 to 4:00 PM or on Sunday from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
WHY: Participation in the American Radio Relay League’s Field Day. Amateur
Radio operators practice communication skills under primitive conditions,
with generator and battery-powered equipment and portable antennas. Special
awards are given for “alternative” power sources such as solar,
wind and methane. Field Day is a competition as well as a “trial run”
for emergency communication skills used during disaster situations. Photo
opportunities, interviews, activities of local participants in important
national Amateur Radio event. See all Amateur Radio communication modes in
action. Contact the LARG Field Day Public Relations Chair and visit our home
on the Internet at http://history.k4lrg.org.
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