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Hello All:
Below is the 2004 Field Day Press Release which was sent to seven news organizations.
Please print it out and post it on every bulletin board you see, e.g. work, grocery stores, post offices, etc.
Thanks!
73, Larry K3HE
PIO, LARG
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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
L. Hughes
Loudoun Amateur Radio Group, P.O. Box 1004, Purcellville, VA 20134, WWW.K4LRG.ORG
Phone: 703-779-0113
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEWS SUMMARY: Loudoun County Hams Gear Up to Set Long Distance Contact Records and Practice Emergency Communication Skills
(Leesburg, June 27, 2004) - Scores of Loudoun County Amateur Radio operators will work 'round the clock this weekend 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 Dale Harrison, President of the Loudoun Amateur Radio Group, Field Day is the annual "shakedown run" for the ARRL's National Field Organization.
"Field Day is a way for hams to get outdoors and have fun under some difficult conditions," Harrison says. "But it's also a chance to fine-tune emergency communication skills. We use generators and battery power, and we set up antennas in the field. The idea is to put together a self-sufficient, working station quickly and begin making contacts."
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 League estimates that more than 35,000 hams participate in Field Day every year.
Loudoun County's Field Day operations will be at the beautiful, 695 acre, Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve. The Field Day is open to the public from 10 AM to 2 PM, Sunday, June 27. The public is invited to observe, and to participate by talking on the radio to people around the world. Directions: take Route 15 South from Leesburg. Approximately 1/4 mile south of the Leesburg Bypass, turn left onto Route 621, Evergreen Mills Road. Proceed south on Evergreen Mills Road about 5 miles. Turn right onto The Woods Rd (Route 771). Proceed down The Woods Rd for approximately one mile. The entrance to Banshee Reeks Park is on the left. For more information, contact L. Hughes, 703-779-0113 or WWW.K4LRG.ORG.
SUMMARY: Loudoun County 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, and all interested persons.
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: Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve, 21085 The Woods Rd, Leesburg, VA
WHEN: June 27, 2004.
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, including voice, code, packet radio, teletype, and satellite.
CONTACT: L. Hughes, 703-779-0113 or WWW.K4LRG.ORG
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