LARG News Release
Loudoun Amateur Radio Group ? P.O. Box 1004 ? Purcellville, VA 20134
June 19, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TO PRINT AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA:
CONTACT: RANDY SLY (703) 404-0754 / [email protected]
LOUDOUN RADIO CLUB PREPARES FOR FIELD DAY AS A PART OF AMATEUR RADIO MONTH
Volunteer communicators honored for public service and communications support during emergencies.
Purcellville, VA – At their June 1, 2009 meeting, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors declared June as Amateur Radio Month. Sponsored by Supervisor Stevens Miller, an Amateur Radio operator
himself, the proclamation emphasizes the public service and emergency communications capabilities provided by these volunteers.
As the proclamation states, Amateur Radio, also called Ham Radio, has “a long standing tradition of supporting communities, responding to emergencies, and training the next generation of knowledgeable
and experienced communications volunteers.”
Representatives of the Loudoun Amateur Radio Group (LARG) were present to receive the proclamation on behalf of the Amateur Radio operators and the two clubs in the county.
In connection with Amateur Radio Month, the group will participate in an annual national emergency preparedness exercise called “Field Day,” June 27 and 28. Field Day is sponsored by the American
Radio Relay League (ARRL), the national association for Amateur Radio.
LARG will hold this year’s Field Day operation near Lovettsville, beginning at 2:00pm, Saturday, June 28 until 2:00pm, Sunday, June 29. “We hope that people from the area who are interested
in seeing what Amateur Radio is all about will visit us,” Rick Miller, LARG President, stated. The public is cordially invited to visit our Field Day site at 38668 Sierra Lane, Lovettsville,
VA 20180 on Saturday between 2:30pm and 4:00pm and Sunday between 10:00am and 1:00pm.
During Field Day, Amateur Radio operators, also known as “hams,” and Radio Clubs across the country set up in local parks, at shopping malls, or even in their own backyards, then get on the
air using generators or battery power. Field Day was designed to test the hams’ abilities to set up and operate portable stations under emergency conditions such as the loss of electricity.
“We want the community to know that, in the event of an emergency, we will be ready to assist in any way we can,” said Miller. “While people may think that cell phones or other communications
technologies will always work, recent events have shown this isn’t the case. In those cases, ham radio can succeed.”
Field Day is a serious test of skill, but it is also a contest for fun and the largest “on-air” operating event each year in the United States. During the weekend, radio operators try to contact
as many other Field Day stations as possible. More than 30,000 Amateur Radio operators across the country and Canada participated in last year's event.
Today there are more than 700,000 Amateur Radio operators in the United States and more than 2.5 million worldwide. The Loudoun Amateur Radio Group has a membership of over 100 hams from Loudoun
and surrounding counties. To find out more about Amateur Radio, how you can get started, or more information about Field Day, contact Randy Sly at [email protected]. Information on Amateur Radio
is also available on the web at www.helloradio.org.
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