-
.
.
Ham radio operators from the Beaumont Amateur Radio Club will be participating in a 24-hour national amateur radio exercise from 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 24, until 1 p.m. on Sunday, June 25, operating the radio stations inside Lamar University’s Gladys City-Spindletop Museum.
Visitors will be able to watch ham operators talk to people around the country, see Morse code operations and even take a turn on the microphone to speak with someone hundreds of miles away. The Gladys City-Spindletop Museum is open to the public on Saturday, from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. during the Field Day event.
This year’s event is also noteworthy, organizers shared, given that a particularly active hurricane season is predicted.
“Hams have a long history of serving our communities when storms or other disasters damage critical communication infrastructure, including cell towers,” said Beaumont Club President L.B. Little. “Ham radio functions completely independently of the internet and phone systems and a station can be set up almost anywhere in minutes.”
As detailed by the local group, “hams” from across North America ordinarily participate in Field Day by establishing temporary ham radio stations in public locations to demonstrate their skill and service: “Their use of radio signals, which reach beyond borders, bring people together while providing essential communication in the service of communities.
“Field Day highlights ham radio’s ability to work reliably under any conditions from almost any location and create an independent, wireless communications network.”
During Field Day, more than 26,000 hams participate from thousands of locations across North America, according to ARRL, which also suggests that there are more than 750,000 amateur radio licensees in the U.S., and an estimated 3 million worldwide. ARRL Field Day is an annual amateur radio event organized since 1933 by ARRL, the National Association for Amateur Radio in the United States.