The Plateau Amateur Radio Club will introduce the community to the hobby and the group’s emergency work at a Field Day Event Saturday.
Fred Roach said amateur radio provides a way to communicate using radio spectrum without reliance on modern technology. Roach said amateur radio was used during the floods in North Carolina and East Tennessee last year when cell phone towers were down.
“Amateur radio played a part in that because amateur radio was one of the few ways you could call or you could communicate,” Roach said. “To go back over there and let your loved ones know what your status was, or to go back over there and help with disaster relief.”
Roach said amateur radio’s importance has heightened with fewer landline users. Roach said amateur radio usage requires certification.
Roach said there are three kinds of amateur radio licences, including extra, general, and technician. A technician license is the most basic, as applicants simply have to pass a 35 question test and pay a small fee.
“A technicians license allows you to be able to go back and operate two meter radio to where you can hit the repeaters here locally and across the state,” Roach said. “You can communicate in a range of 65 to 70 miles with just a little handheld radio.”
The amateur radio field day is meant to increase awareness of amateur radio. Plateau Amateur Radio Club President Mark Stackhouse said the field day generates about five new members every year.
“We’ve also touched a lot of younger people as far as getting them interested in the hobby,” Stackhouse said. “Last year, we had a couple of 10 or 12 year olds that got on the radio. They had a blast doing it. They talked to people throughout the United States, and they were amazed they were able to do that.”
Stackhouse said kids can use amateur radio as long as they are accompanied by a licensed user. Stackhouse said there are several fun amateur radio challenges throughout the year, such as contacting someone in all 13 original colonies.
The Amateur Radio Field Day will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 370 West Main Street in Livingston.
