WORTON — During the Field Day exercise at the Kent County High School over the weekend, the Kent Amateur Radio Society, (K3ARS) showed the importance of their work, using their shortwave radio expertise to communicate to people all around the world.
The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) hosts the event every year.
Field Day lasts 24 hours, from 2 p.m. Saturday to 2 p.m. Sunday. During that time Cote and the K3ARS crew reaches out to contact every zone.
They try to contact all the states plus as many countries as they can using shortwave and satellite communications.
As of 3:30 p.m., they had communicated with every State except for Utah and Wyoming.
Cote said their first contact of the day was for the DXCC, an Amateur Radio’s premier award that hams can earn by confirming on the air contacts with 100 countries. They received 100 points right away.
But it’s not about bragging rights or points for these operators. They understand the importance of being proficient in shortwave radio.
President of K3ARS, and amateur radio operator since 1968, Chris Cote, said shortwave radio can be the only form of communication when the power’s out.
He gave the example of Hurricane Irma, that left heavy amounts of rain and winds resulting in more than 7.5 million homes without electricity, making up 70 percent of the state of Florida.
Shortwave radio could be the only way to reach out to people and coordinate emergency procedures.
“That’s why we do it,” said David Scott, member.
He stressed that the police force, the fire departments, and the emergency teams should be trained in shortwave; analog especially.
Inside his camper, is a faraday cage, (protection from microwaves) made of aluminum. His radio set up is a powerful Kenwood 890 S model he uses to reach out to operators from around the globe.
All along the school parking lot, there were three stations for the ham radio operators to find these locations; each station using a different setup.
The school bus, refashioned for shortwave, was run by Cote on 15 meters. In station 2, a camper run by member Bobby Kelley used 20 meters. Scott himself was operating off 40 meters, which is better in the afternoon or at night, he said.
Combining their expertise, they’ve learned to set up fast and efficient.
Case in point, in order to make a quick antenna, member Chris Singleton used a slingshot apparatus and launched a rope over the trees. He then tied the rope around the trunk of the tree securing the wire.
In the heat the operators worked consistently.
Inside the school bus, Cote proceeded to move up the band, as high pitched squelches or warbled transmissions, finally gave way to a clear message: an operator.
They exchanged information — call sign, the number of radio transmitters they’re using. Operating on emergency power, meaning Alpha, Cote relayed. He also gave his location, “MDC,” meaning the Maryland/DC area, the ARRL section for this region.
There are 71 geographic sections in the US and its territories according to the League’s website.
The goal is to hit all of them.
Like last year, at this time, it was hot, rising to above 90 at noon.
But unlike last year, they had their satellite communications up and running too. The combination of the smaller antenna, called arrows, and the low tree line blocked some transmission.
Cote, determined, this year they were able to hear the communication from as far as Washington state before it dropped out completely.
The crew is hopeful to work with the high school directly to get the younger generation more interested in ham radio. For anyone interested in ham radio, contact Cote. They encouraged the public to look their call signs up as well.
Most Popular
Comments / 0