Radio waves were flying in Essex Junction this weekend as members of joined tens of thousands of amateur 鈥� or 鈥渉am鈥� 鈥� radio operators across North America for .
Hosted annually by the , Field Day encourages licensed operators to test their skills, equipment and emergency readiness. It鈥檚 also a chance for 鈥渉ams鈥� to socialize, recruit new operators and engage in some friendly competition.
Here鈥檚 how it works:
Amateur radio operators set up temporary radio stations in remote areas like parks, parking lots and fields. They then spend 24 hours trying to make contact with as many other stations as possible using only portable equipment and emergency power like batteries and generators.
Members of (RANV) have been participating in Field Day for more than 30 years.
鈥淲e take it extremely seriously, because the whole point of Field Day is to do an emergency communications 鈥� 鈥楨mComm鈥� 鈥� setup,鈥� said RANV president Stewart Corey. 鈥淎nd it doesn鈥檛 get any more EmComm than what we鈥檙e doing.鈥�
RANV鈥檚 setup is ambitious, with three 50-foot antenna towers and multiple stations running on generators. It takes several hours and several volunteers to assemble 鈥� and tear down 鈥� all the gear.
Still, RANV members say the real magic of amateur radio is how little it takes to connect.
鈥淚f you give me the right radio and a 12-volt battery and enough wire to string in the trees, I can talk to anywhere in the world,鈥� said RANV member John Colt.
鈥淚 walked into my sixth grade classroom at Rutland Town School and there was a ham radio sitting there. And I鈥檝e been hooked ever since.鈥�Erik Wheeler
Colt uses his amateur radio know-how to help organize emergency communications drills at healthcare facilities across Vermont. He says when cell towers fail, the internet is down and the power goes out, ham radio operators can still get messages through.
鈥淚f you want something that will work when nothing else does, that鈥檚 amateur radio,鈥� he said.
But emergency preparedness is only part of the appeal.
鈥淚t鈥檚 also an incredibly fun hobby,鈥� Colt said.
Fellow RANV member Erik Wheeler agrees. He got his amateur license as a kid.
鈥淚 walked into my sixth grade teacher鈥檚 classroom 鈥� it was Travis Redman, a fantastic teacher at Rutland Town School 鈥� and there was a ham radio sitting there,鈥� Wheeler said. 鈥淗e taught me and several other students how to use it, and I鈥檝e been hooked ever since.鈥�
This year, Vermonters set up Field Day stations in Shaftsbury, Montpelier, Halifax, Newport, New Haven and Gateway in addition to the one in Essex Junction. Many stations encouraged members of the public to come and observe 鈥� and even get on the air.
Field Day is also an informal competition. Groups earn points for the number of stations they contact 鈥� called 鈥淨SOs鈥� 鈥� and can earn bonus points for things like getting little kids on the air.
RANV has placed in its Field Day category for four years in a row. RANV operators log hundreds of contacts every hour, consistently outperforming hundreds of other ham radio clubs across the U.S. and Canada.
RANV president Stewart Corey says the club does so well because they鈥檝e got great equipment and a dedicated team on-air for the full 24 hours. And, he said, Vermont鈥檚 location helps.
鈥淏ecause we鈥檙e up in the corner, we can face our beam southwest and hit a majority of the United States without moving it,鈥� he said. 鈥淕eographically, we kind of get to cheat.鈥�
Curious about ham radio? You don鈥檛 have to wait till next Field Day. Corey says RANV is always looking for new members. They in Essex Junction.
This story comes from a collaboration between 开云体育 and the , a University of Vermont journalism internship.
