The South Bay Radio Association (SBARA) will be participating in the national amateur radio preparedness exercise at Central Park in Fremont, on Saturday, June 27 and Sunday, June 28.
Through the national association for amateur radio—American Radio Relay League (ARRL) —ham volunteers provide emergency communications to the Department of Homeland Security, FEMA, CERT, Salvation Army, including state and local emergency responders’ agencies, all free of charge.
Amateur radio (“ham”) operators across the country will leave the comfort of their home based radio “shacks” for a weekend of emergency preparedness activities called “Field Day.” The event is designed to test operators’ skills in setting up and operating radio communication equipment in situations where electrical power is limited or unavailable.
The idea is to simulate the conditions that can occur during natural disasters such as; hurricanes, earthquakes and floods. The event is sponsored by the ARRL.
During Field Day, operators set up radio transmitting and receiving equipment in local parks, malls or even in backyards, and get on the air using generators, batteries or solar power to operate.
Unlike cell phones and Internet connectivity, which can be reliant on infrastructure, ham radio allows communication beyond the grid even when the power is out or traditional networks are down, making amateur radio invaluable for disaster relief efforts.
To learn more about the South Bay Amateur Radio Association visit sbara.org.
Field Day
Saturday, Jun 27 – Sunday, Jun 28
11am
Central Park Fremont
Paseo Padre Pkwy. and Sailway Dr.
arrl.org
