HomeCommunity organizationsAmateur Radio “Field Day” – June 26 and 27 – Skill, Service and Science

Amateur Radio “Field Day” – June 26 and 27 – Skill, Service and Science

June 4, 2021

Press release from Alachua County Amateur Radio Emergency Service and Gainesville Amateur Radio Society

Alachua County Sheriff’s Office Field Day

Members of the Alachua County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) will be participating in the national Amateur Radio Field Day exercise, June 26 – 27, at The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office located at 2621 SE Hawthorne Rd, Gainesville, Florida.

ARES provides a critical link in public service, and the location for this event showcases our support of the Alachua County’s Emergency Management Department and first responders throughout the community.

Contact for the ARES location will be Dr. Gordon Gibby.

Waldo Field Day

In addition, The Gainesville Amateur Radio Society (GARS) will hold a second field day at the at 14450 NE 148th Ave, Waldo Florida.

Contact for this event will be Mr. Shannon Boal.

About Field Day

Since 1933, ham radio operators across North America have established temporary ham radio stations in public locations during Field Day to showcase the science and skill of Amateur Radio. This event is open to the public and all are encouraged to attend.

The best chance to see radio operations are from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM on Saturday June 26th, and 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM on Sunday, June 27, 2020.

Field Day is a showcase for how Amateur Radio works reliably under any conditions from almost any location to create an independent communications network. Ham radio functions completely independently of the Internet or cell phone infrastructure, can interface with laptops or smartphones, and can be set up almost anywhere in minutes.

Anyone may become a licensed amateur radio operator. There are more than 725,000 licensed hams in the United States, as young as 9 and as old as 100. It’s easy for anybody to get involved right here in Gainesville, Florida.

For more information about Field Day or Amateur Radio, contact Dr, Gordon Gibby or Shannon Boal or visit http://www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio.

  • We are fortunate to have Dr Gibby heading this up, and I’m thankful for his and other ham radio enthusiasts efforts to ensure that our first responders, medical personnel and other essential responders Well have the ability to communicate in the event of an emergency/natural disaster in our community.

  • Before moving from Miami to Gainesville in retirement in 1999, I volunteered at the Amateur Radio Station inside the National Hurricane Center for several storm seasons… Following the CAT5 devastation of Hurricane Andrew in 1992, I was inspired to compose a theme song on my synthesizer for the NHC and talented radio operators at WX4NHC – Here is the Youtube version. – https://youtu.be/KLt4_V3oQPQ

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