Local volunteer ham radio communications group will hold Field Day Exercise this weekend

June 23, 2026

Deployable 7 MHz “Yagi” type directional antenna constructed with wire mounted to three vertical masts. The center tower is our team’s portable tower that can reach 30 feet or more for emergency communications.

Press release from North Florida Amateur Radio Club

NEWBERRY, Fla. – Capping the Alachua County Amateur Radio Week, the local Amateur Radio Emergency Service team (ARES) will hold their annual Field Day exercise both Saturday and Sunday, June 27 and 28. Construction issues have delayed the opening of the new Alachua County Emergency Operations Center (EOC), so the group will assemble on a 5-acre home and set up multiple powerful ham transmitters. They plan to make hundreds of contacts to other participants all over America in the 24-hour simulated disaster communications exercise. An estimated 30,000 participants will compete nationally.

Visitors are invited to drop by between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 27. The address is 15216 NW 41st Ave, Newberry, in the Steeplechase Farms gated subdivision. The gate will be open during that time, and our site is at the end of the private road. You’ll be greeted by a volunteer, and we have a small tour set up for you! Bring your kids, and we may be able to even get them on the air!

They can see our new robotic satellite antenna system! We hope to make live radio connections at least once during our 24-hour competition, using one or more of the dozen private ham radio satellites in low earth orbit. Those satellites will be very busy this weekend! This teaches students far more math and science than just using a cell phone or Starlink. The techniques we’ve learned can be used by local schools to compete for a direct radio connection to the astronauts aboard the International Space Station. One of our members has just published a low-cost high school Technology textbook that includes information on how schools and students can jump in on the fun and challenge.

Amateur radio is a wonderfully diverse hobby shared by over 700,000 licensed hams in America today. We will hold two introductory classes on how to get your license at our Exercise location — for information and registration, email docvacuumtubes@gmail.com before Saturday.

New for this year is a special “high-powered” long-distance antenna for the 7 MegaHertz amateur radio band, that marshals transmitter power into a northerly direction to reach hams in the dense northern states and coastline. Two of our local volunteers, Manish Sahni MD (callsign KZ4KC) and Mike Hasselbeck PhD (callsign WB2FKO), created this antenna monster out of three different carefully tuned wires held up by 30-foot portable masts. This type of antenna can be erected even after a disaster has wiped out most of the trees in an area.

Last year our ARES team scored a first — we swept the entire Emergency Operation Center-affiliated teams throughout the nation with our 1,600+ connections. This had never been done before by a Florida-based team! This year we’re in an even more competitive category and missing a few key volunteers but still planning a great weekend of fun and learning.