Saturday, June 19, 2010

Field Day 2010

I thought I'd reproduce this bit from KION News, (via eham), about Amateur Radio Field Day 2010 at my old alma mater:
Get To Know The 'Hams' Of Monterey County::
MONTEREY, Calif.- They're known as 'hams,' but not because they're cute or tasty.
These 'hams' are life-savers and volunteers.
In Monterey County, the Naval Postgraduate School Amateur Radio Club will join thousands of Amateur Radio operators across the country in showing off their emergency capabilities.
In Monterey, Saturday June 26-27, just below the Sloat Monument of the Presidio of Monterey (DLI) area, these students will be demonstrating Amateur Radio. The public is invited to see them at work on Corporal Ewing Road, between Pvt. Bolio Road and Artillery Street. The event starts at 11:00 a.m. and will continue through Sunday until 11:00 a.m.
The public will have a chance to meet and talk with Monterey County's ham radio operators and see for themselves what the Amateur Radio Service is about. The public will be able to check out the newest digital and satellite capabilities, voice communications and even historical Morse code, as hams from across the USA will hold demonstrations of their emergency communications abilities.
This annual twenty-four hour event, called 'Field Day' is the climax of the week long 'Amateur Radio Week' sponsored by the ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio. Using only emergency power supplies, ham operators will construct emergency stations in parks, shopping malls, schools and backyards around the country. Their slogan, 'When All Else Fails, Ham Radio Works' is more than just words to the hams as they prove they can send messages in many forms without the use of phone systems, internet or any other infrastructure that can be compromised in a crisis.
More than 35,000 amateur radio operators across the country participated in last year's event.
The Naval Postgrad School is one of the few institutions of higher learning that Military Intelligence and Signal Corps officers are sent to for their post-graduate education. My understanding is that, depending on what you are there studying, you are strongly encouraged to get your ham ticket and join that club...

(OTOH, I recall nary a mention of amateur radio either time I was a student at the Defense Language Institute, Presidio of Monterey.)

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