The 2015 hurricane season started early this year, with Hurricane Gilbert coming ashore over Tampa on Tuesday morning, May 19.
Did you feel the wind? If not, don’t worry — this was the simulated hurricane exercise to test the area readiness to deal with the real thing. The Kings Point Amateur Radio Club participated in this exercise as part of testing its preparedness to deal with a real emergency in the area — one where telephones and cellphones are no longer available. If you don’t think amateur radio is needed in this modern day of smart phones and instantaneous communication, talk to the people of Nepal, where a few dedicated ham radio operators were the only nationwide communications available.
The biggest emergency preparedness event for amateur radio operators in the U.S. is rapidly approaching, with more than 30,000 amateur radio operators participating each year. Field Day is an annual exercise to encourage emergency communications preparedness among amateur radio operators.
Field Day always occurs the fourth full weekend of June, beginning at 2 p.m. EST on Saturday, June 27, and running through 1:59 p.m. EST Sunday, June 28.
Since the first Amateur Radio Relay League Field Day in 1933, radio amateurs throughout North America have practiced the rapid deployment of radio communications equipment in environments ranging from operations under tents in remote areas to operations inside municipal Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs).
Communications using emergency and alternative power sources are highly encouraged, since electricity and other public infrastructures are often among the first to fail during a natural disaster or severe weather.
Several different modes of communication will be scheduled at the Kings Point Amateur Radio Club, including Morse Code, long-distance high-power radio voice communications, and digital modes of communication. Everyone is welcome to try their hand as a ham radio operator at the GOTA (Get On The Air) station.
Field Day emphasizes emergency preparedness. Generators or solar power provide electricity to amateur radio equipment, and portable antennas and radio stations are quickly assembled.
Operating continuously for 24 hours requires advance planning, with many scheduled relief operators to keep stations on the air. Provisions have to be made for food, drinks, rest periods and even sanitary facilities if they are operating at a remote location. This is all a good test of the ability and endurance to respond in a real emergency. The test is to contact as many stations as possible in a 24-hour time period.