Ham Radio Videos
• Amateur Ham Radio Field Day 2012: Albany, Oregon with W7SST
Added at 2012-09-20 12:01:42
A successful weekend in Albany, Oregon transmitting on some HF across North America and even Hungary and Slovakia at midnight. Usually, getting prepared for the next natural disaster is serious business.But on Saturday and Sunday, Mike, Terry, Phill and myself turned disaster preparation into an around-the-clock competition, a training exercise and an opportunity to give the general public a better idea of what ham radio operators do.We were among 35,000 other amateur radio operators in Mexico, Canada and across the United States tuning in to Field Day, a competition aimed at determining which radio stations are the most prepared for the next natural disaster.To prove our readiness, Mike, Phill and Terri had to set up their stations outside, which involved finding a local area where figuring out the proper way to position an antenna in a tree so a signal will go through.They'll use the signals they get to contact as many other ham operators as they can over a 24-hour period of time. If they simply have a brief talk, the team gets a point. If Morse code is used, the team gets two points.The primary reason is for experience and becoming familiar with the physics and operation of radio frequencies. Being that everyone relies on mobile phones and internet, going back to transmitting on radio frequencies, it brings a different understanding and means of appreciating being to talk to someone half way across the world for FREE.I recommend everyone to take their test for a Ham Radio License. BryanW7WRC