Everyone is invited to visit our off-grid emergency communications exercise at the Trenton Elementary School, located across from the Bar Harbor Airport. Called “Field Day,” the event runs rain or shine, from 2:00pm on Saturday, June 27, straight through the night, ending around noon on Sunday, June 28. There will be stations operating Voice (called Phone), Morse code (called CW), Digital messaging, and Satellite contacts — with all communications sent across the air waves. This is a family-friendly event. There will be operators available to answer questions, as well as a special “Get On The Air” station available for anyone, kids included, who would like to try a voice contact.
You can see more about previous Field Day Activities by clicking these links: 2025 Field Day and 2024 Field Day.
For those who not familiar with it, amateur radio, also called ham radio, is a popular service and hobby that uses various radio frequencies for non-commercial communication, experimentation, and public service. Many hams have radios and antennas at their homes, along with portable systems. Ham radio operators communicate locally, worldwide, and with satellites and astronauts, without relying on the internet or cell services. Exercises, such as Field Day, are helpful to practice our transmission skills and test our equipment in preparation for any real emergency. When needed during a disaster, operators work with local, state, and federal agencies to provide reliable communications when the normal infrastructure is unavailable.
Don’t be shy! We hope to see you at this year’s Field Day and Open House!
Written by Marion W1GRL
W1TU 