Poughkeepsie… The Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response, in partnership with the Mount Beacon Amateur Radio Club and the QSY Society, will host the annual overnight Amateur (HAM) Radio Field Day from 2pm on Saturday, June 28th through 2pm on Sunday, June 29th at the Emergency Response campus’s Fire Training Center, located at 392 Creek Road, Poughkeepsie. The event, which is free and open to the public, will include demonstrations of HAM radio equipment and operators during a simulated emergency. On Sunday, June 29th, starting at 10am, HAM licensing exams will be offered for a $15 exam fee and $35 FCC licensing fee once the exam is passed.
Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino said, “This annual event is a great way for us to test and highlight our emergency communications capabilities. HAM radio operators are an essential resource in any kind of emergency, helping bridge responding agencies through their ability to respond quickly and efficiently from remote locations, even when power sources or other infrastructure are compromised. We are proud to once again support the Mount Beacon Amateur Radio Club and QSY Society to host this event at a Dutchess County location. We encourage anyone interested in amateur radio to attend.”
The HAM Radio Field Day is an on-the-air event held annually the fourth weekend in June in the United States and Canada where more than 35,000 radio amateurs, or HAMs, gather with their clubs, groups or friends to operate from remote locations. Operators will seek to contact as many other Field Day stations as possible under simulated emergency conditions and exchange information about their operation. As part of the emergency simulation, many of the participating operators will use alternate power sources such as portable generators, batteries and even solar power.
HAM radio operators have helped with emergencies across the state and nation. Locally, HAM operators have helped emergency response efforts in western New York following severe snowstorms; in New York City following the tragic events of September 11, 2001; and in the Harlem Valley area after severe flooding of the Three Mile River. HAMs also volunteer to assist with communications during local events, such as the annual Dutchess County St. Patrick’s Day Parade in the Village of Wappingers Falls.
For more information about the Field Day or amateur radio in Dutchess County, contact Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response RACES Radio Officer Adam Nowik Jr. at 845-849-3666.
