People invited to ham radio field day in Havre Saturday and Sunday

People in the region are invited to attend the local event for the single-most popular on-air amateur radio event in the U.S. and Canada.

The American Radio Relay Field Day 2022 will run at U.S. Bank Park in Havre from noon Saturday, June 25, to noon Sunday, June 26.

Hi-Line Amateur Radio Club member Heather Hinckley said the site will have equipment set up, both regular over-the-air radio equipment and digital radio that is transmitted using computers, in trailers and on tables under canopies with solar panels powering batteries to power the equipment.

“There are many different ways to communicate,” Hinckley said.

A release said the Field Day is the open house for ham radio — the common term for Federal Communication Commission-licensed amateur radio operators using the “amateur bands.”

“Every June, more than 40,000 hams throughout North America set up temporary transmitting stations in public places to demonstrate ham radio’s science, skill and service to our communities and our nation,” the Hi-Line Amateur Radio Club release said. “It combines public service, emergency preparedness, community outreach and technical skills all in a single event.”

A national association for amateur radio — American Radio Relay League, or ARRL — release said “Field Day is a picnic, a campout, practice for emergencies, an informal contest and, most of all, fun.”

ARRL is the national association for amateur radio in the United States, representing more than 170,000 FCC-licensed amateur radio operators.

“(Field Day) is a time where many aspects of amateur radio come together to highlight our many roles,” the ARRL release said. “While some will treat it as a contest, other groups use the opportunity to practice their emergency response capabilities. It is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate amateur radio to the organizations that amateur radio might serve in an emergency, as well as the general public. For many clubs, ARRL Field Day is one of the highlights of their annual calendar.”

The release said that the contest part is simply to contact as many other stations as possible and to learn to operate our radio gear in abnormal situations and less than optimal conditions.

The release said the same skills ares used to help with events such as marathons and bike-a-thons; fund-raisers such as walk-a-thons; celebrations such as parades; and exhibits at fairs, malls and museums — all large, preplanned, non-emergency activities.

“But despite the development of very complex, modern communications systems — or maybe because they are so complex — ham radio has been called into action again and again to provide communications in crises when it really matters,” the release said. “Amateur radio people — also called ‘hams’ — are well-known for our communications support in real disaster and post-disaster situations.”

The release said that “ham radio,” the amateur radio service has been around for a century. In that time, it’s grown into a worldwide community of licensed operators using the airwaves with every conceivable means of communications technology. Its people range in age from youngsters to grandparents.

“Even rocket scientists and a rock star or two are in the ham ranks,” the release said. “Most, however, are just normal folks like you and me who enjoy learning and being able to transmit voice, data and pictures through the air to unusual places, both near and far, without depending on commercial systems.”

The Field Day is a day ham operators join together to use their radios in an environment away from normal, traditional power supplies and locations.

The Hi-Line Amateur Radio Club encouraged people to come to U.S. Bank Park, on 11th Avenue on the east edge of Highland Park, just west of Montana State University-Northern’s Tilleman Field, to see what ham radio is all about.

“As an unlicensed radio operator, you can come learn about radios and ‘get on the air’ under the guidance of a seasoned ham radio operator,” its release said. “Come join the fun.”