The El Dorado County Amateur Radio Club will be operating ARRL® Field Day from a location this year that will be announced soon but will be guaranteed to offer outstanding views and excellent terrain advantageous for radio transmissions.

All Amateur Radio Operators and the public are welcome to join us for this annual event to observe or participate.

According to the ARRL, the National Association for Amateur Radio, the annual ARRL® Field Day is touted as the largest disaster communications exercise in the world. Each year thousands of amateurs in North America working with clubs, a group of friends, or as individuals, take to the fields with thousands of dollars worth of equipment.

It is a time where many aspects of Amateur Radio come together to highlight our many roles. 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.

We use these same skills when we help with events such as marathons and bike-a-thons; fund-raisers such as walka-thons; celebrations such as parades; and exhibits at fairs, malls and museums — these are 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. Amateur Radio people (also called “hams”) are well known for our communications support in real disaster and post-disaster situations.