In the Dutchess County Spotlight
Ham Radio Operators Show off Emergency Communications at Bowdoin Park
Thousands of Ham Radio operators nationwide show off their emergency capabilities Saturday and Sunday, June 27 & 28. The QSY Society Amateur Radio Club and Mt Beacon Amateur Radio Club, with members from throughout the Hudson Valley, will be participating in the local Field Day demo which will be held at Bowdoin Park on Sheafe Road in Dutchess County.
Over the past year, the news has been full of reports of ham radio operators providing critical communications in emergencies including wildfires, winter storms, tornadoes and other events world-wide. During Hurricane Katrina, Amateur Radio – often called “Ham radio” - was often the ONLY way people could communicate, and hundreds of volunteer “hams” traveled south to save lives and property. When trouble is brewing, ham radio people are often the first to provide critical information and communications. When trouble is brewing, ham radio people are often the first to provide critical information and communications.
Meet and talk with ham radio operators to find out about the Amateur Radio Service. Displaying the newest digital and satellite capabilities, voice communications and even historical Morse code, hams from across the country host Field Day demos of emergency communications abilities. Samuel Morse was also a Town of Poughkeepsie resident; his home, Locust Grove is open for tours. Find out about their gardens, trails and galleries at www.LGNY.org
Field Day is the high point of "Amateur Radio Week" sponsored by ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio. Using only emergency power supplies, ham operators construct emergency stations in parks, shopping malls, schools and back yards across the USA. Their slogan, "Ham radio works when other systems don't! " is more than just words, as hams prove they can send messages in many forms without the use of phone systems, internet or any other infrastructure that can be compromised in a crisis. More than 30,000 amateur radio operators nationwide participated in last year's Field Day.
"We hope people come and see for themselves, this is not your grandfather's radio anymore," said Shirley Dahlgren, club spokesperson. "The communications networks ham radio people can quickly create have saved many lives in the past months when other systems failed or were overloaded.”
Stop by Dutchess County’s Bowdoin Park, Pavilion 4, from 2pm Saturday, June 27 through 2pm Sunday, June 28 to see ham radio’s new capabilities and learn how to get an FCC radio license
before the next disaster strikes. Joining them on Saturday from noon to 4pm are the will be the staffed emergency communications vehicles of the Dutchess County Red Cross and the Dutchess County Emergency Response Vehicle, which will be available for tour.Bring your family and friends to enjoy the festival as well as learn something useful at these fascinating demos.
There are 650,000 US Amateur Radio licensees and more than 2.5 million worldwide. Through the ARRL’s ARES program, volunteers provide emergency communications for thousands of state and area emergency response agencies, all for free.
Learn more at www.emergency-radio.org or call 1-860-594-0200. Information regarding Field Day or the QSY Society is available at 914/736-0717, n2skp@arrl.net or the club’s website at www.qsysociety.org See what modern Amateur Radio can do. They can even help you get on the air!
