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Ham radio Field Day this weekend
35,000 expected to participate worldwide in 24-hour event
radio club field day 1
Ham radio operators Larry Pink (foreground, center) and Dennis Morgan were part of the 2015 Field Day.

The Hidden Valleys Amateur Radio Club and the UW–Platteville Amateur Radio Club will participate in the worldwide ham radio Field Day this weekend.

The two clubs are FCC-licensed amateur radio operators from the Tri-State area.  More than 35,000 U.S. hams will participate in their annual Field Day from Saturday at 1 p.m. until Sunday at 1 p.m.

Field Day is an emergency exercise in which hams assemble a radio station away from their homes using alternative power sources such as batteries, portable generators, or solar energy for 24 hours. They will be making as many contacts in the U.S. and foreign countries as possible. In addition to testing equipment and preparing for a real emergency, they have fun doing it.  

HVARC and UWPARC will set up these emergency equipped stations in the parking lot across from the new engineering building on the UW–Platteville campus on the corner of Southwest Road and Longhorn Drive. The club will be operating two stations using portable towers and various types of antennas to communicate via the ionosphere using single sideband, FM, digital communication, and Morse code. One station will be available to let visitors make contacts under the supervision of licensed FCC ham operators.  

Many people in Southwest Wisconsin are not aware of the contributions to the area rendered by local hams. HVARC and UWPARC members have been involved in public service as trained weather spotters when needed, participating in local and state emergency drills, and receiving training in sending and receiving formal messages.

For more information about the clubs and how to become an amateur radio operator, go to www.qsl.net/kc9kq and Facebook.com/HVARC or contact Paul DeWitte, 330-3666.