On Saturday June 22 and Sunday June 23, over 40,000 amateur radio enthusiasts across North America will celebrate Field Day 2019. This is ham radio’s annual open house featuring demonstrations of the science, skills, and service that is amateur radio.
The Delaware Valley Radio Association (DVRA) will hold a free, public field day event at Mercer County Park adjacent to Parking Lot #1 to display the array of equipment and technologies they use for public service and community outreach.
The public is invited to join us on Saturday from 2:00 PM – 8:00 PM, and Sunday from 6:00 AM – 12:00 PM to experience and participate in amateur radio demonstrations including:
- Voice communication using some of over 26 bands (i.e., specific groups of frequencies) spaced from 1.8 Megahertz, which is just above the broadcast radio frequencies, all the way up to 275 Gigahertz. Depending on which band we use, amateur operators can talk across town, or around the world.
- Satellite and Earth-Moon-Earth communication where signals can be relayed farther distances via use of an orbiting satellite or even the surface of the moon.
- Digital communication using one or more modes like Packet, Radio Teletype (often called Ritty), and PSK where an amateur radio is interfaced to a computer. Amateur operators can also use television to send pictures over the air.
- Morse Code communication using sounds consisting of a string of “dits and dahs” to form individual alphabet characters that are strung together to send and receive messages.
Field Day has been an annual event since 1933, and remains the most popular event in ham radio. It is free and is open to the public. You do not need to be a licensed amateur radio operator to participate.
The Delaware Valley Radio Association is one of the nation’s oldest radio clubs, having been founded in 1930, and is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization devoted to the promotion and preservation of the amateur radio hobby.
