Local Amateur Radio Club Participates In National Field Day

The San Antonio Radio Club participated in Field Day this past weekend. HAM radio operators across the United States hold the event every year.

The radio operators set up portable radio stations in public places and made contact with other operators. It was a chance to practice their skills and introduce others to the hobby.

Club member Jim Neff said the event had a practical side. "Field Day is an annual event where hams across North America establish temporary ham radio stations in public areas to demonstrate skill in our service, and it's also sort of an emergency operations exercise."

Participants, including Kay Son Lo Kun, gathered in Shavano Park to demonstrate their broadcasting and operating skills.

"Part of the reason why I wanted to get into HAM is because of preparedness. After the whole snow thing, that really drove me to getting the licenses," she said. "I didn’t have cell phone signal, and a lot of people I knew didn’t have signal, and I (wondered) what is an alternative method to talking to somebody."

HAM radios are often used in disaster situations, when other forms of communication aren't available.

To find out more about HAM Radio, check out arrl.org.

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