field day

Field Day 2023: Weekend of June 24-25

Posted on by VA3DBJ

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) / Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) Field Day is held annually during the fourth full weekend in June. This year’s event will be held on Saturday, June 24 and Sunday, June 25, beginning at 1800 UTC Saturday and running through 2059 UTC Sunday.

Sponsored by the ARRL and RAC (but organized primarily by the ARRL), Field Day is open to all Amateur Radio operators covered by these two International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) member organizations.

The ARRL Field Day webpage includes complete rules and entry forms, as well as any updated information as it becomes available.

Winter Field Day 2022 is this weekend!

Posted on by VA3DBJ
Please see the Winter Field Day Rules for information about participating in the event during the pandemic.

Winter Field Day, sponsored by the Winter Field Day Association (WFDA), will take place this coming weekend January 29-30. 

Purpose: To foster camaraderie, field operation, emergency operating preparedness, and just plain on the air, outdoor fun in the midst of winter for Canadian, American and DX Amateurs.

When: Winter Field Day runs for 24 hours during the last full weekend in January each year from 1900 UTC (2pm EST) Saturday to 1900 UTC (2pm EST) Sunday. For 2021 the dates are January 30 and 31.

The following is an extract from their website:

“The Winter Field Day Association (WFDA) is a dedicated group of Amateur Radio Operators who believe that emergency communications in a winter environment is just as important as the preparations and practice that is done each summer but with some additional unique operational concerns.

We believe as do those entities of ARRL Organizations like ARES & RACES that maintaining your operational skills should not be limited to fair weather scenarios. The addition of Winter Field Day will enhance those already important skills of those that who generously volunteer their time and equipment to these organizations. This is why WFD is open to all licensed Amateur Radio operators worldwide.

Disasters are unpredictable by nature and can strike when you least expect them. WFDA’s goal is to help enhance your skills and ready you for all environmental conditions found in the US and Canada during the spring, summer, fall and winter Preparedness is the key to a professional and timely response during any event and this is what local and state authorities are expecting when they reach out to the emergency service groups that offer their services.

If you are serious about emergency communications as we are; we welcome you to join us for our yearly event. We are sure you will find this event a pleasant change and challenge to that of a normal summer time Field Day.”

For more information about Winter Field Day visit: 

https://www.winterfieldday.com

Winter Field Day Rules

Field Day 2018: June 23-24

Posted on by VA3DBJ

ARRL – ARRL Field Day is the single most popular on-the-air event held annually in the US and Canada.

On the fourth weekend of June of each year, more than 40,000 Radio Amateurs gather with their clubs, groups or simply with friends to operate from remote locations.

Field Day is a picnic, a campout, practice for emergencies, an informal contest and, most of all, FUN! 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.

The contest part is simply to contact as many other stations as possible and to learn to operate our radio gear in abnormal situations and less than optimal conditions. We use these same skills when we help with events such as marathons and bike-a-thons; fundraisers such as walk-a-thons; celebrations such as parades; and exhibits at fairs, malls and museums – these are all large, preplanned, non-emergency activities.

For more information, click here.