Amateur radio hobbyists tune in at winter field day
Lyle Holyoak, set up his mobile amateur radio on January 26 outside the St. Regis Senior Center to participate in the ARRL Winter Field Day. The event is open to the public to come and learn how Ham Radios operate and are vital points of communication around the world. (Mineral Independent/Amy Quinlivan)
The Winter Field Day for Ham Radios was held on a chilly but beautiful blue bird Sunday afternoon this past weekend. (Mineral Independent/Amy Quinlivan)
Amateur radio, or ham radio, has been a popular hobby throughout the years as well as an important service that brings people, electronics and communication together.
People are able to use ham radio to talk across town, around the world, or even into space, all without internet or cellphones. You can communicate from the top of a mountain, the comfort of home or behind the wheel of your car, you can take radio wherever you go. This intriguing hobby is not only a fun way of socializing, but it can also be a lifeline during times of need.
Ham operators get involved for lots of reasons, but to start they need a basic knowledge of radio technology and operating principles and pass an examination a Federal Communications Commission examination to receive a license to operate on radio frequencies known as the amateur bands. These bands are radio frequencies assigned by the FCC for use by ham radio operators. In 2022, it was reported that there were approximately 700,000 licensed U.S. ham operators and nearly 3,000,000 hams worldwide.
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