Regis Middle School
K Ave. and Prairie Dr. NE
Cedar Rapids
What is Field Day?
According to the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), Field Day
“is designed to test operators' skills in setting up and
operating radio communication equipment in situations where electrical
power is limited or unavailable. The idea is to simulate the conditions
that can occur during a hurricane, tornado or other emergency,
including man-made disasters. The event is sponsored by ARRL—the
national association for Amateur Radio. The first Field Day took place
in 1933.”
CVARC Field Day
Ham radio operators from the Cedar Valley Amateur Radio Club (CVARC)
will set up their Field Day station at Regis Middle School in NE Cedar
Rapids on Friday evening, 27 June. Field Day officially begins at 1 pm
(1800 UTC) on Saturday 28 June and runs until 1 pm (1800 UTC) on
Sunday, 29 June.
Members of the public are invited to come out and see ham radio in
action. Our station will be set up in the field immediately behind the
school. Here's a map.
What will you see on Field Day?
Because the CVARC Field Day activities take place without power from
the grid, you'll see an electrical generator placed near a tent, and
several different types of antennas set up nearby. The tent
protects the radio equipment, so that communications can go on,
rain or shine.
In the tent, you'll see several operators, with various types of
equipment:
Packet Radio – computer communications over ham radio
DX – communications over a long distance, to other clubs
with field day activities.
CW – communications using Morse code.
GOTA – A way for non-amateurs to Get On The Air. Get hands-on
with a radio.
Voice – hams talk over the radio, too.
What will you hear on Field Day?
If you are tuning through the amateur radio bands, with a scanner or
shortwave radio, you might hear us sending "CQ FIELD DAY, CQ FIELD DAY, THIS IS W0GQ."
"W0GQ" is our club's callsign. "CQ" is ham radio shorthand for "calling
any station."
