Radio “Hams” from throughout Hamilton County spent 24 hours “off-the-grid” this past weekend in a simulated communications emergency exercise at the 4-H Fairgrounds in Noblesville.
Members of the Hamilton County Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES), the Central Indiana Amateur Radio Association (CIARA) with Hamilton County Emergency Management and CERT set up operations using a portable Western Shelter on generator power for the event, contacting other radio operators from across the United States and Canada participating in the national ARRL Field Day exercise.
For more than 100 years, Amateur Radio has allowed people from all walks of life to experiment with electronics and communications techniques, as well as provide a free public service to their communities during a disaster or emergency, all without needing a cell phone or the Internet. Field Day demonstrates ham radio’s ability to work reliably under any conditions from almost any location and create an independent communications network. More than 40,000 people from thousands of locations participated in the weekend’s event.
For more information about Amateur Radio, joining RACES, getting a federal radio license, or joining the Central Indiana Amateur Radio Association, contact Joe March, Hamilton County RACES Coordinator, at joe.march@hamiltoncounty.in.gov or visit arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio.