HAM’S LIFE

Every ham knows about field day sponsored by the ARRL held on the last weekend of June.  Very few hams know about the winter field day on the last weekend of January sponsored by Society for the Preservation of Amateur Radio (SPAR). 

One of the purposes of field day is to test readiness for emergency operation.  Emergencies and disasters are not limited to the summer months. Winter disasters can many times be more devastating then summer disasters.

To learn more about the Winter Field Day event go to http://www.spar-hams.org/ and click on Winter Field Day under Activities/Contests.   

Another way Amateur Radio Operators serve the community is by acting as a link between the National Weather Service and local communities in the United States of America.  These weather spotters take a position near an anticipated storm and report on wind gusts, hail size, rainfall, and cloud formations all of which could signal a developing tornado.  These operators also receive and distribute information from the National Weather Service.  The system is called SKYWARN™ and was developed early in the 1970s.

Each year sense 1999 a special day has been set aside to recognize the efforts and contributions of these volunteer amateur radio operators.  During this day participating operators will visit National Weather Service offices so they can make contact with other ham operators around the world. 

This year’s annual SKYWARN™  Recognition Day will be on Saturday December 6 starting at 0000 UTC and continuing for a full 24 hours.  More information can be found at http://hamradio.noaa.gov/ and http://www.crh.noaa.gov/hamradio/participating_offices.php . 

Certainly these operators deserve our support, respect, and thanks for their efforts.