ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, VA (Rocktown Now) — The Massanutten Amateur Radio Association and Valley Amateur Radio Association (representing Harrisonburg, Rockingham, Staunton, Augusta, and Waynesboro) will be participating in the national amateur radio Field Day exercise, June 27 – 28 at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds. 

Field Day is a showcase for how amateur radio works reliably under any conditions from almost any location to create an independent communications network. 

Since 1933, ham radio operators across North America have established temporary ham radio stations in public locations during Field Day to showcase the science and skill of amateur radio.

“Ham radio functions completely independent of the Internet or cell phone infrastructure, can interface with laptops or smartphones, and can be set up almost anywhere in minutes. That’s the beauty of amateur radio during a communications outage,” says Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R, spokesperson for ARRL The national association for Amateur Radio®, (www.arrl.org), which represents amateur (or “ham”) radio operators across the country. “In today’s electronic do-it-yourself (DIY) environment, ham radio remains one of the best ways for people to learn about electronics, physics, meteorology, and numerous other scientific disciplines, and is a huge asset to any community during disasters or emergencies if the standard communication infrastructure goes down,” Inderbitzen adds. 

The Field Day event is open to the public and all are encouraged to attend. It begins at 2pm on Saturday, June 27 and will continue until 2pm on Sunday, June 28.

For more information about Field Day or amateur radio, contact Paul Helmuth, paul.helmuth@hrecc.org or visit www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio.