Amateur radio enthusiasts to gather at Calvada Eye

An amateur radio event will be held at the “Calvada Eye” in Pahrump beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Organizers of the event welcome the public to attend and learn more about amateur radio and what it entails, and more.

Amateur radio operators, or “hams,” furnish backup communications for anything that isn’t being covered right away. They provide information from a wide variety of sources, including from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to the International Space Station, according to a release from the Pahrump Amateur Radio Repeater Association.

This event will demonstrate to area residents what hams are really about. PARRA said it’s packing up at about 8 p.m. on Saturday, but the event does go on until 10 a.m. Sunday.

The “hams” will join thousands of other amateur radio operators across the U.S. in what’s known as “Field Day.” This annual event is the climax of Amateur Radio Week, which began on Monday, June 22.

Field Day is sponsored by American Radio Relay League, the national association for amateur radio.

More than 35,000 amateur radio operators across the country participated in last year’s Field Day event, according to PARRA’s release.

In PARRA’s release, Allen Pitts of the ARRL said, “From the earthquake and tsunami in Japan to tornadoes in Missouri, ham radio provided the most reliable communication networks in the first critical hours of the events. Because ham radios are not dependent on the internet, cell towers, or other infrastructure, they work when nothing else is available. We need nothing between us but air.”

During the event in Pahrump, area residents and other attendees will have the chance to talk with the Pahrump ham radio operators. They will experience what the amateur radio service is about.

The public is invited to come and see ham radio’s new capabilities and learn how to get an FCC radio license. As the world grows, so does the amateur radio, which has over 700,000 licensees across the U.S. and more than 2.5 million across the globe.

The ARRL’s Amateur Radio Emergency Services program provides both emergency communications for states and local emergency response agencies as well as non-emergency community services for free.

For additional information PARRA, you can contact Gary Bechtolf at KI4VLH@gmail.com

To learn more about amateur radio, go to www.arrl.net