Photo Caption: Paul Jameson, President of Spirit Mountain Amateur Radio Club. Photo by Alan Hayman.
KINGMAN — Local ham radio clubs in Mohave County participated over the weekend in the annual American Radio Relay League (ARRL) Field Day event, which features amateur ham radio operators from as far away as Canada and Mexico.
Spirit Mountain Radio Club attracted around two dozen participants to Hualapai Mountain Park. The Hualapai Amateur Radio Club also met at Walleck Ranch Park in Kingman. Other groups participating in the Field Day event across the county include the Mohave Amateur Radio Club, Northern Arizona Backup Response (N.A.B.R.), and members of the London Bridge Amateur Radio Association.
Field Day was created in 1933 as a way to test emergency communication, and it now sees tens of thousands of participants. Field Day highlights ham radio’s ability to work reliably under any conditions from almost any location and create an independent, wireless communications network.
“Hams have a long history of serving our communities when storms or other disasters damage critical communication infrastructure, including cell towers,” said Paul Jameson, Spirit Mountain Amateur Radio Club President (call sign WB7N). “Ham radio functions completely independently of the internet and phone systems and a station can be set up almost anywhere in minutes. Hams can quickly raise a wire antenna in a tree or on a mast, connect it to a radio and power source, and communicate effectively with others,” Jameson added.
During Field Day 2024, more than 31,000 hams participated from thousands of locations across North America. According to ARRL, there are more than 750,000 amateur radio licensees in the US, and an estimated 3 million worldwide.
Some amateur ham operators in Mohave County used radio stations set up in their homes or their backyards and other locations to operate individually or with their families. Many hams have portable radio communication capability that includes alternative energy sources such as generators, solar panels, and batteries to power their equipment.
A self-study license guide is available from ARRL: The ARRL Ham Radio License Manual (www.arrl.org/shop/Ham-Radio-License-Manual). For more information about ARRL Field Day and ham radio, contact Paul Jameson (President@SMARC.Club) and visit www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio.
