| Field Day 2008 |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE RECOMMENDED MEDIA COVERAGE TIMES: 1:00 PM TO 2:00
PM, SATURDAY, JUNE 28, AT CAPE FEAR CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN RED CROSS,
1102 S. 16TH ST. CONTACT: BILL MORINE AT (910) 367-1758
(WILMINGTON, NC) – Two longtime and reliable emergency response organizations will team up the weekend of June 28 and 29 in a historic drill. The Cape Fear Chapter of the American Red Cross will host the 76th annual Field Day exercises for the local Amateur Radio community. While both entities have worked hand-in-hand for the past century during disasters, this is the first time in many years ham radio operators will hold their annual emergency preparedness event at a Red Cross chapter.
“With this being the 100th anniversary of the Cape Fear Chapter, we felt it would be great for one of our key local support groups, ham radio operators, to conduct their Field Day drill from our facility.”, said Vicki LaBelle, the Cape Fear Chapter’s Executive Director. The Training Center at the chapter’s headquarters was recently modified by ham volunteers to include a new emergency communications center. The center’s design is being studied as a model for adoption by other Red Cross chapters across the nation.
Field Day goes back to 1933 when two-way radio equipment was bulky and primitive, and operators wanted to see if it could be transported to field locations and work under emergency power. Today, ham radio operators use batteries and generators during emergencies to relay information on behalf of government and public agencies through new technologies like email and television images in addition to traditional voice communications. “It’s definitely not your grandfather’s radio anymore”, said Paul Magnabosco, the ham who designed and coordinated the installation of the new communications center at the Cape Fear Chapter. Field Day is a North American event sponsored by ARRL, the national association for amateur radio, and runs from 2 PM Saturday through 4 PM Sunday.
The Cape Fear Chapter of the American Red Cross was founded in 1908, and
the first ham radio station in Wilmington goes back to 1913. Every
amateur radio operator must pass a written examination from the Federal
Communications Commission to earn an individually issued license.
Part of the charter for amateur radio is public service, and operators
are trained in the provision of emergency communications when landline
phones, cell phones, the internet and electricity stop working.
Hams, an old nickname from the Morse Code era for amateur radio
operators, have been instrumental in providing communications following
the many hurricanes in our region. By law, amateur radio operators
do not receive compensation for their services. The donate
millions of dollars in equipment and services to North Carolina at no
cost to taxpayers. |