Field Day
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226068743
2008-07-16T18:11:20Z
198.151.13.8
/* United States and Canada */
{{dablink|This article is about amateur radio operating events. For other definitions of 'field day' see: [[wikt:have a field day|Wiktionary entry on 'have a field day']]. For the outdoor [[trade show]], see [[agricultural show#Field days|agricultural show]] and [[field day]]. For the school event, see [[Sports Day]]. For the Canadian band see [[Field Day (band)]]. For community events in the UK see [[Club Days]].}}
[[Image:Camporee.JPG|thumb|right|300px|Solar-powered Amateur Radio Station in tents. Note the portable [[VHF]]/[[UHF]] [[Satellite]] and [[HF]] antennas in the background]]
'''Field Day''' is an annual [[amateur radio]] exercise, widely sponsored by [[International Amateur Radio Union|IARU]] regions and member organizations, encouraging [[Amateur radio emergency communications|emergency communications]] preparedness among [[amateur radio operator]]s. In the United States, it is typically the largest single emergency preparedness exercise in the country, with over 30,000 operators participating each year.
Since the first ARRL Field Day in 1933, radio amateurs throughout [[North America]] have practiced the rapid deployment of radio communications equipment in environments ranging from operations under tents in remote areas to operations inside [[Emergency Operations Center]]s (EOCs). Operations using emergency and alternative power sources are highly encouraged, since electricity and other public infrastructures are often among the first to fail during a [[natural disaster]] or [[severe weather]].
To determine the effectiveness of the exercise and of each participant's operations, there is an integrated [[contesting]] component, and many clubs also engage in concurrent leisure activities (camping out, cookouts, etc.). Operations typically last a continuous twenty-four hours, requiring scheduled relief operators to keep stations on the air. Additional contest points are awarded for experimenting with unusual modes, making contacts via satellite, and involving youth in the activity.
==International Field Day Events==
==IARU Region 1==
The [[International Amateur Radio Union|IARU]] Region 1 sponsors an Amateur Radio Field Day for [[Europe]].
===Britain===
The Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) holds its Field Day with the Region 1 schedule, but has its own awards independent of the rest of the IARU Region:
* CW: First full weekend of June from Saturday 1500 UTC to Sunday 1500 UTC.
* SSB: First full weekend of September from Saturday 1300 UTC to Sunday 1300 UTC.
==IARU Region 2==
===United States and Canada===
The [[American Radio Relay League]]/[[Radio Amateurs of Canada]] Field Day is held annually the fourth full weekend in June (June 27-28 in 2009).
Sponsored by the ARRL and RAC (but organized primarily by the ARRL), Field Day is open to all Amateur Radio operators covered by these two IARU member organizations.
==IARU Region 3==
There is currently no organized Field Day for all of Region 3, although there is a proposal to create one similar to that of Region 1: [http://www.rsq-info.net/IARU/079a%20-R3%20adoption%20of%20RSQ.pdf Recommendation WG 2-10 (page 7)].
===Taiwan===
There is apparently a Biannual Field Day held in Taiwan, by the [[Chinese Taipei Amateur Radio League]].
===New Zealand===
The [[New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters]] (NZART) holds an [http://www.nzart.org.nz/nzart/update/Contests/JOCK_WHITE_MEMORIAL_FIELD_DAY_RULES.htm HF National Field Day] contest each February, and a VHF Field Day each December.
The [[Korean Amateur Radio League]] holds a field day for 2 to 5 days at a regional branch area during the summer time every year.
==Emergency preparedness==
Field Day stresses emergency preparedness. Frequently, entire radio [[clubs]] get involved and assemble a portable radio station in a field or park. Some might use quickly deployable portable antennas while other might erect more elaborate [[radio masts and towers]] supporting several [[antenna (radio)|antenna]]s. [[Generators]] or [[solar power]] provide [[electricity]] to amateur radio [[transceiver]]s, which may be located in [[tent]]s, [[recreational vehicle]]s, or other portable shelters.
==Contest Activity and Rules==
The contest aspect of a Field Day operating event is to contact as many stations as possible in the given time period (twenty-four hours, during a weekend, if setup commences before the contest starts, or 27 hours if setup commences at contest start time) using the portable station. Each station will [[wiktionary:exchange|exchange]] information with other participating stations. For the North American Field Day, the exchange consists of the station [[call sign]], the name of the ARRL-recognized section from which the station is operating, and a class designator which indicates the number of transmitters concurrently used at the station and information about the type of electrical power source being used. The contest portion of Field Day has two purposes. The primary purpose is to demonstrate the group's ability to plan operations that can be effective for an entire twenty-four-hour period, including operator endurance and adequate numbers of operators for a shift operation. The secondary portion is to demonstrate the technical proficiency of the station that has been hastily constructed for the purpose; in theory a better station will be capable of emergency operations in more dire conditions. Such a station will also be capable of making more contacts during the contest portion of Field Day.
The rules governing this activity are published by the sponsor of the particular Field Day exercise.
==Promotion of amateur radio==
Field Day is frequently used to attract significant [[publicity]] for amateur radio, and some clubs simultaneously demonstrate technologies including [[single sideband]] voice, [[Morse code]], digital modes (such as [[RTTY]], [[PSK31]], and [[Winlink]], among others), and communication via [[AMSAT|amateur radio satellite]].
==External links==
*[http://www.arrl.org/FieldDay ARRL Field Day]
*[http://www.arrl.org/pio/press_releases/9912028.pdf Field Day: A Mirror of Amateur Radio History] (A history of Field Day in the United States)
*[http://www.arrl.org/contests/announcements/fd/locator.php/ Field Day Station Locator] (Google Maps-based service that shows publicly accessible Field Day operations for June 28–29, 2008)
*[http://www.rac.ca/ Radio Amateurs of Canada]
*[http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/club/clubsearch.phtml Find a radio club near you to participate in Field Day]
*[http://www.vhfcc.org/hfcc/rules/2008/rssbfd.shtml RSGB SSB Field Day 2008]
*[http://www.sarl.org.za/public/contests/IARU%20Region%201%20HF%20Field%20Day.pdf IARU Region 1 HF Field Day]
[[Category:Amateur radio]]
[[Category:American Radio Relay League]]
[[de:Fieldday]]