This weekend ham radio operators celebrate the National Park Service.
This year’s Amateur Radio Field Day features science and national parks.
Amateur or ham radio operators started the Amateur Radio Field Day in 1933. The annual public exercise shows operators’ skills. Corey Klumper is with the Unreal Radio Club in Marshall Minnesota. He says most Field Days are hosted by local clubs.
“The large Field Day operations are usually put together by amateur radio clubs. Even small towns usually have a group of 5, 10, 15 people that get together and talk about radio. It’s a great way to get into the hobby to join one of those clubs. And they put on the big event where they go out to the park and put up a lot of antennas,” says Klumper.
This year ham radio enthusiasts like Klumper are helping the park service celebrate its’ centennial. The event hopes to connect people with operators in National Parks for virtual audio tours.
“The National Park Service agreed, thought it was a good idea and they put some publicity together and now the Amateur Radio Relay League has a website where you can collect activator points or chaser points for how many parks you can contact or how many parks you can activate for Field Day. Because why not? You’ve got two different events happening at the same time, why not use them both?” says Klumper.
Klumper says his club is coming down to host a Field Day in Vermillion. To find a local Field Day, go to