Introduction: What is Field Day?
Each year during the last FULL weekend of June the ARRL and the Amateur Radio community conduct an exercise called Field Day. It is operated as a sort of contest with points scored for the number and types of successful contacts concluded and with additional points in certain bonus categories. Generally the rules are constructed to encourage the simulation of an emergency event such that stations are compelled to operate without the usual home based infrastructure (fixed antennas, roof, commercially sourced electrical power, etc). In a real disaster, ham radio can operate when other services are offline or saturated with traffic. But to do so we must be able to operate with portable or emergency power, portable antennas, etc. Field Day provides a fun environment to simulate that activity. And while doing so, the public is uniquely exposed to the important capabilities that the Amateur Radio service provide to our communities. The rules can change slightly from year to year and you should consult the calendar, the club and the ARRL website for the latest information.
GOTAhams has operated a multi-radio / multi-operator site for each year since the club was founded. We try to keep it fun for the whole family, as in our Radio-In-The-Park outings, but on a larger and more organized basis. We have activities for kids and non-ham adults and educational materials for the public. As Field Day operates a 24 hour cycle we sometimes have camping or RV based activities to keep the stations on the air overnight. You can read more about past Field Day activities using the links below.
Planning for Field Day 2023 – Field Day weekend for 2023 includes setup on Friday, June 23rd, operations beginning Saturday June 24th and concluding with teardown the afternoon of Sunday June 25th. GOTAhams planning is underway.
Field Day 2022 – Cedar Creek Park, Eastvale Ca.
Field Day 2021 – Cedar Creek Park, Eastvale Ca.
Field Day 2020 – Bonelli, La Verne, Ca.
Field Day 2019 – Bonelli, La Verne, Ca.