Ham Radio Operators in Sterling Park On the Air for Nationwide Event

Ham radio operators from the Sterling Park Amateur Radio Club in Loudoun County will be participating in a national amateur radio exercise for 24 continuous hours beginning at 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 27. This highlights ham radio’s ability to work reliably under any conditions from almost any location and create an independent, wireless communications network.

Visitors are welcome and will have the opportunity to get on the air and make radio contacts at the Eastern Loudoun Sheriff’s Station 46620 East Frederick Dr., in Sterling, 2 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 27 and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 28.

The event is ARRL Field Day (www.arrl.org/field-day), an annual amateur radio activity organized since 1933 by ARRL, Amateur Radio Relay League, in the United States.

During last year’s Field Day, more than 31,000 hams participated from thousands of locations across North America. According to ARRL, there are more than 20,000 licensed amateur radio operators in Virginia, 750,000 across the US, and an estimated 3 million worldwide.

Ham radio is a great way for people to learn about electronics, physics, and numerous other scientific technologies, and provides an asset to communities during disasters or emergencies if the standard communication infrastructure goes down.

For more information about ARRL Field Day, contact the Sterling Park Amateur Radio Club at sterlingparkradio@gmail.com.