Annual Field Day This Weekend

Once again, the Jefferson County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (JCARES) has placed first in Tennessee, first in their Division (Arkansas, Louisiana , Mississippi and Tennessee) and tenth in the US based on 2013 Simulated Emergency Test (SET) results as reported by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL). The ARRL is the National Association for Amateur Radio Operators, or “Hams” in the United States, and sponsors the annual test. The SET measures the ability to send and receive messages using two-way radio equipment and evaluates this capability based on the number of participants, the number of agencies and communities for which communications were provided and the length of the exercise as well as the number of stations that utilized emergency power. This weekend, JCARES will team-up with Hamblen County “Hams” who are members of the Lake Way Amateur Radio Club (LARC) and conduct its Field Day weekend at the Boys and Girls Club in Jefferson City. This annual ARRL event has as its objective contacting as many amateur radio stations in the US and Canada as possible within a specified time-frame while using emergency power and portable antennas and equipment. The public is invited to visit the Field Day site on Saturday starting at noon. The event will end at noon on Sunday.