“That’s the nice part — you never know who you are going to talk to next,” said Coons, the club’s trustee.
The local club has participated in Field Day for at least 50 years, Vice President Keith Marshall said.
Amateur radios remain a critical way to communicate in emergencies, Marshall said, especially when storms or tornadoes take out cellular towers. Users even helped out on Sept. 11, 2001, after the terrorist attacks brought down a lot of cell phone services.
Thousands of clubs nationwide participate in Field Day, Marshall said. He talked to operators in Georgia, North Carolina, New York and Minnesota on Saturday. More than 20 people came to Mid-Ohio Harley-Davidson for the local event.
It’s a chance to sharpen skills such as setting up antennas and communicating with other operators across the country.
“It’s just to be ready in case of an emergency and have confidence that you are able to do this,” Marshall said.
Noretta Justice came out to Field Day with her husband. They received their amateur radio license about three years ago.
She likes to listen to all the different stations and said it’s a good way to meet people. The radios also often work better than cell phones out near her home in South Charleston.
“If I go out, my cell phone doesn’t work there but I can go on my ham radio and call my husband, and he knows where I’m at,” Justice said.
Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0363 or ssommer@coxohio.com.
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