Ham Radio Weekend June 22-23 Open to the Public

Even with the Internet, cell phones, email and other forms of modern communications, each year whole regions can be left in the dark. Tornadoes, fires, storms, ice and the occasional cutting of fiber optic cables can leave people without the means to communicate. 

In these cases, the one consistent service that has never failed has been amateur radio. These radio operators - often called “hams” - provide backup communications to the American Red Cross, FEMA and even for the International Space Station.  

On June 22 and 23, Will County area “hams” will join with thousands of other Amateur Radio operators from across the state to demonstrate their emergency capabilities.

The annual "Field Days" is the climax of the week long "Amateur Radio Week" sponsored by the American Radio Relay League, the national association for Amateur Radio. 

Using only emergency power supplies, ham operators will construct emergency stations in parks, shopping malls, schools and backyards around the country. Their slogan, "When All Else Fails, Ham Radio Works,” proves they can send messages in many forms without the use of phone systems, internet or any other infrastructure that can be compromised in a crisis. 

More than 35,000 amateur radio operators across the country participated in last year's event.

In the Joliet area, the Will County Emergency Management Agency Amateurs will be demonstrating Amateur Radio beginning at 1 p.m. on Sat., June 22 through 1 p.m. on Sun., June 23 at the Lower Rock Run Forest Preserve – I & M Canal access on the West side of Hollywood Road (the South extension of Houbolt Road). 

The public is invited to attend and see ham radio’s new capabilities and learn how to get a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) radio license before the next disaster strikes.  

Will County’s Incident Command Center will be deployed to a remote location during the event to demonstrate its full operating capabilities.

The Incident Command Center vehicle was designed by the same ham operators who will be staffing it over the Field Day weekend. The vehicle is filled with state of the art communications and technology equipment.

“This will be a great opportunity for us to give it a complete ‘shake-down run’ under simulated emergency conditions,” said Harold Damron, Director of the Will County Emergency Management Agency.

For more information about this year’s event, contact the Art Vidmar at (815) 715-1204.