The Orange Amateur Radio Club took part in the annual Field Day for amateur radio enthusiasts nationwide on Saturday and Sunday. HAM Radio clubs across the country attempt to make as many contacts with other clubs as possible during the 24-hour event which starts at 1:00 PM on Saturday and concludes on Sunday afternoon.
The American Red Cross building in Orange on Interstate 10 served as the base for the Orange Amateur Radio Club to conduct its field day. They had three special antennae erected and used three radios to make contacts with other radio clubs.
The Field Day is open to the public to come and see first hand how amateur radios work. The club encourages citizens to come visit the Field Day and some visitors even get the opportunity to practice using the radios.
Rocky Wilson the president of the Orange club said they usually make contacts with a couple of hundred clubs across the United States and even a few from other nations. To keep track of the different areas reached the club has a color-coded map that lights up when a club is reached in different areas of the country.
In emergency situations like natural disasters radios are sometimes the only means of communications between areas affected. Wilson points out most of the Orange Amateur Radio Club members are a part of the Orange County Emergency Response Team and work closely with the Orange County Emergency Management Office as well as other first responders.
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