Champlain Valley Amateur Radio Club hosts Field Days June 28, 29

CADYVILLE | The Champlain Valley Amateur Radio Club (CVARC) supports a community in Clinton County with nearly 200 licensed users. Their connections assist during big regional outdoor events, including Ironman Lake Placid. Their expertise supports emergency communications when other systems fail during natural disasters or other crises. They were established critical communications during the Ice Storm and when fire threatened the community in Altona several years ago. CVARC is hosting a Field Day on Saturday, June 28 (starting at 2 p.m.) and on Sunday, June 29 (all day) as part of National Association for Amateur Radio® (NAAR) events across the U.S. and North America. The national organization held the first Field Day in 1933, inviting people to learn more about amateur radio operations. Mark Varin is president of CVARC and will host their Field Day on his property, 1735 Route 3, in Cadyville. "It's considered an open house for amateur radio, so people that are interested or who want to learn more about it can stop by," he said in an interview with the Sun. "We give amateur radio operators a chance to test out their emergency communications capabilities with six to eight stations set up in a field where they can try to make as many contacts as they can." Successful contact finds other amateur radio stations, he said, to see who's on and who's listening. "We use two methods: Hunt and Pounce where you scroll through the dial until you find someone who's on; and CQ, or calling out to other stations, inviting them to call back." The conversation is an exchange to verify signal and note how well radio operators receive each other. "Licensure recommends logging into a log book," Varin said. Practice gives amateur radio operators awareness about of how equipment works in local settings. The information helps fine-tune radio operations, which in turn improves readiness. As a hobby, ham radio is both social and educational, CVARC said, one that reaches across the U.S. and around the globe. "Amateur radio fosters an interest in radio technology, encouraging experimentation and the development of new skills. In most countries, including the United States, operators need to pass an examination and obtain a license to operate on amateur radio frequencies." Once licensed, ham operators are assigned a unique call sign to identify themselves during communication. PUBLIC SERVICE HOBBY Varin said CVARC conducts many activities and exercises throughout a year, to include contesting, satellite communications and working distant stations. In essence, amateur radio combines a hobby with a public service, offering opportunities for personal enrichment, technical advancement, and community support during emergencies. "If the internet does down or the cell towers go down the only thing left will be amateur radio," Varin said. Beyond contacts, amateur operators learn about radio wave propagation and how far electromagnetic waves travel in various atmospheric conditions. "Local communications goes through a repeater, and that is line of sight," Varin said. But systems that bounce off the atmosphere reach much farther. "You never know how or when you're going to be able to hear someone." FIELD DAYS Every June, more than 31,000 amateur radio operators set up temporary transmitting stations throughout North America. Field Day highlights amateur radio science, skill and service. "It combines public service, emergency preparedness, community outreach, and technical skills all in a single event. Field Day has been an annual event since 1933, and remains the most popular event in ham radio," the national association said. CVARC welcomes current operators and anyone interested in learning more about amateur radio to stop by and connect. "There are so many different facets of what we do," Varin said. "Anybody who is interested can stop by." CVARC Field Day will be held at Varin's camp property, 1735 Route 3 in Cadyville on Saturday, June 28 starting at 2 p.m., and all day on Sunday, June 29. HISTORY The Champlain Valley Amateur Radio Club was founded in 1955, seventy years ago, with nine members who first met on April 1955 at the home of Phil Rickson. The nine charter members were: Phil Rickson, Gordon Underwood, Pete Hicks (Club trustee), Loyal Lecuyer (Club trustee), Kenny Martineau, Jim Rickson, Vernon Martineau, Bob Broadwell, Jack Struthers. The mission was defined then as now: "To maintain and carry on a non-profit amateur radio club. To provide study, training, experimental and demonstration activities and facilities for the advancement of radio, electronic and related arts and sciences by the interchange of information." Current CVARC officers are: President Mark Varin, 1st Vice President Casey Burdeau and 2nd Vice President Matt Pray. To learn more about the Champlain Valley Amateur Radio Club or volunteer radio support for local events, visit their website: cvarc.us To learn more about amateur radio across the U.S. and Field Day operations: arrl.org To find Field Day events nationwide: arrl.org/field-day

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Champlain Valley Amateur Radio Club hosts Field Days June 28, 29

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