The biggest and most exciting day of the year for Ham Radio is coming soon: Field Day 2024!

Field Day is our biggest event of the year, and a great chance to get out and practice Ham Radio hands-on. It’s a fun outdoor-and-indoor activity for Hams of all skill levels; there’s always plenty to be done and lots to learn! Getting to see friends, old and new, and work the airwaves is truly enjoyable. Many hands are needed, for all activities!

During Field Day, we setup all the radios, antennas and related equipment to operate “in the field” for a full 24 hours.

Whether you’re a brand-new Ham, one that’s been around for decades, or not a Ham at all, come out and join us. If you’re not a Ham, there will even be a Get-On-The-Air (GOTA) station for you to try  your hand on the radio!

So, come out and join us at the Red Cross of Austin, 2218 Pershing Drive, Austin; this is just east of I-35 and just south of the Mueller development. NOTE: Actual Parking Lot Entrance to the Red Cross is on E.M. Franklin Avenue.

We’ll be there from 9 a.m. Saturday June 22nd through mid-afternoon Sunday June 23rd. The first few hours on Saturday are for setup of antennas, radios and equipment, and the final few hours on Sunday are for equipment teardown.

Actual on-the-air radio operating time will be from from Saturday, June 22 1800 UTC (1 p.m. Central Daylight Time) through Sunday June 23 1800 UTC (1 p.m. Central Daylight Time) — a full 24 hours!

You can check-out the national organization, ARRL.org/field-day for more general information about Field Day.

Almost as important as Field Day itself is the food! Be sure to be there at meal times and don’t miss out! FREE FOOD!

• Saturday Lunch: Pizza
• Saturday Dinner: BBQ
• Sunday Breakfast: Tacos

For organizational purposes on the grounds of the Red Cross there are three Captains, each responsible for both a geographic area as well as for all radios, antennas and ancillary equipment associated with those areas.

We have access to Building A (Radio Room), Building B (Classrooms A & B) and the parking lot. Our Emergency Communications (EMCOMM) trailer will be in the Red Cross parking lot.

This year there are three Captains:

• Glenn Meter, W5MTR, in the EmComm trailer for High Frequency (HF).  Contact: glenn@ [[at]] glennmeter.net

• Lew Thompson, W5IFQ, in Building B, for Continuous Wave (CW), i.e. Morse Code and HF.  Contact: W5IFQ [[at]] att.net

• Jeff Schmidt, N5MNW, for HF and Digital, Building A.  Contact: N5MNW [[at]] arrl.net

For more detail about what’s planned for Field Day, please check the Field Day 2024 planning documents created by the various Captains of the AARC Field Day team, as presented to the club membership at our June 4, 2024 meeting:

• Field Day 2024 — High Frequency (HF) Antennas by Lew Thompson, W5IFQ
• Field Day 2024 — UHF/VHF Antennas by Jeff Schmidt, N5MNW
• Field Day 2024 — Travis County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (TCARES) Trailer by Glenn Meter, W5MTR