The St. Croix Amateur Radio Relay League will be hosting a two-day event to practice their emergency response capabilities at Cramer’s Park Beach on Saturday, June 23 from noon to 6 p.m. and Sunday, June 24 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The organization is inviting all ham radio enthusiasts or those who are interested in becoming ham radio enthusiast, to attend.
The St. Croix League provided support to the V.I. Territorial Emergency Management Agency and other local emergency response agencies in the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in September 2017. The upcoming field days will be a combination of a picnic, a camp out and practice for future emergencies. Ham radio operators on St. Croix will have the opportunity to join with more than 35,000 amateur radio operators throughout the U.S. and Canada during this annual event.
According to Sean Cullinan, one of the event’s organizers, Cramer’s Park was chosen as the field day site because it is remote and “emulates what happens after a disaster when there is no power and minimum infrastructure available.”
The league says the field days are also fun, family-friendly events with the purpose of generating interest in, and educating the public about, the benefits of ham radio.
Cullinan also explained that it is not difficult to get a ham radio license, and when you have one you can communicate even when all cell towers are down. “This is really useful after hurricanes”, he said.
For more information on amateur radio and this event visit this websites www.arrl.org/field-day and www.vihamradio.org, or contact Daryl Jaschen at djashen@gmail.com.
