Radio Amateurs of the Gorge to Host Annual Field Day on June 27th

Public Invited to Watch Ham Radio Operators Connect with the World

The Radio Amateurs of the Gorge will hold their Annual Field Day on Saturday, June 27th, at the grounds behind the West Side Fire Station at 4250 Barrett Drive, Hood River.  The public is warmly encouraged to stop by anytime between 12:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. to see amateur radio operators — affectionately known as “hams” — in action.

Field Day is one of the most celebrated events on the amateur radio calendar, bringing together licensed operators to demonstrate their ability to set up portable stations and make contact with fellow radio enthusiasts across the country and around the globe. Using nothing more than skill, equipment, and the power of radio waves, participants will communicate with operators spanning continents and time zones throughout the day.

Visitors of all ages are welcome to come out, ask questions, and see firsthand how this time-honored hobby works. Whether you’ve always been curious about ham radio or simply want to enjoy a community gathering, there’s something for everyone. Members of the Radio Amateurs of the Gorge will be on hand to explain the technology, share what drew them to the hobby, and walk guests through what they’re seeing and hearing.

“Field Day is a great opportunity to show our neighbors what amateur radio is all about,” said a spokesperson for the group. “We’d love for the community to come out, learn something new, and maybe even catch the radio bug themselves.”

No registration or special knowledge is required to attend. Simply show up behind the West Side Fire Station on Barrett anytime between 12:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. on June 27th.

Licensed? Join us! We’ll be on the air until Sunday morning.

Amateur radio operators are licensed by the FCC and play an important role in emergency communications, providing a reliable means of contact when conventional communication systems fail. The Radio Amateurs of the Gorge is a local 501(c) club dedicated to promoting the hobby and serving the community.

RAGS got bumped from HRFD by City Council, and W7PCT+KK7PPM have offered to host us at their QTH.

Same time of 0830, W7PCT will be sending directions to groups.io.

There will still be Zoom for those who can’t make it.

Radio Amateurs of the Gorge is hosting “CQ Gorge!” which coincides with Winter Field Day. It’s an area-wide QSO party with foxes and hounds.

Saturday, January 24, 9am-noon

Foxes will operate POTA-style, self-spotting via repeaters, simplex (147.5 and 446.0), and the internet. Hounds will attempt to make contacts with as many foxes (and other hounds) as possible, using all bands and modes available.

This is not a contest! This is a communications exercise to build your skills and test your gear. The prize is knowing where and with who you can communicate. Please log your contacts, we will be aggregating data from across the gorge to learn more about our strengths and weaknesses.

Click here for details including coordination frequencies and spotting.

Links to the spotting tracker have been posted to the GEAR and RAGS mailing lists.

We’ve changed out license exam sessions to be held at 7:15am. Still on the second Saturday of the month and free! Please note preregistration is required.

Upcoming sessions:

The RAGS club repeater has moved from Underwood Mtn to 7 Mile Hill.

Frequency and tone remain the same, it’s now 15 miles to the east with coverage of Hood River, Lyle, Mosier, Underwood, and White Salmon. The hardware was upgraded from an older Kenwood to a Yaesu DR-2X.

147.200+ tone 100

Radio Amateurs of the Gorge will be operating from Mt Adams Horse Camp for the biggest day of the year for: amateur radio: Field Day!

Dates: June 28/29

When: Operations commence at 11am, some folks may come up early on Friday.

What are we doing? A contest-but-not-a-contest! The goal is to make as many contacts as possible in 24 hours. Simple as that.

Technician? No gear? No problem! There will be radios and antennas a plenty. Technicians can work HF as we’ll have a gaggle of Extras as “control operators”.

Please feel welcome to camp, there’s a ton of space! There will be food too!

Please join us! Make it a weekend. 🙂

The May monthly club meeting will be held at the Bingen Marina Park at 0830.

After the meeting we’ll be doing a club POTA activation. The park counts as US-0731, US-3424, and US-4572. No gear or license required, join us!

Radio Amateurs of the Gorge has added an affiliation with Laurel VEC for administering license exams. We will be holding them regularly after our monthly club meetings. The kicker? It’s free!

Please note that pre-registration is required.

Upcoming sessions:

The April meeting of Radio Amateurs of the Gorge will be followed by a swap meet.

Please bring your wallet and any gear you’d like to sell.

Amateur radio stuff only, please.

The January RAGS meeting will be held on Zoom, as the training room at HRFD is being used by another group. Still January 11 at 0830.