ARRL Field Day 2024 is fast approaching. Held on the fourth full weekend of June, ARRL Field Day 2024 will be on Saturday, June 22nd and Sunday, June 23rd 2024. This year will have several changes for OH-KY-IN as the club will operate from a different location, the Masonic Center, 4353 West Fork Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45247.
ARRL Field Day is ham radio’s “open house” and the OH-KY-IN ARS encourages you to come visit and participate in and visit our operations. One of the coolest things about Field Day is making contacts with the other clubs and people who are also participating in the same event all across North America – more than 40,000 hams all together. It’s amazing – all these hams joined together in unity and the passion for radio frequency communication – all doing this as a way to demonstrate the science and skills amateurs are so willing to share. All in a spirit of service to our communities and our nation! But Field Day isn’t just about technical skill – even though any ham will be happy to share the expertise they’ve learned and earned in this wonderful hobby – it’s also about fun and camaraderie.
Setup begins on Friday, June 21st at 2:00 PM ET, but many of us are there earlier than that staging/setting up creature comforts so feel free to arrive when you wish. Friday setup concludes with a much deserved feast and wind down. Our tradition of the Wild Mike’s Run continues but not until we have done as much as we can on Friday, usually in the early evening.
The fun officially begins at 2:00 PM ET on Saturday June 22nd and lasts until 2:00 PM ET on Sunday June 23rd. Radio operations go non-stop for an entire 24 hours! The club will operate as 3A with three primary stations: SSB, CW and Digital/backup SSB, a 6m/VHF/UHF station, a GOTA – Get On the Air – Station f(or those without a license to get a taste of operations) and a satellite station.
We will also have demonstrations for our bonus points in Solar, Satellite/Digital/APRS and National Traffic System operations among others. If there is any amateur radio technology you would like to bring out to demo, this is the perfect place! There will also be a Fox Hunt hosted by one of our first class predators!
Starting at 6:00 PM ET, the club will also have their annual picnic. Hamburgers, dogs and buns will be provided; please bring a side dish to share (preferably in a disposable container).
And for those staying late night or overnight, bring a steak to throw on the grill for the annual Midnight Steak Out.
And finally on Sunday, June 23rd starting at 2:00 PM ED, teardown begins. One of the reasons for OH-KY-IN’s success with ARRL Field Day is the number of hands the volunteer to setup and teardown — many hands make light work.
Field Day is geared to veteran and beginner operators alike, and of all ages. Anyone, regardless of their skills are free to sign up for any station and there is always someone available to help you along. The GOTA station is a great place for those interested in amateur radio (but have not yet been licensed) to get introduced to the fun of what most often becomes a lifelong hobby!
So please contact Field Day Chair Eric N8YC to signup for one or more two-hour slots and have fun on the air!
When: 2:00 PM ET Saturday June 22nd – 2:00 PM Sunday June 23rd 2024
Where: The Masonic Center
4353 West Fork Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45247
Setup: 2:00 PM ET Friday June 21st 2024
Talk In Frequency: via the OH-KY-IN 67 repeater – 146.67 -0.6 MHz w/PL 123 Hz
Visit the ARRL’s website for a wealth of information on Field Day at: ARRL – What is Field Day
ARRL Field Day gear has been introduced including the 2024 Field Day T-Shirt at: ARRL Field Day Shop
For OH-KY-IN ARRL Field Day questions, email Eric N8YC.
Come out and join us for a great time of great fun and camaraderie. Also, please feel free to pitch a tent Friday and/or Saturday night and stay the whole weekend if you like…a good number of us have been doing it for years. There is nothing better than the sound of QSOs through the night having a duel with the crickets!
73!