Local emergency radio operators to conduct testing this weekend

Amateur radio operators from the City of Redmond’s Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), Microsoft’s “MicroHams” Amateur Radio Club, and the Redmond Top Key Contest Club will gather to set up radio communications equipment at Farrel-McWhirter Park on from 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 28 to 11 a.m. on Sunday, June 29 and test their communications capabilities during a simulated emergency exercise..

Farrel-McWhirter Park is located at 19545 Redmond Road.

ARES members are City of Redmond volunteers who can provide the city with vital communications support in an emergency.

The exercise is part of a nationwide emergency preparedness activity called “Field Day.” The event is designed to test Amateur Radio operators’ skills in setting up and operating radio communications equipment in situations where electrical power is limited or unavailable. The idea is to simulate the conditions that can occur during an earthquake, flood, or other emergency, including man-made disasters.

The event is open to the public and the radio operators will also set up a “Get on the Air” radio station which will be available for the general public to operate, under the supervision of licensed radio operators, to make contact with radio operators from other areas of the world.

Redmond Mayor John Marchione has proclaimed this week as Amateur Radio Week in Redmond in recognition of valuable public service that these Redmond volunteers provide to the community.

Today there are more than 680,000 Amateur Radio operators in the United States and more than 2.5 million worldwide. To find out how to get involved visit http://www.arrl.org.

Local Amateur Radio operators who would like more information about the City of Redmond’s ARES team can contact Lt. Charlie Gorman at the Redmond Police department at (425) 556-2566 or cgorman@redmond.gov.

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