Ham Radio Field Days in the Chiricahua Mountains

June 26 - 28, 2009

Every year on the fourth weekend in June, more than 30,000 ham radio operators nationwide participate in a "Field Day" sponsored by the National Association for Amateur Radio. The purpose of the event is to demonstrate their ability to send messages in many different forms without the use of phone systems, internet or any other infrastructure that can be compromised in a crisis. Using only emergency power supplies, ham operators construct emergency stations in parks, shopping malls, schools and back yards all over the country.

For the third year in a row, a group of hams from Tucson set up their equipment at Rustler Park high in the Chiricahua Mountains (elev. 8800'). Although the remote location is less than ideal for radio, it gives Al, Dave, Mike and Dennis an opportunity to do what hams do best: contrive goofy solutions to self-imposed technical difficulties!