Ham radio operators to conduct emergency drills

The Ventura County Amateur Radio Society and the Simi Settlers Amateur Radio Club will demonstrate amateur radio from 11 a.m. Sat., June 23 until 11 a.m. Sun., June 24 on the grounds of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, 40 Presidential Drive, Simi Valley.

At the same day and time, Conejo Valley Amateur Radio operators will conduct a 24-hour emergency operations exercise adjacent to the National Park Service Headquarters at 401 W. Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks. The exercise is known as Field Day and is an annual emergency communications test demonstrating that, when other systems fail or become overloaded, ham radio can get messages out.

Field Day is the climax of "Amateur Radio Week," sponsored by the American Radio Relay League, the national association for amateur radio. Using only emergency power supplies, ham operators will construct emergency stations in parks, shopping malls, schools and backyards around the country. Operators will prove they can send messages in many forms without the use of phone systems, Internet or other means that can be compromised in a crisis.

Featured stations at the Reagan Library will include a complete amateur radio satellite ground station to communicate with other amateur radio groups around the country. A special, geton-the-air station will permit guests to make their own two-way radio communications. The public is invited to see ham radio's capabilities and to learn how to get an FCC amateur radio license.

Other amateur radio clubs in Ventura County are scheduled to conduct their Field Day operations at the Channel Islands National Park Visitor Center, the Santa Monica National Park Visitor Center and Ojai's Nordhoff High School.

For more information, visit www.emergency-radio.org.