Several days ago I wrote about an extra-special Field Day event hosted at Webster Schroeder High School for some preschoolers. Today I want to remind you about a completely different Field Day, the XRX Radio Club Amateur Field Day, taking place next Saturday and Sunday June 27 and 28.
This Field Day does not have popsicles or hoop games, a huge parachute or bubbles. Instead, its main attractions are antennae, laptops, solar power stations and radio contact with people from around the world.
On Field Day, operators are challenged to transport their equipment away from their homes, set up in a park or remote area, rebuild their stations, put up antennas and broadcast in quasi-emergency conditions, “off the grid,” without drawing electricity from RG&E or using the internet or cell phones. Operators use generators, batteries, or solar cells for power, along with temporary antennas to simulate emergency conditions. (Last year’s effort even featured a completely solar-powered station and antenna held aloft with a kite.) They communicate via voice, Morse code and computers connected to transmitters. The goal is simply to contact as many other stations as possible during a 24-hour window, overcoming any challenges thrown by weather or technical problems along the way.
Last year, in addition to the operators’ usual communications with stations across the US and Canada, they also made contact with several European stations, demonstrating their ability to “get through” in the event of a real emergency.
Field Day takes place every year on the fourth weekend of June at more than 1,000 parks and publicly accessible sites across the country, and involves more than 30,000 radio amateurs. It’s part competition — to see who can make the most contacts — but also an educational opportunity, a chance for the amateur radio operators to showcase their equipment and skills to the general public.
Visitors are welcome and encouraged, so if you’re even a little bit interested in amateur radio, you should stop by. You’ll probably even get a chance to go on the air.
It all happens in the soccer field area at Kent Park, 1700 Schlegel Rd., at the end of the long driveway. Set up begins on Saturday June 27 at 10:30 a.m. The exercise officially starts at 2 p.m. and runs through 2 p.m. on Sunday. Visitors can stop by anytime.
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(posted 6/22/2026)
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