Amateur radio clubs host Field Day across San Mateo County

“We’re not on the grid, so we’re demonstrating to the public our ability to set up and operate this equipment under emergency conditions,” C.F. Booth, treasurer of the Half Moon Bay Amateur Radio Club, said.

The event is also competitive, Booth said, with local clubs all trying to make the most contact with other operators.

“You earn points for the contacts that you make, and so we’ll be trying to score as many points as we can,” he said. “There’s friendly competition with the club down in La Honda and Pescadero.”

Above all else, it’s an opportunity for amateur radio groups to showcase the use of their technology to the general public. In Half Moon Bay, the club will also be rolling out a trailer they are in the process of equipping with desks and radios for use in an emergency situation.

Along the coastside, which has experienced historic storms and fires in recent years, the technology may be more useful than ever. The Half Moon Bay club, which, like other amateur radio clubs, partners with the Community Emergency Response Team, has assisted with communications during these emergency events.

“When all else fails, the amateur radio equipment will work,” Booth said.

Half Moon Bay’s American Radio Relay League field day event will run from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 27 at the Historic Train Depot, and from 9-11 a.m. June 28 at the same location. At 1 p.m., the group will also host a special ‘fox hunt’ event, inviting participants to locate a hidden radio signal with provided equipment for a prize.

In San Mateo, field day will occur continuously at Beresford Park from 11 a.m. June 27 to 11 a.m. June 28, with most radio action predicted Saturday afternoon. In San Bruno, the event will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Narita Plaza on June 27. Stations will also be set up in other locations, including at the La Honda Open Space Preserve at the top of Sears Ranch Road.