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Date: 1/26/2021
CHESTER – Amateur ham radio operators from the Bearsden Radio Gang will be participating in the 2021 Winter Field Day from the wooden caboose at the Chester Railway Station on Jan. 30 and 31.
Winter Field Day is an annual emergency preparedness communications event where ham radio operators from around the world test their skills and equipment by attempting to contact as many other radio operators as possible over the airways.
Competing as individuals and teams, radio operators score bonus points for operating away from their homes, using non-commercial power, and even talking to other operators through orbiting satellites.
According to www.winterfieldday.com, the Winter Field Day Association (WFDA) is a dedicated group of Amateur Radio Operators who believe that emergency communications in a winter environment is just as important as the preparations and practice that is done each summer but with some additional unique operational concerns.
“Disasters are unpredictable by nature and can strike when you least expect them. WFDA’s goal is to help enhance your skills and ready you for all environmental conditions found in the US and Canada during the spring, summer, fall and winter Preparedness is the key to a professional and timely response during any event and this is what local and state authorities are expecting when they reach out to the emergency service groups that offer their services,” according to the WFDA.
The wooden caboose at the Chester Railway Station is an authentic 1919 railway wooden caboose that the Chester Railway Station Museum rents out year-round as a camping site for one to four people to support the museum.
Museum President David Pierce said that the wooden caboose normally brings in people from around the world who want to sleep in a vintage caboose and hike at the 1841 Keystone Arch Bridges or visit other local attractions. He said this year reservations for the caboose have been more popular than ever.
Pierce said the ham radio operators won’t mind if people interested in the winter field day come to check out their ham radio set up.
“These guys don’t mind people stopping in to see what’s going on. They may even be outside a lot of the time,” Pierce said.