Five Flags Amateur Radio Association Invites Public to Field Day This Weekend

Escambia County, FL (NewsRadio 92.3) -- The Five Flags Amateur Radio Association is holding its annual Field Day this weekend at the Escambia County Emergency Operations Center overflow parking area on Kennedy Drive — and organizer Eugene Bannon says the public is not just welcome to watch. They can actually get on the air themselves.

Field Day is an annual North American amateur radio event held every year on the fourth weekend of June. The premise is simple — operators go out into the field with generators and radios and try to make as many contacts as possible over a 24 to 30-hour period. It is simultaneously an emergency preparedness exercise, a community event, and a friendly competition all rolled into one.

The Five Flags group will have at least five operating stations spread across the EOC overflow parking area. A dedicated GOTA — get on the air — station will be set up specifically for members of the public who want to try talking to amateur radio operators across North America. Bannon says visitors are welcome to ask questions, watch the setup process, and give it a try themselves.

Setup begins as early as 5 or 6 a.m. Saturday for anyone who wants to watch antennas go up and equipment come together. The actual on-air operations run from 1 p.m. Saturday continuously through 1 p.m. Sunday.

The Five Flags Amateur Radio Association has been running Field Day operations for more than 20 years and has made contact with stations as far away as Madagascar. Last year the group reached Puerto Rico and Brazil among other locations.

For anyone who gets hooked the association holds amateur radio licensing classes at Pensacola State College every fall and spring semester. The next session begins in September and covers not just how to get a license but how to actually get on the air — selecting equipment, antennas, and everything else needed to make the most of it. The event is free and open to the public.