Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM JULY 13 - 19, 2022 UCW 11 Amateur radio group holds Field Day to test readiness by JASON BRADY FEATURE Ron Dahle shouldered his PVC- constructed potato gun and fired yet another shot of compressed air over the limb of a tall North Carolina pine tree. His shot propelled a plastic projectile attached to a fishing line. A fishing reel mounted atop the launcher fed the line out like a well- practiced angler. e goal was to get the projectile to thread the fishing line up, over and down the other side of the limb. Reaching the right limb enabled him and his fellow ra- dio enthusiasts to hoist antenna wire high into the tree. It was the first part of creating a loop antenna. To finish the project, the process had to be repeated at another tall nearby tree. Dahle is president of the Cape Fear Amateur Radio Society, a 130-mem- ber-strong amateur ham radio organization in Cumberland County. e CFARS routinely steps up to help local emergency responders with radio communication services during hurricanes, blizzards or any other community crisis. When the call comes, members set up in local disaster shelters and provide com- munication via ham radios, while other forms of communication may have been affected by outages. Dahle and his compatriots re- cently spent a hot Friday afternoon setting up antennas to prepare for the following day's Field Day, an annual event testing the club's abil- ity to set up and communicate with other amateur radio organizations throughout the United States and Canada. "is was a readiness exercise to determine the ability of CFARS to provide communication support to the community in emergency opera- tions and disasters," Dahle said. He emphasized this was not a contest to see how many radio contacts were made, although contacts are tracked and tabulated. "ere are numerous varied contests throughout the year in different disciplines of communi- cation where the main goal is purely a number count." CFARS held its annual Field Day on Saturday through Sunday, June 25 to 26, at the Hope Mills Golfview Greenway Walking Trail. e field day spans a continuous 24 hours, from 2 p.m. Saturday through 2 p.m. Sunday. e event is held under the auspices of the American Radio Relay League, the national associa- tion for amateur radio in the United States founded in 1914. is was the first year CFARS held the event at the Hope Mills Walking Trail. In the past, CFARS' Field Day took place at Methodist Univer- sity, which also housed the group's repeater. e previous chancellor of the University was a CFARS member. Among ARRL's missions is pro- moting and recruiting people into the amateur radio hobby. But another key job of ARRL is to protect radio frequencies used by amateur radio organizations and ensure they remain available to the public. Radio frequencies are limited, and some- one always vies for Federal Commu- nications Commission-controlled radio frequencies. e annual readiness exercise and Field Day occur in the United States, Canada and even some worldwide locations may participate. It is held on the fourth full weekend in June. Along with testing their ability to function properly in the event of an emergency, amateur radio opera- tors try to make voice or Morse code contact with as many other amateur radio operators as possible. e CFARS's setup at the Golfview Greenway site included a Morse code station, a Get-On-e-Air station, and a voice communica- tions station. A GOTA station allows people without a radio license or newly licensed individuals to speak and connect with someone on ham radio. It gives someone a chance to experience first-hand radio commu- nication. e ARRL website provided 2022 Field Day locations throughout the United States for interested citizens or news media. In North Carolina alone, there were dozens of sites, including Dublin, Calabash, New Bern, Jacksonville, Robbins, Albe- marle atop Morrow Mountain and in the mountains of West Jefferson, among many others. Local radio enthusiasts estab- lished CFARS as a non-profit orga- nization in 1976 with 31 members, according to George Davenport, cur- rent vice-president and event coor- dinator. Davenport joined CFARS in 2016 after getting his FCC-required license. A year later, the club asked him to help coordinate its Field Day. He's been coordinating the event ever since. "I became interested in amateur radio after joining a Special Forces Facebook page," Davenport said. e page identified friends and Special Forces colleagues who were amateur radio operators. "I did a little research and found CFARS," he said. Both Davenport and Dahle are retired from the military and were initially introduced to radio commu- nications during their time as Green Berets. Davenport's introduction to communications came when he was cross-trained on a Special Forces team. Dahle, a retired command sergeant major, says the first part of his career was dedicated to com- munications but lessened as he was promoted through the ranks into leadership positions. But when Dahle was in his mid- 70s, he needed an outlet for what he describes as "his creative juices." He joined CFARS in 2018 after get- ting his FCC license. "Ham radio and Morse code was a natural path for me," he said. Dahle, who describes himself as process-driven and regimented, says a successful field is knowing the club performed to expected stan- dards. He defined these standards by noting whether the equipment held up throughout the exercise, whether the club adequately han- dled unforeseen issues, if any, and whether the club left the grounds in the same condition as they found it. To Davenport, a successful field day has many faces. "It should be a learning experience for all involved," he said. It needs to have a wide range of tasks and activities that encourages member participation, and the event should meet all of its operational goals. But, since one of its other goals is to foster greater interest and partici- pation in the hobby, Davenport be- lieves a successful field day should be a "fun activity." Above: Former City Councilman Don Talbot, a veteran activist who spearheaded the establish- ment of the Veterans Memorial Park off Hay Street participates in the Cape Fear Amateur Radio Society's Field Day. Below left: Ron Dahle shoulders his PVC-constructed potato gun and fires a shot of compressed air over the limb of a tall North Carolina pine tree. Below right: e CFARS's setup at the Golfview Greenway site includes a Morse code station, a Get-On-e-Air station, and a voice communications station. A GOTA station allows people without a radio license or newly licensed individuals to speak and connect with someone on ham radio. (Photos by Jason Brady) JASON BRADY, Staff Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomin- gweekly.com. 910-484-6200