W6YX - Field Day 2005

STANFORD AMATEUR RADIO STATION W6YX

PRESS RELEASE - May 12, 2005

(Stanford, California) -- On-air shortwave radio communications and emergency preparedness activities are the order of the day for members of the Stanford Amateur Radio Club (callsign W6YX) for Field Day, the annual preparedness exercise, this year held June 25 and 26. Field Day is sponsored by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL, www.arrl.org), the national association for Amateur Radio (a.k.a. "ham radio").

The Amateur Radio Service creates a corps of Federally licensed radio operators who volunteer their skills to assist public safety agencies in the event of a disaster or other incident. Amateur Radio operators must pass a Federal examination and be issued a FCC radio license, which grants licensees "operating privileges" - such as the right to use high power transmitters (over a thousand watts), different modes (such as voice, Morse code, digital, and even television), and thousands of frequencies. In addition to their technology know-how, these trained volunteers provide important communications in disasters.

During Field Day, ham radio operators set up in local parks, at shopping malls, or even in their own backyards, and get on the air using generators or battery power. Field Day was designed to test operators' abilities to set up and operate portable stations under emergency conditions such as the loss of electricity.

"We want the community to know that in the event of an emergency, we will be ready to assist in any way we can," says Kenneth Dueker, Stanford's Amateur Radio Emergency Coordinator. "In major disasters during which time normal telecommunications services are disrupted, Amateur Radio operators have served as an important resource to local relief efforts, working with police, fire, the Red Cross, and other agencies."

Field Day is a serious test of skill, but it is also a contest for fun and the largest "on-air" operating event each year since it began in 1933. During the weekend, radio operators try to contact as many other Field Day stations as possible, simulating emergency message handling.

The Stanford Amateur Radio Club will hold Field Day at Site 530, a location near the famous Stanford Dish, and will be operating during a 24-hour period. The public is invited to visit anytime from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 25. Directions are available below and on the club's web page (http://www-w6yx.stanford.edu). Access to the Stanford Academic Preserve Field Sites by visitors is limited to pedestrians only.

Today there are more than 670,000 Amateur Radio operators in the United States and more than 2.5 million worldwide. Since the 1920s, the Stanford Amateur Radio Club has been a home to wireless and electronics pioneers, including Professor Frederick Terman and many other faculty, students, and alumni. To find out more about Amateur Radio or how you can get a radio license, go to the Stanford Amateur Radio Club website: http://www-w6yx.stanford.edu.

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Press Contact: Kenneth S. Dueker, 650-617-3100 x1281


Site 530: How to get there.

On Foot (note: biking is not permitted in the foothills): The Stanford foothills service road doesn't show up on most maps. If you're standing in front of The Dish facing the gate at the main entrance, we're about a mile down the road to the left. If you enter the foothills at the Frenchman's Road gate, follow the road up the hill, and we'll be on the left as you get toward the top of the ridge. The easiest landmarks to show when you're close are our two free-standing antenna towers, which are just a little ways off the road. A picture of the towers is available here. The W6YX driveway is right there and and it's just a short walk down to the W6YX building.

Driving Directions to the Frenchman's Road Gate from Campus Drive:Follow either East or West Campus Drives till you reach Junipero Serra. Take a left (going East/South towards Page Mill) and continue till you reach Stanford Ave. Park car along road on Stanford Ave. Walk across Junipero Serra to the entrance gate. Hike up the hill along the path till you reach a wider road. Go left along the road till it reaches the top and bends; you will be able to see the antenna towers; W6YX is a little to the left.

Got GPS? We're at grid-square CM87wj, 37.408N, 122.16W.


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