Field Day Noble Park, R.A.C.E.S Options

[PattyBrooks]

For Immediate Release:
Contacts:
June 27, 2009
Bill Moffitt, San Jose R.A.C.E.S.
(408) 921-9159 or bmoffitt@bmoffitt.com
Emergency Radio Operator Field Day
San José Amateur Radio Operators Practice Communications Under Emergency Power Conditions
San José – The recent acts of vandalism that temporarily disabled telephone service in southern Santa Clara County serve to remind us of how quickly our communications infrastructure can be disabled – cell phones, land lines, and even 911 service was interrupted. While this could have easily become a disaster, fast action on the part of a group of dedicated volunteers kept critical communications flowing. When all else fails, Amateur Radio is still getting the message through, even in the worst conditions, and San José is well prepared.
To make sure their skills remain sharp, San José's all-volunteer emergency communications corps, San José R.A.C.E.S. (Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service – www.sjraces.org), will participate in the national Field Day exercise this weekend at Noble Park in eastern San José, off Piedmont Road, behind the Berryessa branch of the San José Public Library. Along with thousands of other Hams across the United States, San José R.A.C.E.S. members will practice their emergency communications skills for 24 hours, from 11 a.m. Saturday, June 27 to 11 a.m. Sunday, June 28.
Part drill, part contest, and part just good fun, the annual Field Day event is an opportunity for amateur radio emergency communications volunteers to deploy themselves and their radio equipment to parks, mountaintops, and Emergency Operations Centers across the country. Hams use this annual event, sponsored by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL, www.arrl.org) to test their skills at keeping information moving under emergency conditions.
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RACES Field Day Exercise
June 27, 2009
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"This is a terrific opportunity for people in the community to learn about this extraordinary group," said Kimberly Shunk, San José's Emergency Preparedness Director with the Office of Emergency Services. "The San José R.A.C.E.S. group donates thousands of hours each year to the city, supporting numerous exercises and actual events, from ensuring lost kids find their parents at the annual holiday parade to enabling inter-agency communications at fires, floods, and other emergencies."
San José R.A.C.E.S. will be easy to find again this year - just look for the antennas in Noble Park in eastern San José. They'll be showcasing technologies for reliably transferring voice, data, and even television pictures under real “in the field” conditions. Visitors to the event will even have an opportunity to “get on the air” without a license and see amateur radio operation first hand.
In addition to the communication activities, representatives from San Jose Prepared!, San José’s Community Emergency Response Team (C.E.R.T.) program, will also be on hand to provide valuable information on home, personal and family disaster preparedness.