Amateur Radio ‘Field Days’ draws interest

Story & Photos by Andy McEvoy

The Fort Herkimer Amateur Radio Association (FHARA) started the annual ARRL North American Field Days at 2 pm Saturday, June 24th, 2023. Field Days run for 24 continuous hours, with members either splitting shifts or working the radios nonstop. The event is held in a field on Kilts Hill Road just north of Little Falls, NY, and is open to the public.

One of the first visitors that stopped by was Assemblyman Robert Smullen and his wife, Megan. Robert is an Assemblyman for the 118th District and has assisted the FHARA numerous times over the last ten months in acquiring the 24ft Emergency Communications Trailer that the FHARA took possession of the past week.

He was thanked for his assistance by Association President Don Peterson (KD2ILO), Vice President Andy McEvoy (KB2KBO), and Treasurer Chris Bouck (KB4CMF). Assemblyman Smullen and his wife were shown around the trailer and briefed on the Association’s needs and plans to outfit the trailer with communications equipment in the near future. The FHARA members discussed the plans for the EMCOMM trailer, including Emergency and recreational use for public events.

Smullen stated, “From my time in the Marine Corps in Afghanistan, I know how hard it is to communicate, especially in rural mountainous areas. If all of the cell phones and landlines go down, we have to have the means to be able to communicate. Ham Radio, and particularly these civic organizations, provide that extra layer of security, and we should always help them and provide the funding so they can maintain the equipment.”

“You don’t need them until it’s a true emergency, and that’s really the tricky part,” he stated.

Assemblyman Smullen served 24 years with the United States Marine Corps, retiring in 2015. Although he has not been active with Amateur Radio, he spent a considerable amount of time with communications equipment while in the service and was able to talk the talk with a few of the group’s more experienced members. Under supervision, Assemblyman Smullen worked the HAM radios on several stations. The frequencies were bustling with radio traffic as the event was in full swing.

The FHARA had over a dozen members set up in campers, tents, and trailers. Many types of antennas were utilized depending on which bands or frequencies the members were communicating on. All radio communications are off-grid and help demonstrate how Amateur (HAM) Radio can get communications through if other means of communication fail.

To learn more about Amateur Radio, go to https://www.arrl.org/ public-service.

The FHARA hosts a Weekly Monday Night Net at 7 pm on the frequency 145.110 (-0.6 MHZ) PL Tone 167.9. Members check in and are updated on any Association news or functions. A short Emergency Preparedness Training is usually broadcast every week as well. Any Licensed operator can participate regardless of whether or not they are a member of the Association. Weekly check-ins include ham radio operators from

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