Local Amateur Radio Enthusiasts Participate in Nationwide On-Air Contest

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Bedford, Massachusetts, June 27, 2005 — On Saturday, June 25 and Sunday, June 26, dozens of local amateur ham radio operators congregated on the grounds of The MITRE Corporation to participate in the American Radio Relay League's (www.arrl.org) annual ARRL "Field Day."

Members of MITRE's amateur radio club and the Billerica Amateur Radio Society worked around the clock for a 24-hour period starting on Saturday morning, setting up field radio communications, getting on the air, and contacting thousands of other operators in the U.S. and Canada. From 2:00 p.m. EST Saturday to 2 p.m. EST Sunday, hundreds of contacts were made by club members, either by voice or Morse code communication.

There are more than 13,000 licensed amateur radio operators in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, many of whom volunteer their time and play a valuable role in emergency communications and National Weather Service "Severe Weather" spotting. They also offer their service during large public events such as the Boston Marathon and last summer's Democratic National Convention. It is estimated that more than 35,000 hams nationwide participate in Field Day each year.

"Field Day is a terrific way for hams to have some fun while simulating difficult conditions," said Adam Woodbury, call sign K1ADW, a member of both MITRE's club and the Billerica Amateur Radio Society. "The idea is to put together a self-sufficient, working station quickly and make as many contacts as we can, so we can fine-tune our emergency communications skills."

The ARRL grants awards to clubs based on the number of contacts made, as well as innovation using alternative power sources, such as solar. During Field Day 2004, several local Cub Scouts visited MITRE to learn more about the hobby.

The ARRL has been effective in establishing emergency communication on-air "nets" during floods, hurricanes, fires, earthquakes and major disasters such as the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

MITRE (www.mitre.org) is a not-for-profit company that provides systems engineering, research and development, and information technology support to the government. It operates federally funded research and development centers for the Department of Defense, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Internal Revenue Service, with principal locations in Bedford, Massachusetts, and McLean, Virginia.

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