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Sat, June 27, 2026
On Saturday, June 27, 2026, the Coos County Radio Club will participate in a national amateur radio exercise, called Field Day 2026, at the Bandon City Park on 11th Street in Bandon, Oregon. This event is open to the public and the everyone is encouraged to attend between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
This annual event is part of the Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL) initiative to get Ham Radio operators out of their home and operate in portable environments. The exercise, which often goes international, allows radio operators and clubs to contact as many other amateur radio stations within a specified time. The first Field Day in the United States of America was held in 1933.
The Coos County Radio Club is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that has been in existence since the 1950s. This ARRL annual event is being held for the first time in the Bandon City Park and allows ham radio operators to practice emergency communications in an outside environment.
This is especially helpful here on the Southern Oregon coast where the threat of a Cascadia subduction zone earthquake and tsunami event is scientifically inevitable. In planning for this event, it is understood that areas may be cut off from relief and recovery for an extended period of time. Communication systems may falter to the point of collapse. Amateur radio is a self-sufficient communication system that does not rely solely on local infrastructure such as cellular phones and landline phone service.
Amateur radio can be used to relay messages in a multitude of ways. From simple voice by talking into a microphone, to tapping out Morse code, to utilizing a radio to send email, and even sending digital images of events that are occurring, amateur radio is used to get information to the right people when needed.
Because of this, the radio club works with Coos County Emergency Management, the Coos County Sheriff’s Office and fire agencies to support their response and recovery efforts in the aftermath of disaster. Coupled with the Coos County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), a separate but affiliated nonprofit organization, the radio club provides an environment for disaster Communications when cellular and Public Safety Communications efforts may fail.
Each year the United States is under threat of hurricanes and tornadoes that make landfall. In the aftermath of these events amateur radio is often utilized to coordinate with the sheltering of displaced citizens, the response of first and second responders, and assist in communities communicating with each other to coordinate recovery efforts. Amateur radio operators partner with non-governmental organizations such as the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and private industry to assist in the recovery operations.
The general public is encouraged to attend and meet our amateur radio operators and learn about the hobby and even “get on the air” as we make contacts with other radio stations throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and around the world. There will be several radios set up. We also will have on display our emergency communications trailers and equipment. There will be information available on how to become a licensed amateur radio operator and how to become a member of the Coos County Radio Club or the ARES group.
Below are links to websites and our Facebook page, an article about the amateur radio response in Hurricane Helene and the ARRL weekend event as a whole.
Coos County Radio Club website
https://coosradioclub.com/
Coos County Radio Club Facebook page
https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.facebook.com/groups/cooscountyarc/&sa=U&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwjY3PLNpNqUAxUlKEQIHVNJOB4QFnoECCsQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3hYTRVPBfTrYNVcSMxlI-r
Hurricane Helene 2024 amateur radio
https://www.wired.com/story/hurricane-helene-milton-north-carolina-florida-amateur-radio/
Amateur radio relay league
https://www.arrl.org/FIELD-DAY