Amateur Radio Club meets with other radio clubs for annual Field Day
by Rich Jackson
LW contributor
Field Day is the largest annual amateur (ham) radio event and emergency preparedness exercise in North America with tens of thousands of participants, organized by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL). The 2026 event took place on June 27 and 28, located outside of Clubhouse 1 in Leisure World and also in the Radio Room located above the seats in the Amphitheater.
The Leisure World Radio Club, together with the Seal Beach/ Los Alamitos Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services (RACES) co-hosted the outing and the Anaheim Amateur Radio Association (AARA) joined in. Over 20 members from these organizations worked together testing various antenna and communication scenarios.
Over 100 radio contacts were made from the Rhode Island and New Hampshire to Moose Jaw, Canada, to Hawaii. Setting up all the radios, antennas, batteries and accessories to perform can be a challenge, but all went well during the event. Practice makes perfect and this event helps these radio clubs practice for an actual disaster.
Operators set up temporary, independent transmitting stations in open areas using alternative power sources like generators, batteries, and solar panels to simulate disaster-recovery conditions.
The public was invited to see demonstrations of Morse code, satellite communications and emergency messaging capabilities.
Ham, General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) and Family Radio Service (FRS) radios play a vital role in emergency communication. They can work without relying on any existing infrastructure, making them ideal in disasters like earthquakes, flooding, hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, etc.
The LW Amateur Radio Club meets on the first Wednesday of each month in Clubhouse 3, Room 9. Coffee is served at 9:30 a.m., and the meeting begins at 10. Anyone interested in ham, GMRS, or FRS can join a club meeting or call the radio room for more information at 562-431-6586, ext. 2409 Mondays-Fridays from 9-11 a.m. People can also visit www.lwsb.com/amateur-radioservice- club for more information.
The Radio Club Net is at 9 a.m. on Monday-Saturday on Fre-
Amateur Radio Club members participated in the American Radio Relay League's event on June 27-28. quency 146.790 MHz, Offset: -600 KHz, Tone: 103.5.
Licensed radio operators are welcome to check-in. The Club Net is a discussion group that practices and prepares for emergency situations.
The GMRS and FRS Radio check-in is another organized group that practices and prepares for emergency situations. The Radio Club has a GMRS and FRS practice drill Wednesdays at 9:30-9:45 a.m. on Channel 18-0.
