When in 1844 David Scott moved into his newly constructed home on West Main Street home in Hillsboro, there was no such word as “radio.” In fact, news and messages were then distributed by the relatively new invention of the telegraph. Highland County was not served by telegraph service until the coming of the railroads several years later. And even then, news often did not arrive in the county until days after something happened.
If Scott could come back for the weekend of June 22, 2024 he would be amazed to find his loving home’s lawn supporting wires, metal and strange looking “boxes” launching messages into the air and reaching many parts of the globe immediately. And then hearing voices and sounds being returned, including those from humans circling the earth in a contraption that those in his lifetime would have found not believed possible, would be unbelievable.
On the June 22 weekend, members of the Highland Amateur Radio Association (HARA) will gather on the front and east lawns of the Highland County Historical Society-owned Scott House to exhibit amateur radio and its benefits to the community and public. They will be participating in a North American disaster preparedness training exercise called “Field Day.” The sole purpose of this exercise is to train those in the amateur radio community on how to quickly establish radio communication support in the case of a disaster or other event when the normal channels of radio, telephone, internet and cell communications are either overloaded or fail. It also gives local government and civic officials the opportunity to learn more about the benefits amateurs can provide for backup communications as mandated by the Federal Government. Plus it is a social event for those who hold amateur radio licenses and their families.
Set up for the event starts on Saturday morning with the exercise starting that afternoon at 2 p.m. and runs until Sunday afternoon. During this time, HARA members will join hundreds of amateur radio clubs and thousands of operators operating under emergency-like conditions. HARA plans to set up four separate communications stations using batteries, generators and solar as their means of powering the equipment. Once on the air, operators will proceed to contact as many other “hams” in as many places throughout North America as possible. It is possible for an amateur to make contact with all states, territories and Canadian provinces, as well as many other nations, within a few hours, something Scott would have found mind-boggling.
Field Day is sponsored by the American Radio Relay League which organized the first event in the 1930s. Highland County amateurs have participated since the late 1950s when the radio club at Hillsboro High School set up a portable station on the Baldwin Farm near Carmel.
The public is welcome to stop by the Scott House anytime during the exercise to learn more about amateur radio, its uses and the steps to earn a license. There will also be opportunities for non-hams to sit in front of a radio and make contact.
HARA is an association of over 100 federally licensed amateur radio operators living in Highland County or neighboring communities. More information about Field Day can be found at www.arrl.org, contacting information officer John Levo (937-393-4951) or visiting the Highland ARA Facebook page.
