From the WSB inbox:

SEATTLE HAM RADIO ENTHUSIASTS COMPETE IN NATIONAL AMATEUR RADIO CONTEST & PUBLIC DEMONSTRATION OF EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS

Event Date: Saturday and Sunday, June 25th & 26th, 11 am Saturday until 12 pm Sunday.
Location: South Seattle Community College, SE field near Olympic Hall.

National Ham Radio Emergency communications exercise draws together five regional amateur radio groups forming one local City team competing with thousands of Amateur Radio operators making radio contacts throughout North America, showing off their emergency capabilities with a public demonstration this weekend hosted by South Seattle Community College, at the West Seattle Campus June 25th and 26th.

Erecting Ham Radio stations in community parks, campground, schools and emergency centers through out the country, radio teams operating their radios off the power grid will join over 35,000 amateur radio enthusiasts demonstrating their emergency wireless communications skills while having fun talking to friend all over the continent with their radios, participating in the national event called “Field Day” that is the climax of the week long “Amateur Radio Week” sponsored by the ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio.

This year’s Seattle combined team is comprised from members of the “Auxiliary Communications Service” and “Medical Service Team” that serve the City’s Office of Emergency Management, plus the “West Seattle Amateur Radio Club”. Also participating are members of the Seattle Chapter of the American Red Cross Emergency Radio Unit and colleagues from the Puget Sound Repeater Group.

Seattle’s team will be showing off the newest digital and satellite capabilities, voice communications and even historical Morse code as they compete in the contest making as many Radio Contacts as possible to other teams through out North America to gather points, operating Ham Radio equipment powered only by batteries, generators, wind turbines and solar arrays.

Field Coordinator for the Seattle site, Tammy Zoch said, “The Public is invited to the site where they can try their hand at Ham Radio with a special radio station set up just to see how much fun it is to operate an amateur radio. During the two day event there will be demonstrations for Satellite Communications, a digital communications workshop and a Ham Licensing Examination Session. This is a chance to see what Ham Radio Emergency Communication is all about”.

Major sponsor for this years Seattle event is the “Seattle Office of Emergency Management” that provides support and training for the Ham Radio “Auxiliary Communication Service” Program that serves the City’s Emergency Operations Center Ham Radio Station W7ACS in times of emergency communications and community needs when all other means of radio and telephone systems fail.

The staging area for the Seattle City Ham Radio Event is provided by South Seattle Community College and is located in a large grass field in the South East Sector of the Campus near Olympic Hall. On-Air operations will start at 11 am Saturday and continue till 12 pm Sunday.

In the past months, the news has had many reports of ham radio operators providing critical communications in emergencies world-wide. During fires earthquakes, tornadoes and other crises, Amateur Radio was often the only way by which people could communicate. Amateur Radio operators are often the first to provide critical early information and observations to responders in crisis situations.

If you have any questions, contact Dave Mann, ACS PIO at 206 365-9700 or Mark Sheppard, ACS Director, Cell Phone 206 510-7118

For more information about preparedness and amateur radio – please visit:

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