MEDIA CONTACT: Andrew LaPlant
561-297-3022, alaplant@fau.edu

FAU Amateur Radio Club Hosts Field Day

BOCA RATON, FL (June 23, 2005) - The Florida Atlantic University Amateur Radio Club and the Boca Raton Amateur Radio Association are hosting Field Day at the ropes course on the FAU Boca Raton campus. The event begins on Saturday, June 25 at 1 p.m. and will draw to a close on Sunday, June 26 at 1 p.m. On-air demonstrations, satellite communications and emergency preparedness activities are on tap for members of the groups participating as they celebrate Amateur Radio Week, June 18-26, 2005.

During Field Day, operators set up in local parks, at shopping malls, or even in their own backyards and create radio communication using generators or battery power. This national event was designed to test operators' abilities to set up and operate portable stations under emergency conditions, such as the loss of electricity.

"We want the community to know that in the event of an emergency, we will be ready to assist in any way we can," said Gabriel Miranda Diez, FAU Amateur Radio Club President. "While people often think that cell phones or other communication technologies have replaced radio, we can still provide an important communications service that others can not."

Field Day is a serious test of skill, but it is also a contest for fun and the largest "on-air" operating event each year. During the weekend, radio operators try to contact as many other Field Day stations as possible. More than 30,000 Amateur Radio operators across the country and Canada participated in last year's event. Today there are more than 670,000 Amateur Radio operators in the United States and more than 2.5 million worldwide.

For more information about FAU Amateur Radio, contact Hank vanSant at 561-297-3416 or fd2005@k4fau.org. Information is also available at the FAU Amateur Radio website at www.k4fau.org.

-FAU-