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ARRL Field Day event June 27 and 28 in Cranbrook
What is ARRL Field Day?
The East Kootenay Amateur Radio Club will be holding our Field Day at Idlewild Park June 27-28 in the west parking lot off 9th Street. You’re invited!
ARRL (American Radio Relay League) Field Day is a radio communications event that brings together amateur radio operators (also called “hams”) within your community.
The theme for 2026 Field Day is “A National Resource” – highlighting the many ways that wireless technology connects people across distances near and far. The event is part picnic, campout, practice for emergencies, informal contest, and most of all, fun!
ARRL Field Day is the most popular ham radio activity held annually in the US and Canada. On the fourth weekend in June each year, more than 31,000 hams get together with their radio clubs, schools, or friends to operate from remote locations.
For many radio clubs, ARRL Field Day is one of the highlights on their annual calendar.
A typical Field Day site will show many aspects of amateur radio and its many roles. Some groups use Field Day as an opportunity to practice their emergency communications readiness. ARRL Field Day is an annual demonstration and invites the general public and organizations to see how amateur radio can serve in an emergency, When All Else Fails.
Hams are well-known for their communications support in real disaster and post-disaster situations. Despite the development of very complex, modern communications systems — or maybe because they are so complex — ham radio has been called into action, again and again, to provide communications in crises when it really matters.
Amateur radio also inspires the next generation of technical leaders by providing a hands-on sandbox where students gain experience in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). For those with a competitive spirit, Field Day stations compete to make radio contacts with as many other stations as possible while learning to operate radio equipment in challenging situations and less-than-optimal conditions.
These same skills are used by hams who volunteer to help with large, preplanned, non-emergency events such as marathons and bike-a-thons; fundraisers such as walk-a-thons; celebrations such as parades, and exhibits at fairs, malls, and museums.
The East Kootenay Amateur Radio Club was established in 1935 and remains one of the oldest radio clubs in North America. We are an integral part of RDEK Emergency Management Plan.
Our radio system covers the lower Columbia Valley, the Elk Valley, the area from the Alberta/B.C. border to Kootenay Pass and points south of the border. This includes all the cities and towns located in our coverage area. We are the ultimate emergency communication backup.
For further information on the East Kootenay Amateur Radio Club please go to our website EKARC.CA.
East Kootenay Amateur Radio Club
