We've discussed the usefulness of Field Day as an EMCOMM training exercise as well as a fun weekend event. We've talked about the benefits of having deployment ready equipment, especially antennas and patch cables. The same equipment used on field day can be easily deployed to ad-hoc shelters, hospitals, or other locations. Field Day preparation, setup, and operation allows for testing, debugging, and finally operating equipment, ensuring the equipment is actually functional and ready for use during an emergency.
There are other benefits of Field Day beyond those above, some only marginally applicable to Emergency Communications, but still very useful. These include educational sessions and, in some cases, other activities.
For instance, the West Georgia Amateur Radio Society's 2025 educational topic will be an introduction to compass use for Orienteering, useful for locating errant transmitters. We've focused on Fox Hunts as training for everything from finding a malfunctioning ELT, downed aircraft, and other errant transmissions. But identifying the direction of a signal if you can't determine its direction for triangulation purposes? I believe a fox hunt will follow the training.
In addition to getting some practice troubleshooting equipment and setting up for Field Day operation, operating the equipment, the education sessions, and related activities, Field Day is also an opportunity to show off or experiment with any radio equipment you may have.
While Field Day activities should, and hopefully will, focus on operating, there are often more Amateur Radio operators present than there are stations to operate. This provides a great opportunity to take advantage of expertise sitting idle to help work the kinks out of that new vertical or end-fed antenna, or QRP rig, and maybe even put it to work when one of the operating slots becomes available for use.
Finally, for those who just can't get out for Field Day activities, you can try operating as a single station, participating in the fun and providing an additional contact opportunity for other Field Day stations.
