John Moyle Field Day

With less than a week to go, reports are coming in of the preparation of the many Australian amateur radio clubs and individuals who are honing their skills and testing their station equipment, ready for the John Moyle Field Day.

This contest was initiated to help in the preparedness for civil defence support. Remember the term, civil defence? Well those of us that were around in the 50's still do but these days most of us tend to think in terms of emergency
communications systems, familiarly known as "emcomms".

The WICEN logo is well recognised by all amateurs these days and part of the WICEN ethic is to get out in the field and down and dirty in preparedness for emergency events.

For the average amateur, the annual John Moyle, is another way of checking preparedness for getting a station on air should an emergency occur. Being able to pull together the bits and pieces to activate a station under adverse
conditions and not just use our comfy shack is a bit of preparedness that we can all benefit by.

Not every amateur can make the commitment to join WICEN
but most of us can prepare by joining in an event such as this. Self training remains part of the definition of amateur radio around the world.

Sadly the tragic events in Victoria have called on the resources of the amateur community in a number of support roles. The knowledge of basic traffic handling procedures coupled with the skills we gain from obtaining our tickets and enjoying the hobby can and does make each ham an important part of a wider support network in times of emergency.

To put this in a global perspective, the theme for this year's World Amateur Radio Day, April 18 is "Your Resource in Disaster and Emergency Communication". Fuller details of this event and the importance of the 2009 theme is available on the WIA News and Event web page.

On that note, GCEG looks forward to making contact with you during the John Moyle Field Day.

Geoff Emery, VK4PP

Source: Wireless Institute of Australia