CLARKSVILLE, TN − The dew had barely evaporated from the grass at Civitan Park when members of the Clarksville Amateur Transmitting Society (CATS) began setting up for the annual ARRL Field Day on Saturday, June 28.
Every year on the last full weekend of June, the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the national association for amateur radio operators, hosts Field Day, a public-facing, friendly competition among clubs across the country. The challenge? Simulate an emergency where the power grid is down, cell towers are unreliable, and communication depends solely on technical skill, ingenuity, and radio waves.
This year, CATS operated under the “6A” classification meaning six stations were simultaneously on the air, powered entirely by generators, solar panels, and batteries. The “A” indicates that operations were conducted outdoors and off the grid, just like they would be in a real disaster scenario…