Part family campout, part tech-fest, part endurance contest — Amateur Radio Field Day drew a flock of ham radio enthusiasts to Wyandotte County Park over the weekend.
Field Day has over 31 thousand participants at nearly 1600 sites across the country and has been held annually since 1933.
Early Saturday, members of the Wyandotte County Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) and the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) set up two generator-powered, trailer-mounted 50-foot antennas in the Shelter C parking lot. Contest rules require that the site not be dependent on the local electrical grid.
Attendees came and went through the event. On a hot and humid Saturday afternoon, about 25 campers young and old were playing frisbee, relaxing in lawn chairs, or getting ready to sit down for a cook-out dinner.
Meanwhile, two two-person teams of radio operators hunkered down in the air-conditioned antenna trailers, with banks of radio equipment. Their goal was trying to contact as many sites as possible across the country, by voice or by Morse code.
Radio operators would take shifts all through Saturday night, as those off duty grabbed some sleep in hammocks or tents on the lawn.
They compete against similarly-sized groups from across the nation for the most contacts. In 2024, the Wyandotte County team was eighth-best in the class of two-antenna teams.
Inside one trailer, the radio alternately squawked static and speech as Larry Eker tried to confirm contact with another far-flung post.
”What makes it worthwhile is we’re coming out here with fellowship and learning new technology and practicing for emergencies,” said the longtime KCK resident. “Trying out new equipment and a new set of processes and just be[ing] ready for an emergency to help our community.”
“ We’re going to be at this for 24 hours straight, trying out our equipment and our endurance.”
Amateur radio operators work closely with emergency management professionals, providing on-site information that can provide life-saving early warning in disasters. Matt May, director of the Unified Government Emergency Management department was on site helping to lead the event.
May expressed his appreciation for the team’s spirit of service. “These are great people,” he said. “Everybody here is a volunteer, with the exception of a couple more of my staff. These are eyes and ears that can go out in the field and tell us great things. ‘I see this traffic backup. I see this weather event.'”
“ I’ve had a guy do that. He got chased by a tornado for about 15 miles. He was talking the whole time, so we knew he was all right, but he was watching it in his rear view mirror and was hoping he’d drive away from it. So, it can get exciting.”
The RACES/CERT group meets monthly for training, and in addition to Field Day also conducts a graded annual disaster simulation. This year’s drill, to be held in October, will have a World Cup theme.
The head of security for FIFA World Cup 26 Kansas City, along with FEMA’s head of training for the four-state region, will be on hand to evaluate the team’s performance.
May recommended that beginners to ham radio get started with classes that are available locally via hamclass.org. There is a modest fee for materials.
CERT will hold a free three-day Basic Training class the weekend of Aug. 22 through 24. The class teaches disaster preparedness and other skills to be prepared to help the community in the event of an emergency. It’s held at the UG Emergency Management offices.
Those interested in the basic training class can register by phone at 913-573-6300 or at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CERTFall2025.
