Join us for the 2025 ARRL Summer Field Day
June 28-29 from 2PM Saturday through 2PM Sunday
Clarke County Virginia Fairgrounds
890 W Main St
Berryville, VA 22611
Questions? email fieldday [at] svarc dot us
We are operating on the air from 2PM June 28, 2025 through 1:59 PM June 29, 2025 for the official Field Day.
[Use Gate B to the FairGrounds. Entrance to FairGrounds on left side of US Martial Arts Building]
Pavilion – visible from West Main Street under the big trees – look for our banner sign “Shenandoah Valley Amateur Radio Club”
Map it on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/a9B7EvtDskbwZMPz6
39.16379° N, 77.99943° W
What 3 Words Coordinates: https://w3w.co/stays.later.follow
Maidenhead Grid: FM19ad09
MGRS: 18S TJ 40850 39239
The Shenandoah Valley Amateur Radio Club actively participates in the annual American Radio Relay League Field Day. This event occurs the fourth full weekend in June every year, rain or shine. We get out of the ham shack at home and the clubhouse, set up portable stations running on emergency power sources at a remote location, and use those stations to make contact with other stations in all weather conditions.
As of January, 2025, details below are from last year. They will be updated later this spring
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This year we will be operating 3A with radio club callsign W4RKC. We will also have a VHF/UHF station in operation this year.
We are GOTA This Year! Come say “hello” and Get on the Air!
We plan to have a 4th station for GOTA. What’s GOTA? It is a “Get on the Air” Station for visitors and new/inactive Amateurs to have the opportunity to talk on the radio and participate in field day also! Don’t be shy! Please join us! We will be operating from 2PM EDT Saturday June 22 through the night til 2PM EDT Sunday June 23. Come anytime to say hello, learn more, and if you like, take some free information home to learn more.
Some think of Field Day as just another Amateur Radio contest. However, its theme centers on one of the most important functions of Amateur Radio – the ability to communicate independently of any municipal or commercial infrastructure (commercial power, telephone networks, etc.), which would likely be inoperative or severely overloaded in the event of a major disaster. ARRL’s Field Day Information pamphlet states:
Field Day’s Goal? To work as many stations as possible on the 160, 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10 Meter HF bands, as well as all bands 50 MHz and above on Phone [voice], Morse Code [CW] and Digital Modes [FT4, FT8, RTTY and more] and in doing so to learn to operate in abnormal situations in less than optimal conditions. A premium is placed on developing skills to meet the challenges of emergency preparedness as well as to acquaint the general public with the capabilities of Amateur Radio.
Plans for Field Day 2024
SVARC will participate in Field Day from the Clarke County Fairgrounds located at 890 West Main Street, Berryville, Virginia 22611. This address is on Route 7 Business, north side. Do not confuse the community center (on the south side of Route 7 Business) for the fairground; if you see a pool and tennis courts, you’re on the wrong side of the road.
We will complete most, if not all, antenna work starting around 9 am on Friday, June 23. General set-up of the stations starts around 9 AM EDT on Saturday, June 24. As always, we will set up under the pavilion at the front of the fairgrounds visible from East Main Street. On-air operations begin at 2 PM EDT, and continue through 1:59 PM EDT June 23. Following the end of operations, we will tear down and clean up. We will leave the site as clean as, or cleaner than, we found it.
Be prepared
If you plan to join us, please prepare for inclement weather. The pavilion provides shelter for the operating positions and the Ruritan club members maintain the fairgrounds very well, but it’s an outdoor venue. We highly recommend sunscreen, rain gear, and bug spray to maximize your comfort during your visit. Planning to stay overnight? Have warm clothes available in case it gets chilly. Also, if you are coming to help with set-up, we recommend that you bring work gloves, eye protection, and work clothes.
Traveling?
If you aren’t going to be in the area for Field Day, perhaps there’s another club or organization event near where you will be. The ARRL has a Field Day Locator tool with which you can search for a nearby event based on your location.
Looking ahead
Each Field Day brings new challenges and lessons learned for improved performance. We’ve made improvements in equipment for a better operating environment, and continue to make other improvements. We also have new club members, some of whom have never experienced Field Day. So, to all of those new (and veteran) members and guests, you’re in for a pleasant surprise! Get ready for a great weekend of fun as we head into Field Day 2024.