The operation simulates a total blackout. There is no wi-fi, no cellular network, and no power outlets. Antennas hang between trees, and the transmitters run on generators. Everything starts from scratch. This will be the scenario on June 28 and 29 in Mohegan Lake during one of the most important communication mobilizations of the year.

Starting at 1 p.m. on the first day, the Peekskill and Cortlandt Amateur Radio Association (PCARA) will set up a temporary radio station at George Washington Elementary School for this exercise known as Field Day. The mission of the amateurs is to demonstrate that, even without conventional technology, long-distance communication remains possible.

Field Day is open to the entire community. No license or prior experience is required to participate. Attendees will be able to observe, learn how live transmissions occur on various frequency bands, and even operate a station under supervision. For those wondering how radio functions during crises or what alternatives exist when everything else fails, the event will provide the answer.

The Amateur Radio Field Day is a national event held every year on the last weekend of June. It is coordinated by the ARRL (American Radio Relay League), the largest amateur radio organization in the United States. More than 31,000 people across the country participate during the event. The objective is clear: to practice establishing emergency communication networks when all other systems collapse.

In Westchester County, the local group PCARA has become a benchmark. They operate active repeaters on 146.67 MHz and 449.925 MHz. They also collaborate with local authorities during storms, blackouts, and community events. This time, during Field Day, their operators will seek to establish contact with hundreds of stations in the United States and Canada, relying only on portable antennas, batteries, and above all, experience.

The organizers agree that, in a context where threats to the electrical and digital systems are no longer distant fiction but calculated possibilities, amateur radio remains a parallel communication network. For more information, you may visit the association’s official social media pages.