2008 Woodie Awards
UCF's amateur radio club reaches overseas
Jonathan Hohensee
Issue date: 7/3/08 Section: News
During the weekend of June 29, two guide towers stood on the edge of the UCF Memory Mall, which were operated by UCF students for an event called Field Day.
Field Day is an annual event that is sponsored by the American Radio Relay League, where competitors from across the country attempt to communicate through radio with as many people as possible as a means of practicing emergency preparedness. The Field Day is the country's largest emergency preparedness exercise, with more than 30,000 people participated this year, including UCF's own Amateur Radio Club.
Amateur radio, or as it is also known as "ham" radio, is an 80-year-old hobby that involves non-professional radio enthusiasts communicating with each other through different types of radio communication equipment. The UCF Amateur Radio Club is dedicated to the education and promotion of amateur radio to both novices and experts alike, and has been a part of the campus for more than 30 years, with some of the club's equipment still labeled as belonging to Florida Technological University, which was the name of UCF up until 1978.
Although the club deals with technical issues, UCF's Amateur Radio Club is open to new members.
"Anyone can become a member, you just have to be interested … there is not even a licensing requirement," said John Szilagyi, UCF's Amateur Club's president, whose call letters are KI4ORG.
"One of the important things we have always been about is helping people get involved, so there is no need to come in with a certain amount of experience," he said.
On Saturday night, thunderstorms and heavy rain resulted the loss of two of the Student Government Association tents that the club was using, forcing members to halt communications for six hours. However, despite these difficulties, the UCF Amateur Radio Club still managed to communicate with numerous people across the nation.
During their 28-hour run, the UCF Amateur Radio Club made up to 47 contacts with other radio operators, although the official tally will not be known until the participants finish counting their totals later this month.
Field Day is an annual event that is sponsored by the American Radio Relay League, where competitors from across the country attempt to communicate through radio with as many people as possible as a means of practicing emergency preparedness. The Field Day is the country's largest emergency preparedness exercise, with more than 30,000 people participated this year, including UCF's own Amateur Radio Club.
Amateur radio, or as it is also known as "ham" radio, is an 80-year-old hobby that involves non-professional radio enthusiasts communicating with each other through different types of radio communication equipment. The UCF Amateur Radio Club is dedicated to the education and promotion of amateur radio to both novices and experts alike, and has been a part of the campus for more than 30 years, with some of the club's equipment still labeled as belonging to Florida Technological University, which was the name of UCF up until 1978.
Although the club deals with technical issues, UCF's Amateur Radio Club is open to new members.
"Anyone can become a member, you just have to be interested … there is not even a licensing requirement," said John Szilagyi, UCF's Amateur Club's president, whose call letters are KI4ORG.
"One of the important things we have always been about is helping people get involved, so there is no need to come in with a certain amount of experience," he said.
On Saturday night, thunderstorms and heavy rain resulted the loss of two of the Student Government Association tents that the club was using, forcing members to halt communications for six hours. However, despite these difficulties, the UCF Amateur Radio Club still managed to communicate with numerous people across the nation.
During their 28-hour run, the UCF Amateur Radio Club made up to 47 contacts with other radio operators, although the official tally will not be known until the participants finish counting their totals later this month.