CLARKSVILLE, TN − On Jan. 25, members of the Clarksville Amateur Transmitting Society (C.A.T.S) participated in the 2025 Winter Field Day. This annual event has thousands of individuals and groups from around the world practice amateur radio operation with a focus on improving communication and emergency preparedness skills.
In order to practice the emergency preparedness portion of the event, the club decided to do a temporary set up from a local parking lot on Madison Street. By practicing away from home, they were required to set up portable radios and antennas and also provide power generation. In this case they chose to go with solar and battery power since the weather conditions were favorable, but they did have a generator on hand in case it was needed.
Their success in practicing communications was evident in that they were able to contact 50 other teams of operators, with the longest contact of 1735 miles. They used multiple modes of communication, including voice, Morse code, and digital communication. To further challenge themselves, the club participated QRP style, meaning they limited their transmitting power to 10 watts or less. For comparison the average United States FM radio station is transmitting around 30,000 watts and has a much more limited range.
The five licensed amateur radio operators had many local visitors during the event including Montgomery County Mayor Wes Golden, who even got the thrill of making a radio contact of his own during the event. The club encourages local interest in amateur radio for both the purposes of individual hobbyist enjoyment as well as for emergency preparedness. Many of the club members are also members of the Montgomery County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), which partners with the Red Cross and is working to solidify partnerships with other emergency organizations.
Anyone interested in amateur radio or club events can find out more by going to the club’s website.