Local amateur radio club takes part in Field Day

The club is named after Jozef Murgas, a turn-of-the-century Roman Catholic priest and pioneer of early radio technology. Many of Murgas’s most important works were created during the decades he lived in Luzerne County.

Today, the club that bears Murgas’s name continues the priest’s radio legacy. The “radio amateurs” who run the Murgas Amateur Radio Club have the power to inform the public about the extent of local disasters. In some cases, for example, they serve as the first point of contact for passing on a list of people who may be in a place with a high number of casualties.

The ARRL Field Day is an annual, friendly competition that has been held since 1933. Other amateur radio stations can demonstrate their efficiency and technical skills by participating in exercises with similar organizations across the country. The exercises conducted at Field Day simulate the response efficiency of the participating groups.

Rick Rineheimer, secretary of the Murgas Amateur Radio Club, said anyone can be an “amateur radio operator,” regardless of their background in radio or communications.

“There is no typical member,” Rineheimer said. “We have doctors, we have a lawyer, a lot of people from the electronics industry … We have people from all walks of life.”

The competitive aspect of Field Day is secondary to the important work that amateur radio operators do in a live situation. Still, the stakes can be high for a smaller network like the one stationed at Back Mountain on Saturday.

“There are some clubs that have 20 channels on the air. We don’t compete with them,” said Rineheimer. “But it’s about showing off. There are no trophies or anything like that.”

Information about the Murgas Amateur Radio Club can be found at www.murgasarc.org.