[ILHam] K9YA, Robert F. Heytow Memorial Radio Club - Field Day Press Release

[Mike D.]

HIGH-TECH RADIO SKILLS ON DISPLAY AS HAMS MARK FIELD DAY

Local Ham Radio Club Prepares for Emergencies

GENOA CITY, WISCONSIN, JUNE 2, 2003 -- FOR MEMBERS OF THE ROBERT F. HEYTOW
MEMORIAL AMATEUR RADIO CLUB, EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS ACTIVITIES WILL CAP
AMATEUR RADIO WEEK, JUNE 22-29.

DURING AMATEUR RADIO WEEK, ENTHUSIASTS PUT ON DEMONSTRATIONS, SPEAK TO
COMMUNITY GROUPS AND TAKE PART IN OTHER ACTIVITIES TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT
AMATEUR RADIO. THE WEEK CULMINATES WITH THE ANNUAL PREPAREDNESS EXERCISE
CALLED "FIELD DAY," JUNE 28 AND 29. FIELD DAY IS SPONSORED BY THE AMERICAN
RADIO RELAY LEAGUE (ARRL), THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR AMATEUR RADIO.

DURING FIELD DAY, OPERATORS SET UP IN LOCAL PARKS, SHOPPING MALLS, OR THEIR
OWN BACKYARDS, AND GET ON THE AIR USING A HOST OF ALTERNATIVE POWER SOURCES
INCLUDING GAS/DIESEL GENERATORS, BATTERY, WIND AND SOLAR POWER. FIELD DAY
WAS DESIGNED TO TEST OPERATORS' ABILITY TO QUICKLY SET UP AND OPERATE
PORTABLE STATIONS UNDER EMERGENCY CONDITIONS.

"COMMUNITIES SHOULD KNOW THAT IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY, WE ARE READY TO
ASSIST IN ANY WAY WE CAN," SAYS MICHAEL DINELLI, N9BOR, OF SKOKIE. "WHILE
PEOPLE MAY THINK CELL PHONES AND OTHER COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES HAVE
REPLACED HAM RADIO, WE STAND BY AS A TRAINED CADRE OF RADIO OPERATORS TO
PROVIDE THE VITAL COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES OTHERS CAN'T."

FIELD DAY IS A SERIOUS TEST OF SKILL, BUT IT IS ALSO A CONTEST FOR FUN AND
THE LARGEST "ON-AIR" OPERATING EVENT EACH YEAR. DURING THE WEEKEND, RADIO
OPERATORS TRY TO CONTACT AS MANY OTHER FIELD DAY STATIONS AS POSSIBLE. MORE
THAN 30,000 AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND CANADA
PARTICIPATED IN LAST YEAR'S EVENT.

THE ROBERT F. HEYTOW MEMORIAL AMATEUR RADIO CLUB � K9YA, WILL HOLD FIELD DAY
IN GENOA CITY, WISCONSIN FROM JUNE 28/1:00 P.M. TO JUNE 29/4:00 P.M. "WE
HOPE ANYONE INTERESTED IN SEEING WHAT AMATEUR RADIO IS ALL ABOUT WILL COME
OUT FOR FIELD DAY," SAYS MICHAEL DINELLI. "A SPECIAL TREAT FOR VISITORS WILL
BE OUR EXTENSIVE USE OF THE INTERNATIONAL MORSE CODE IN CONTACTING STATIONS
THROUGHOUT NORTH AMERICA," HE ADDED.

TODAY, THERE ARE MORE THAN 670,000 AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS IN THE UNITED
STATES AND MORE THAN 2.5 MILLION WORLDWIDE. TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT AMATEUR
RADIO OR HOW YOU CAN GET STARTED, CONTACT k9ya@qsl.net, OR
http://www.qsl.net/k9ya. INFORMATION IS ALSO AVAILABLE FROM THE AMERICAN
RADIO RELAY LEAGUE, 225 MAIN ST., NEWINGTON, CT 06111 OR BY CALLING
1-800-32-NEW HAM. THE URL FOR THE ARRL'S HOME PAGE ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB IS
www.arrl.org.


ROBERT (BOB) F. HEYTOW WAS A 31-YEAR VETERAN OF THE EVANSTON (ILLINOIS)
POLICE DEPARTMENT, RISING THROUGH THE RANKS TO LIEUTENANT.

FOLLOWING HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION, BOB AND HIS TWIN BROTHER, DICK,
VOLUNTEERED FOR THE U.S. ARMY. BOB WAS SENT TO VIETNAM, AND HIS BROTHER TO
KOREA.

AFTER RETURNING HOME, THE TWO BROTHERS BECAME MEMBERS OF THE EVANSTON POLICE
DEPARTMENT AS PATROL OFFICERS.

BOB�S LAW ENFORCEMENT CAREER RAN THE GAMUT FROM PATROLMAN TO DETECTIVE, ALL
WHILE EARNING A COLLEGE DEGREE IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION. IN 2000, BOB DIED
SUDDENLY, IN UNIFORM, HE WAS 53-YEARS-OLD.

BOB WAS AN AVID AND ACTIVE AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR GREATLY RESPECTED BY HIS
FELLOW HAMS FOR HIS OPERATING SKILLS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THE ROBERT F.
HEYTOW MEMORIAL RADIO CLUB WAS FOUNDED JULY 2002 AS A LIVING TESTIMONIAL TO
BOB�S MEMORY. HIS CALLSIGN, K9YA, IS USED WITH PERMISSION OF HIS FAMILY AND
WAS GRANTED TO THE CLUB BY THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION ON OCTOBER
8, 2002. ON NOVEMBER 6, 2002, MICHAEL DINELLI, N9BOR, WAS NAMED STATION
TRUSTEE. LONG MAY K9YA BE HEARD ON THE AMATEUR RADIO BANDS!

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