Discover Cathedral City

Amateur Radio “Field Day”
2025-06-28 11:00 - 16:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Cathedral City Public Library, 33520 Date Palm Drive, Cathedral City, CA, 92234, United States
WHAT: Members of the Desert RATS Amateur Radio Club and Coachella Valley Amateur Radio Emergency Service will be participating in the national amateur radio Field Day Event, June 28 2025 at the Cathedral City Library from 11am to 4pm. Since 1933, ham radio operators across North America have established temporary ham radio stations in public locations during Field Day to showcase the science and skill of amateur radio. This event is open to the public and all are encouraged to attend. There will be demonstrations of almost every aspect of Ham Radio including voice communication, digital modes, antennas, repeaters, satellites, radio propagation, email without the internet, and emergency communication. Other community organizations related to emergency preparedness will also be participating.
WHEN: Saturday, June 28, 2025 11am to 4pm
WHERE: Cathedral City Library, 33520 Date Palm Dr, Cathedral City, CA 92234
WHY: Field Day is a showcase for how amateur radio works reliably under any conditions from almost any location to create an independent communications network. “Ham radio functions completely independent of the Internet or cell phone infrastructure, can interface with laptops or smartphones, and can be set up almost anywhere in minutes. That’s the beauty of amateur radio during a communications outage,” said Sierra Harrop, W5DX, Public Relations and Outreach Manager for ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio®, which represents amateur (or“ham”) radio operators across the country. “In today’s connected world, ham radio remains one of the best ways for people to learn about electronics, physics, meteorology, and numerous other scientific disciplines, and is a huge asset to any community during disasters or emergencies if the standard communication infrastructure goes down. Ham radio is also a great sandbox for tomorrow’s technology leaders to get hands-on with STEM concepts,” Harrop added.
Anyone may become a licensed amateur radio operator. There are more than 750,000 licensed hams in the United States, as young as 9 and as old as 100. And with clubs such as the Desert RATS Radio Club, it’s easy for anybody to get involved right here in the Coachella Valley. For more information about Field Day or amateur radio, see the club’s website at DesertRats.us or visit www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio.
