National amateur radio Winter Field Day starts Saturday

By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press 

The 24-hour national amateur radio Winter Field Day is set to kick off Saturday, Jan. 27 at 1 p.m. at the Copperas Cove Civic Center, located at 1506 W. Ave. B.
The day is held for local amateur radio operators to work together in conjunction with local emergency management agencies to practice their skills in the event of an emergency. 
The event will run for 24 hours and has a lineup of free workshops that are open to the public, as is the entire event. 
Winter Field Day is being conducted by Copperas Cove’s amateur radio club, the Cove Repeater Association, in conjunction with the City of Copperas Cove’s Division of Emergency Management, the Copperas Cove Police Department, the Copperas Cove Fire Department, along with representatives from the Texas Department of State Health Services, the Capital Area RAC and Coryell County Emergency Management.
The first program starts at 1 p.m., with the topic What is Emergenfcy Management?, followed by How to Get Started in Ham Radio, at 1:30 p.m. 
A 2 p.m., there will be exams given for those who are prepared to sit for their amateur radio license. If no one is registered for the test the time will be spent talking about how the testing works. 
After that, at 3 p.m., Sgt. Kevin Miller will give a presentation on Cove Watch and how it works in the community, and how residents can sign up; followed by a presentation on simple antennas at 3:30 p.m., Ham Radio Operating Modes at 4 p.m., a presentation by Deputy Fire Chief Gary Young on Copperas Cove’s Code Red emergency notification network at 4:30; another presentation by Sgt. Miller on the new program RU OK, a welfare check program for the elderly at 5:30 p.m.; with Stop the Bleed at 6 p.m. Preregitration is necessary for Stop the Bleed, which can be done at  https://goo.gl/vaSU2L, with more information about the class at http://catrac.org/stopthebleed. Amateur Radio license exams are offered at a nominal cost to those interested, pre-registration is required.
For more information, contact Deputy Fire Chief/Emergency Management Coordinator Gary Young at gyoung@copperascovetx.gov.