Field Day is an annual amateur radio exercise, sponsored by The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) and member organizations, encouraging emergency communications preparedness among amateur radio operators. In the United States, it is typically the largest single emergency preparedness exercise in the country, with over 30,000 operators participating each year. Field Day is always the fourth full weekend of June, beginning at 1800 UTC Saturday and running through 2059 UTC Sunday.
Since the first ARRL Field Day in 1933, radio amateurs throughout North America have practiced the rapid deployment of radio communications equipment in environments ranging from operations under tents in remote areas to operations inside Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs). Operations using emergency and alternative power sources are highly encouraged, since electricity and other public infrastructures are often among the first to fail during a natural disaster or severe weather.
The Motor City Radio Club (MCRC) set up their field day stations at 2:00 PM on Friday, June 24 in Kiwanis Park in Riverview. The on the air operation of the stations commenced at 2:00 PM Saturday June 25 and continued for 24 hours, making two way radio contacts all over the United States and Canada using both voice and Morse code.