[Written and submitted to ARRL by Kevin Potter – KD9YYO – July 16, 2024]
Hi everyone,
Many of you have expressed interest in reading the 415 Field Day article that was written and submitted to the ARRL for publication. I have included the article and photos to this email.
The goal of the submission was to highlight the partnership and collaboration between the 415 ARC, the Raue Center for the Arts, and the cast of Static: Noise of a New Musical at Field Day. Credit to Gary and Sam for their editorial input, and to Meredith from the Raue Center and Tess Rowan and the cast of Static for their comments. Also, special thanks to the entire 415 ARC for your contributions. Without all of you, we wouldn’t have such a grand Field Day event to invite the public to. We have alerted key ARRL representatives to our submission, and we hope to see our story picked up in their publications. I hope you enjoy the article!
For the 415 Amateur Radio Club of Crystal Lake, IL., Field Day planning is a year-round effort. Club members Gary Dembski (W9GD) and Sam Haldiman (KC9GPY) lead these efforts for “the 415.” The Club’s call is N9WH. Since the first 415 Field Day in 2018 which had a total of 8 participants, participation in the club and the event has grown rapidly. Each year, the club looks to grow the event in new ways to increase participation and to raise awareness of the hobby. While the club seeks to “score” well, the primary focus is to have fun and help new hams get on the air and improve their operating skills. Their main mission is to provide a Ham radio platform of education at Field Day, focusing on sharing the seasoned hams’ experience with those less experienced.
This year, the 415 ARC celebrated its 7th Anniversary by participating in the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) 2024 Field Day. 2024 turned out to be the biggest and best Field Day yet! The 415 Field Day event was operated as Class 3A, complete with a Get-On-The-Air (GOTA) Station, a UHF/VHF station, a Digital station, a CW station, a Satellite station, and a Phone station.
In an effort to increase awareness of the Field Day event, the club engages in multiple efforts, such as posting signage in the community, posting on community calendars, posting on social media, and issuing a press release to local media.
This year, the 415 ARC received a call from Meredith Schaefer, Director of Marketing & Institutional Advancement at the Raue Center for The Arts. The Raue Center For The Arts is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing the ARTS for ALL. Meredith was doing research for a new musical that is opening in July 2024. She was interested in talking through potential partnership opportunities that could result in promotion of the Raue Center for the Arts, the new musical, and the 415 Amateur Radio Club Field Day event.
Now why would a local Center for the Arts contact a Ham Radio club seeking to partner on Field Day and a musical you ask? Let us take a moment and talk about this new show, and how it relates to amateur radio.
The name of the show is called Static: Noise of a New Musical. Static is the first musical to utilize Morse code as a method of dramatic storytelling, including cryptic Morse code clues and secret messages embedded in the music, creating an immersive and mystery-filled audience experience. Imagine an acoustic campfire sing-along mixed with a true-crime podcast. Static is an original adventure musical with a radio blend of musical theater, folk-rock music, and Morse code. The musical was written by Tess Rowan. Tess is a writer, director, and performer from the Washington, D.C. area. She began writing the book, music, and lyrics of Static when she was in middle school and is thrilled to workshop Static with Raue Center School For The Arts this summer. Most recently, Tess wrote, produced, directed, and performed in the world premiere of Static. After a sold-out run at the 2022 Capital Fringe Festival, Static won the Fringe Best Musical and Best Ensemble Awards. A regional workshop of Static was presented at Flying V Theatre in Silver Spring, Maryland in August 2023. The upcoming run of shows in Illinois is the latest opportunity to catch this new musical.
Once Sam and Meredith had an opportunity to connect, a perfect partnership was formed. The cast, director, and writer of Static along with Raue Center representatives would join the 415 Amateur Radio Club Field Day event, and would allow everyone a chance to learn more about amateur radio and Morse code.
After welcoming the group to the event, Field Day Director Sam Haldiman gave an overview of the Field Day operation and all the station locations. Then, Sam guided Tess and the cast of Static into the Get-On-The-Air (GOTA) Station where they saw HF phone and FT-8 operations. Several of the cast and crew members tried their hand at “sending” CQ with a straight key and a paddle. Turns out, it was not as easy as it looked. Others took turns calling “CQ Field Day” and logging their very first amateur radio contacts. Then, the team was guided to Ralph Iden (WB9ICF) and the CW Station where they learned about the history of Morse Code and the equipment used to send the signal. Examples of straight keys, bugs, paddles and computer software were demonstrated and discussed. Finally, the group was guided to the Comms Trailer to learn about VHF and Digital stations. They were particularly interested in the QSL card collection on the wall. Tess and the cast created a version of their own QSL Card which includes information about the upcoming run of shows at the Raue Center.
In a press release, Field Day Director Sam Haldiman says, “The 415 Amateur Radio Club welcomes the opportunity to partner with the Raue Center School For The Arts and this new musical Static to shine a light on Morse code and radio communications and how it is still relevant today. We really appreciate the chance to bring our worlds together.”
After the Field Day event, Tess provided her thoughts on the partnership between the Raue Center for the Arts, the cast of Static, and the 415 ARC. “After writing Static and researching ham radio and Morse code for the last five years, I was so excited to finally get on the air for the first time at Field Day. The 415 taught the Static cast and crew about ham radio equipment and Morse code. I began writing Static when I was fourteen so I hope to bring ham radio to a younger audience. This collaboration between the 415 ARC and the Raue Center for the Arts on this production of Static will hopefully introduce students and theater goers to the world of ham radio and Morse code.”
“During Field Day, I had the most fun getting on the air with fellow cast members. I also loved checking out the equipment and Morse code in one of the trailers. I had so many questions about ham radio and Morse code as it relates to the script and songs I wrote, and was able to talk with the 415 about all the proper vocabulary and procedures. Our cast enjoyed talking about which states and locations we were able to contact. We were met with so much kindness by the members of the 415 while they taught us more about ham radio at Field Day.” In follow up to the Field Day event, the 415 Amateur Radio Club is organizing a group outing to see the play and to support Tess and the cast of Static. They are also loaning out amateur radio “props” to help make the play more realistic from an equipment perspective. Also, prior to each show, a 415 ARC member will talk about amateur radio and Morse code in an effort to inform the audience about its use and relevance today. The 415 ARC will also give away a specially made code practice oscillator to one lucky winner before each show.
In summary, the 415 ARC Field Day event was a great success. A record number of participants participated in the event. The 415 ARC offered VE testing on site at Field Day where four individuals in total passed their Technician exam or upgraded their license to General. The partnership with the Raue Center for the Arts and the cast and crew of Static continues, and even more people will be exposed to the hobby of amateur radio.
Tickets for Static: Noise of a New Musical can be purchased online at https://www.rauecenter.org/rcsa-static/. The show runs July 12-21 in Crystal Lake, IL.
Photos: Photo credit to Todd Heintz Photography
Photo 1 – N9WH Group Photo
“Group photo of the 415 Amateur Radio Club at Field Day”
Photo 2 – Tess practicing CW
“Ken Lundgren (KD9PPX) with Tess Rowan practicing CW.”
Photo 3 – Sam and Static at the GOTA station
Sam Haldiman (KC9GPY) helping a Static cast member at the GOTA station.”
Photo 4 – Ralph and Tess
“Ralph Iden (WB9ICF) talking with Tess Rowan at the CW trailer.”
Photo 5 – Sam and Static
“Sam Haldiman (KC9GPY) and the Static cast and crew at the GOTA station.”
