Message from Field Day Chairperson, Rich Holst, K2RH
This year’s GSARA Field Day will be at Palaia Park will be on June 27-28. This is amateur radio’s premiere event, bring hams from all over North America to this non-contest contest.
This year, we are going to do what we have always done since the shape of GSARA Field Day works. We will have three stations and a GOTA tent that have served us well, leadership that knows how to run them, and a club culture that shows up.
Field Day is not just about the score. It is one of the few weekends a year when we have three radios, a field full of antennas, and a crowd of operators in one place — newer hams alongside members who have been on the air for decades.
Mark your calendar for June 27–28, 2026 at Joe Palaia Park, Ocean Township. Come out for an hour, an overnight shift, or the whole weekend. Operate, log, set up, take down, bring a chair and visit — every form of help matters, and every form of help is welcome. Sign up using the link below or the button under the poster.
Field Day is coming up the last full weekend of June — Saturday, June 27 through Sunday, June 28, 2026 — and I want to put out an early invitation. Whether you are a longtime member, a brand-new ham, or someone who has never been to one of these events, this email is for you.
If you have not been to Field Day before, here is the short version: it is the one weekend a year that ham radio clubs across the country set up portable stations in fields, parks, and parking lots and try to make as many radio contacts as we can in 24 hours, all on emergency power. It is part friendly contest, part disaster drill, part family picnic, and part open house.
GSARA will be at Joe Palaia Park in Ocean Township, operating under our club call W2GSA in class 3A — three transmitters going around the clock — plus a Get-on-the-Air station and a few extras you have not seen before.
There is honestly a place for everyone:
If you operate, we need you on a shift, even a short one.
If you have never operated, the Get-on-the-Air (GOTA) station is exactly built for that — experienced members will sit with you and walk you through your first contact.
If you bring kids or grandkids, we have an educational activity table this year with Morse code, phonetic alphabet,something for every visitor.
If radio is not your thing but you still want to help, we need photographers, food crew, setup hands, and people to keep operators fed and watered through the night.
If a friend or family member has been thinking about getting their license, we will be running an on-site VE session — a perfect chance to take the test in a relaxed environment.
You can sign up here: Sign Up
The attached "Team Roles at a Glance" walks through what each team does so you can pick the area(s) that interests you most. Even an hour helps. The earlier we have a roster, the smoother the weekend runs for everyone.
If you have questions, reply directly or grab me at a club meeting.
Hope to see you out there.
73, Rich Holst, K2RH GSARA Field Day 2026 Chairman
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