Introduction
Over the weekend of June 26–28, 2026, the shores of Rueter-Hess Reservoir near Parker, Colorado, buzzed with a different kind of energy — the crackle of HF signals, the tap of Morse code, and the steady hum of a community coming together to practice the skills that matter most when it counts. This was ARRL Field Day, the nationwide amateur radio exercise held every June, and Colorado’s own ARESDEC chapter brought its version to life at Rueter-Hess with roughly 50 people visiting the site over the course of the event. Twenty-six of them were dedicated Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES) members and fellow ham radio operators, working stations around the clock, while the rest of the weekend’s attendees — family, visitors, and newcomers drawn in by the sight of antennas rising over the reservoir — rounded out a genuinely community-wide event.
Despite brisk winds and summer heat, spirits stayed high, antennas stayed up, and by the end of the weekend, it was clear: this wasn’t just a radio event, it was a demonstration of readiness, camaraderie, and skill, built by a team that knows how to show up prepared no matter what the weekend throws at them.
Event Highlights
The weekend began Friday, June 26, with setup day at Rueter-Hess Reservoir, as ARES members and other ham radio operators arrived to transform an open stretch of parkland into a fully operational communications hub. Tents went up, antennas climbed skyward, and generators hummed to life as the team prepared four distinct stations to cover a range of HF, VHF, and UHF bands — a logistics effort that takes real coordination and know-how to pull off. That setup went smoothly thanks in part to the Douglas County Parks and Trails Department, whose park rangers were on hand from the start, helping coordinate site access and making sure the team had the space they needed at Rueter-Hess to build out a full-scale field station from scratch.
Once the stations were live, operators split their time across four very different modes of operation: CW (Morse code), Digital, SSB (voice), and GOTA/VHF — the “Get On The Air” station designed to welcome newcomers and give them hands-on experience making their first contacts. That mix mattered. It meant seasoned operators from ARES Region 1, District 5, and beyond worked side-by-side with newer hams and curious visitors, turning Field Day into both a serious readiness exercise and an approachable, welcoming introduction to the hobby. For many first-timers, the GOTA station was likely their very first experience keying up a microphone and making contact with another operator hundreds of miles away — the kind of moment that turns a curious bystander into a licensed operat
One of the two highlights of the weekend was a technical presentation by Ron N0IVN entitled How to Build a Ground Plane Antenna. Several members of the ARESDEC team were on hand to learn what was needed to build the antenna and the particulars to make an effective and efficient ground plan antenna. We learned what materials/parts are needed, how to build it and then focused on the electronic formulas and theory of antenna resonance, inductance, capacitance, resistance, and other critical elements to create a proper antenna. We also discussed other important topics related to the hobby including different coax cables and their proper application. It was a success, as always. Thanks Ron for sharing your knowledge, experience and wisdom.
The other highlight of the event was the traditional catered Dickies BBQ dinner held Saturday night. This is always a favorite event that everyone looks forward to. We enjoy brisket, beans, potato salad, and other goodies as well (did I say peach cobbler?). It’s a time we look forward to for socializing, comradery and resting after a busy day of being in the sun, wind and setting up large antennas. We thank the ARESDEC NPO for sponsoring the event.
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Mother Nature made things interesting all three days. We experienced classic Colorado summer conditions — mostly sunny skies drifting toward partly cloudy, temperatures climbing to a high near 94°F, and an outside chance of afternoon thunderstorms keeping everyone alert. The bigger challenge, though, was the wind: brisk conditions persisted throughout the weekend, with gusts sustained in the 15–25 mile-per-hour range. That meant extra attention to guy-lines, mast stability, and tent security, as operators worked to keep antennas upright and stations powered through conditions that could have tested even a permanent installation. It turned into one more real-world test of exactly the skills Field Day is designed to sharpen — because emergencies don’t wait for calm weather, and neither did this team.
None of it would have run as smoothly without support from outside the ham radio community itself. Special thanks go to the Douglas County Parks and Trails Department — their rangers’ helpfulness and support didn’t stop at the gate; it carried through all three days, giving the ARESDEC team the confidence to focus on operations rather than logistics. We appreciate their participation in our technical workshop and even jumping on the air at our GOTA station. It’s fun to watch people get on the air for the first time.
Community Impact
Field Day is more than a tradition — it’s one of the most important training exercises ARES volunteers do all year. Every station operated, every contact logged, and every new operator introduced at the GOTA station builds real capacity for the moments when amateur radio isn’t a hobby, it’s a lifeline. When conventional communications fail during emergencies — whether from severe weather, infrastructure damage, or overloaded networks — it’s operators with exactly this kind of hands-on experience who step in to keep information flowing between agencies, shelters, and first responders. Running four stations across HF, VHF, and UHF bands, in real wind and real heat, isn’t just practice for practice’s sake; it’s a rehearsal for exactly the conditions ARES volunteers might face when it counts.
The partnership with the Douglas County Parks and Trails Department also points to something bigger: the kind of relationship-building that makes future events possible. Having a supportive local government partner willing to host an event like this at a public space like Rueter-Hess Reservoir is not something to take for granted, and it lays the groundwork for continued collaboration on future exercises and community events throughout the region. As ARESDEC continues to grow its ranks of trained operators, partnerships like this one make it possible to keep finding the space — literally and figuratively — to train the next generation of volunteers.
Call to Action
Field Day 2026 proved once again that Colorado’s amateur radio community is ready, capable, and welcoming to newcomers. If watching operators work CW, Digital, SSB, and GOTA stations all weekend has you curious about getting involved, there’s no better time to start. Whether you’re a licensed operator looking for a way to put your skills to use, or you’re brand new and want to see what all the excitement is about, your local ARES organization wants to hear from you.
Visit coloradoares.org to learn how you can get involved, connect with local training opportunities, and become part of a community that shows up when it matters most — rain, shine, or 30 mile-per-hour gusts.
