ARRL Field Day – June 28, 2026

Expected ARRL Field Day Deals

ARRL Field Day is a prime opportunity for amateur radio enthusiasts to invest in new gear and upgrade their stations. While specific 2027 promotions are yet to be announced, expect retailers like DX Engineering, Ham Radio Outlet, and Gigaparts to offer discounts on transceivers, antennas, and accessories. Manufacturers such as Icom, Yaesu, and Kenwood often feature special bundles or rebates during this period. Additionally, look for deals on portable power solutions from brands like Goal Zero and Jackery, essential for off-grid operations. We will update this page with confirmed live deals as June approaches.

History of ARRL Field Day

The first ARRL Field Day was held on the second Saturday in June 1933. The winner of the contest was the W4PAW team who scored 1876 points. The initial event, organized by F. E Handy, was such a hit with the amateur radio community that it became an annual tradition, with 1942 through to 1945 being the only years that Field Day hasn’t been held, due to World War II. 

For many, the big draw of Field Day is the competition–a high-frequency dash to make contact with as many stations as possible. The rules state that if setup commences before the contest starts then participants have 24 hours to chase their contacts, whereas those who commenced set up as the contest started have 27 hours. In 1968 the rules were changed and it became mandatory for everyone to set up within the 27-hour timeframe, but the change proved unpopular and it was readjusted again in 1969 to the rules that are used today. 

Each station will exchange information with other participating stations. For the North American Field Day, the exchange consists of the station call sign; the name of the ARRL-recognized section from which the station is operating (called Grid Square); and a class designator which indicates the type of location (whether in a vehicle, outdoors, or in a home), the number of people operating and number of transmitters being used, plus information about the type of electrical power source connected to (conventional or emergency sources like batteries, solar, generator, wind, etc.). The event is now widely sponsored by the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) and has begun to spread its wings overseas in many countries.

The contest portion of Field Day has two purposes: The primary purpose is to test the group’s ability to plan operations that can be effective for an entire twenty-four-hour period, including operator endurance and adequate numbers of operators for a shift operation. The secondary purpose is to demonstrate the technical proficiency of the station that has been quickly constructed for the contacts: In theory, a better station will be capable of emergency operations in dire conditions; such a station will also be capable of making more contacts during the contest portion of Field Day. Point systems are structured to motivate emergency preparedness activities, such as designating a safety officer for the station or incorporating auxiliary power capabilities.

Although many amateur radio enthusiasts work hard to win the contest in their entry category, the social side of the event has grown over the years too. Camping and cookouts are commonplace, with those operating the radios in rotating shifts to keep the stations on the air.

Field Day is frequently used to attract significant publicity for amateur radio, and some clubs simultaneously demonstrate technologies including single-sideband voice, Morse code, older and new digital modes alike (such as RTTY, PSK31, and FT8, among others), and even two-way communication via amateur radio satellite.