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LONG LAKE | During the last weekend in June, members of the Bear Bait Radio Club will participate in a national amateur radio exercise called Field Day at the Mt. Sabattis Picnic Pavilion. This year's theme is "Skill, Service, Science."
Since 1933, this yearly event has been showcasing the value of radio and amateur radio operators. Despite more modern means of communication like the Internet, its value lies in its reliability in the face of a power or communications outage. It works under any condition and from almost any location, maintaining an independent communications network.
“In today’s electronic do-it-yourself environment, ham radio remains one of the best ways for people to learn about electronics, physics, meteorology, and numerous other scientific disciplines, and is a huge asset to any community during disasters or emergencies if the standard communication infrastructure goes down,” said Bob Inderbitzen, spokesperson for ARRL (American Radio Relay League), which represents ham operators across the country. “(It) functions completely independent of the Internet or cell phone infrastructure, can interface with laptops or smartphones, and can be set up almost anywhere in minutes. That’s the beauty of amateur radio during a communications outage.”
Anyone can be a licensed amateur radio operator and join the more than 750,000 licensed "hams" in the United States, some as young as 9 and as old as 100.
"Skill, Service, Science" will take place Saturday, June 24, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, June 25, from 9 a.m. till noon at the Mt. Sabattis Picnic Pavilion, 6 Deerland Rd. in Long Lake. It is free and everyone is invited.
For more information about Field Day or amateur radio, contact Scott Marriam at WA2DTN1@gmail.com or visit arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio.
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