MVARA Field Day is Saturday and Sunday

Staff report

CANFIELD

In cooperation with Mill Creek MetroParks, radio operators from the Mahoning Valley Amateur Radio Association will show the public how amateur radio – or ham radio – responds to public communications needs in times of emergencies from noon Saturday until 2 p.m. Sunday.

Ham operators will set up multiple stations at the Mill Creek MetroParks Farm, 7574 Columbiana-Canfield Road, and operate for 24 hours on power supplied from stand-alone generators, batteries and solar power.

The emergency-preparedness exercise is called Field Day and is a yearly event in the U.S. and Canada put together by the American Radio Relay League.

The ARRL’s Field Day shows the public how amateur radio can quickly provide emergency communications. Stations complete with sophisticated computer systems, antennas and power distribution are assembled quickly to make contact with thousands of other stations nationwide completely independent of domestic power and support.

The ARRL estimates that more than 35,000 hams participate in Field Day every year. There are more than 725,000 licensed amateur-radio operators in the U.S. The Mahoning Valley Amateur Radio Association was founded in 1919, making it one of the oldest amateur-radio clubs. For information, visit www.mvara.org.