Thunder Bay Amateur Radio Club members will be at Field Day starting at 2 p.m. Saturday at the fairgrounds. Above, TBARC member Jerry makes a contact while TBARC member Jim enters it into the log.

Thunder Bay Amateur Radio Club will be participating in Field Day, Amateur Radio’s Open House, starting at 2 p.m. on Saturday, and going through the night into Sunday.

The public is welcome to stop by the Alpena County Fairgrounds on Saturday afternoon and evening, where the club will be set up for portable operation. The American Radio Relay League’s Field Day has been an annual event since 1933, and it is the single most popular on-the-air amateur radio event held annually in the U.S. and Canada. Each year, more than 40,000 radio amateurs gather with their clubs, groups or simply with friends to operate from remote locations.

The objective of field day is to work as many stations as possible on any and all amateur radio bands. This event helps participants learn to operate in abnormal situations in less than optimal conditions.

A premium is placed on developing skills to meet the challenges of emergency preparedness, as well as to acquaint the general public with the capabilities of amateur radio. Ham radio has been called into action again and again to provide communications in crises when it really matters. Amateur radio people (also called “hams”) are well-known for their communications support in real disaster and post-disaster situations.

Field day is an opportunity to demonstrate amateur radio to the organizations that it might serve in an emergency, as well as the general public. Field day visitors can experience the excitement of ham radio first-hand and see the “hams” in action.