Amateur radio club holding field day

N7WAH Wahkiakum Amateur Radio Club will hold an amateur radio 24-hour-long field day June 23-24, and the public is invited to observe.

The Wahkiakum County board of commissioners on Tuesday issued a proclamation declaring the week of June 18-24 as Amateur Radio Week in Wahkiakum County.

All volunteer amateur radio enthusiasts, often called ‘hams," the group provides backup communication to many organizations during natural disasters and emergencies. They also provide free communication for parades, walk-a-thons, fairs and other public events, and many members serve as weather spotters for the National Weather Service.

During the field day, operators will attempt to contact people around the world to test their equipment.

Group member Ron Wright said Tuesday they will test a 5 watt radio powered by solar panels and batteries; they would like to be able to rely on a low power unit during a disaster. Their talk-in frequency is 145.55.

The field day will start at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 23, and run for 24 hours. They'll have a potluck barbecue Saturday evening. The equipment will be set up on the baseball fields adjacent to the Wahkiakum High School football stadium.