The Tamaqua Wireless Association will hold its annual Field Day event from 2 p.m. Saturday to 2 p.m. Sunday at the Schroeder’s Family Tree Farm, 555 Tuscarora Mountain Dr., Barnesville.

“It will go for 24 hours straight,” said James Munley, the group’s public information officer.

Field Day is a nationwide emergency communications exercise for amateur radio operators. Operators practice setting up stations away from home, using temporary antennas and emergency power sources. The event is also a way for the public to learn more about the association and receive some hands-on experience.

“We will have four different stations that will be set up doing four different types of communication,” Munley said.

There will be several high-frequency (HF) stations and one “get on the air” (GOTA) station.

With the GOTA station, people can try their luck at contacting others who are on the air.

“You can be talking to Argentina or Germany - or you can be talking to someone local in Schuylkill Haven,” Munley said.

There will be members to explain radio operating procedures, and the importance of having trained operators in times of an emergency or natural disasters, he said.

Food and light refreshments will be available.

Karen Putt, the group’s activities coordinator, is organizing the event. Last year’s Field Day was held at the Owl Creek reservoirs.

The Tamaqua group of amateur radio operators started after major flooding occurred in August, 1955. The goal was to have individuals trained and ready to provide emergency communications in the event of another devastating flood.

The volunteer group works with the Schuylkill County Emergency Management Agency as additional lines of communication during emergencies and disaster.

For more information, visit w3twa.org or call Munley at 570-728-7737.