The Tamaqua Wireless Association Inc. will hold its annual field day exercises this weekend at Schroeder’s Tree Farm in Barnesville.

The 24-hour event will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday and end at 2 p.m. Sunday from the rear of the 555 Tuscarora Mountain Dr. property.

Jim Munley, the nonprofit group’s spokesman, said those who attend the public event will have the opportunity to learn more about the amateur radio organization and the equipment it uses.

Amateur radio, or ham radio, doesn’t rely on the infrastructure used by other modes of communication, such as cellphones. It’s often used in emergency situations, when all other communications are down.

“There will be different demonstrations on communications. There will be different stations,” Munley said. “They are going to do digital communications.”

Munley said the ham radio operators will try to contact as many stations as possible during the event.

“They will be talking to stations overseas as well as local stations in Pennsylvania and across the United States,” he said.

Last year, they made contact with 316 other stations.

“On Field Day, they’ve contacted people in South America and Canada. They go all over,” he said. “It’s a worldwide thing.”

Once they make contact, they ask what type of radio and power the others are using.

Munley said that when the Tamaqua club uses QRP, or very low power, it can potentially reach “anywhere in the world.”

Attendees can participate, he said.

“They plan on having a GOTA - a get on the air station,” he said. “What they do is send out a CQ, which means ‘seek you’. They put out their call sign and somebody will get back to them.”

Munley said the group will set up long-wire and vertical antennas, much like it would do in an emergency situation. The group started after major flooding occurred in Tamaqua in the summer of 1955. Local amateur radio operators were trained to provide communications in the event of another devastating flood or emergency.

here will be light food and refreshments.

For more information, visit www.W3TWA.org or contact Munley at 570-728-7737.