Glen Clayton, left, shows Representative Eric Watson the ropes of operating an amateur radio Saturday.
CLEVELAND, Tenn. — The Cleveland Amateur Radio Club is reaching out this morning to ham radio operators across the United States.
They gathered Saturday at Red Clay State Historical Area to be part of a national “field day” of making contacts and testing equipment. The 24-hour exercise started at 2 p.m. Saturday and ends this afternoon.
The annual field day simulates problems amateur radio operators might face after a natural disaster, such as loss of electricity or telephone service.
“The goal is to contact as many other operations as we can,” said club President Derek Wooley.
Along with providing communications in disasters, ham radio operators in Bradley, Hamilton and other counties in the region help with public events, Wooley said. That includes Habitat for Humanity’s Bike to Build bicycle road race each year, the annual Cherokee Days of Recognition at the park and area search and rescue missions, he said.