Submitted photo Mahoning Valley Amateur Radio Association member Rich Schmidt puts up a portable antenna during a field day event at the Mill Creek MetroParks Farm in Canfield.

CANFIELD — Who do safety forces turn to during a disaster or emergency?

The first thing that needs to be established is communication — and that is where amateur radio operators shine. They provide communications when all else fails by using solar power, generators and mobile radio service.

On Saturday and Sunday, the Mill Creek MetroParks Farm in Canfield will host the

Mahoning Valley Amateur Radio Association’s annual field day exercise. The public is welcome to check out the advancements made in the amateur radio hobby.

“We provide a free service, namely communications,” MVARA spokesman Frank Sole said. “We are the minuteman of communications and we often work with emergency management, the Red Cross, the Salvation Army and disaster relief (agencies).”

The MVARA is one of the oldest amateur radio organizations in the world, founded in 1919. The organization also has been taking part in the nationwide field day since 1933, according to MVARA history.

“During World War II, amateur radio operators contributed to the war effort,” Sole said. “A good many operators were given jobs with the military and following the war, many came out of the service with radio knowledge.”

Keeping the field day going across the nation helped ensure ready communications in any situation, according to Sole. That exercise continues today, but things have changed somewhat from the days of the radio tube set.

Soles said field day is the MVARA’s ham radio open house. Ham is a widely accepted name for amateur radio operators. The open house is actually one of many that happens on Saturday. An estimated 40,000-plus hams around North America will be setting up stations.

“We will do five voice stations, one for Morse code, and one digital station,” Sole said. “We have one club member who can connect with satellites, which are made by amateur radio operators.”

Sole said the public could talk on a radio to the other side of the nation. Visitors also can see how easy it is to obtain a ham radio license. In fact, Sole said the MVARA holds classes to ensure a newcomer can pass the test to get licensed.

The field day also is a great place to see the latest technology and how ham radios work today. All the radios at the farm will be functioning off a generator or solar and battery power, according to Sole.

“We want to show the public what we do,” Sole said. “We are usually behind the scenes. Anyone remotely interested should come out and see how we could help get them licensed. We also need to get the young people on board.”

MVARA President Scott Wilton said the club has 60 members, but he agreed with Sole that more young people are needed to keep the ham radio hobby going strong. He is hoping to see more interest at this weekend’s event.

The MVARA Field Day will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday and will run continuously for 24 hours, ending at 2 p.m. Sunday.