Radio 'hams' gear up for Field Day

Anyone interested in amateur radio will have the chance to see the hobby at its best Saturday.
The Bayouland Emergency Amateur Radio Service, or BEARS, will take part in the nationwide annual ham radio Field Day, in which amateurs prove they can go into the field, transmit and receive information, and help authorities handle emergencies that might make other forms of communication impossible.
The public is invited to visit the National Field Day event, held from 2 p.m. through the night. The station is located upstairs in the old Whitney Bank Building at 201 Everett St., across from the City Hall.
The national motto describing ham radio and its success is: “When all else fails,’: meaning that when all other forms of communication are down, ham radio will work and antennas can be set up in a short period of time to start helping.
June has been declared Amateur Radio Month in Morgan City by Mayor Frank “Boo” Grizzaffi.
The Morgan City Public Library observed Amateur Radio Month with this week. On Friday,, members of BEARS are on hand in the library to answer questions and to demonstrate radios and Morse code equipment.
The club will hand out emergency evacuation cards for use by evacuees. Many times, it is not easy to find information on what is going on locally. With a method worked out with Salvation Army, the club hopes to be able to provide needed information to the person who has evacuated. Please ask for one of these cards when you visit.
In addition, the club members will be accepting personal messages from local residents. You are invited to come in, fill out a message form to send to a friend in another town or state, and this will be delivered over the air. Please bring the address and phone number of the person you wish to send a message to.
It is possible that the sender will receive a reply once the message is delivered.