PHOTOS BY CLIFF DE BEAR The Great South Bay Amateur Radio Club participated in the National Field Day Exercise late June, a two-day event that brings together operating amateur radio equipment, operators and generators for power to complete an emergency exercise.

The amateur radio emergency operators are trained radio amateurs who provide public service communications when disaster strikes. Amateur radio volunteers also serve the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES), National Traffic System (NTS) and other organizations.

Amateur Radio has consistently been the most reliable means of communications in emergencies when other systems failed or were overloaded.

At left,John (W2HCB) cranks the tower which is about to be erected to hold an antenna for distant radio communication. John is the President of the Great South Bay Amateur Radio Club. Center, Iris (KB2YEL) concentrates on a distant contact while Alice (KC2VLV) makes an adjustment to the high frequency radio on the shelf in front of her as she operates from the club’s trailer at the park (pictured at right.)

Bottom left, Jim (WA2CDK) of West Babylon and his guide dog Freedom make distant contact. Bottom right, Pete (WB2OQQ) and Brian (N2NGE) work in the shade of their tent as they talk to Russia.