KENTS HILL – Members of the Kennebec County Amateur Radio Emergency Service will work around the clock on the weekend to set up field radio communication stations, get on the air and contact thousands of other operators in the U.S. and Canada as part of participation in the American Radio Relay League’s Field Day.

The field day will be located at Elvin’s Farm off Route 17. Setup will begin at 2 p.m. Friday, June 24.

On-the-air operations will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 25, and conclude at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 26. The public is invited.

The day is the annual “shakedown run” for the league’s national field organization. Richard R. Beausoleil, league emergency coordinator for Kennebec County, said “Field Day is a way for hams to get outdoors and have fun under some difficult conditions, but it’s also a chance to fine-tune our emergency communication skills. We use generators and battery power, and we set up antennas in the field. The idea is to put together a self-sufficient, working station quickly and begin making contact with other amateur radio stations all over the United States and Canada.”

The field organization has been effective in establishing emergency communications nets during floods, hurricanes, fires, earthquakes and other disasters or emergencies. Members of formal emergency organizations such as the Amateur Radio Emergency Service and the Radio Amateur Communication Emergency Services regularly participate.

Anyone wanting information should contact Bill Akins at 377-8607 or Gene Giddings at 897-9253.