A group of area amateur radio enthusiasts contacted numerous individuals from around North America Saturday.

The Pella Amateur Radio Club joined more than 30,000 members of the American Radio Relay League for the group’s annual field day exercise. The group was staged at the Fifield Recreation Area at Lake Red Rock.

Club member Roger Stubbe says the simulation involved setting up antennas and equipment to simulate how to communicate in emergency situations.

“It’s said when all else fails, HAM radio gets through,” he says. “Even though the equipment is relatively low power, with the proper antennas and operating hours, you can get through and it doesn’t depend on telephone lines, internet, or any other systems.”

Kevin DeReus with the group adds that there are other areas of expertise learned through HAM Radio.

“There’s a lot of things to learn, there’s electronics, and I learned an awful lot about geography when I was in high school, I would listen to radio stations all around the world,” he says.

Hear more about the Pella Amateur Radio Club on today’s Let’s Talk Pella.