Ham radio operators in Paulding and Douglas counties will join thousands of amateur radio enthusiasts nationwide participating in the 2009 Amateur Radio Field Day this weekend.

The annual, 24-hour event, sponsored by ARRL, the national association for amateur (ham) radio, gives hams an opportunity to practice emergency communications in the field, using emergency power. More than 30,000 hams participated in the event last year.

The Paulding County Amateur Radio Club will have its Field Day activities in Paulding Meadows Park on Ga. 61, two miles north of Dallas. Operating hours will be from 2 p.m. Saturday to 2 p.m. Sunday. The Paulding club has members from both Paulding and Douglas counties.

“This is a public event held every year on the fourth weekend of June,” said Jerry W. Peel, Amateur Call KA4BDW, of Lithia Springs. “The purpose is for training, but it’s also to let the public get involved with ham radio.”

Peel said free Field Day activities will include demonstrations of various ham radio operating modes and equipment. Licensed hams will be available to give visitors a chance to talk on the air. Information on obtaining a ham radio license will also be available, he said.

Ham radio operators are often called upon to provide emergency communications when other forms of communications fail. During Hurricane Katrina in 2005, ham radio was the only link to the outside world for many storm-ravaged communities. Ham radio operators also provide volunteer aid in wildfires, tornadoes, winter storms and other natural disasters.

The U.S. has more than 650,000 licensed amateur radio operators, with more than 2.5 million hams licensed worldwide.

More information on ham radio is available online at www.arrl.org and www.emergency-radio.org. The Paulding Amateur Radio Web site is www.pauldingarc.com.