A demonstration of the effectiveness of amateur radio communication in Bermuda is to be held in Hamilton today.

At Albuoy?s Point, members of the public have the chance to see how quickly a temporary radio broadcast and receiving station can be created and tuned in to communicate with people as far away as Australia and Japan.

The Radio Society of Bermuda is holding a field day to demonstrate the continued usefulness of amateur radio even in today?s world of cell phones, walkie-talkies and the Internet.

A small radio station with an antenna capable of communicating with the rest of the world will be rigged-up in the morning and remain in place for the day to allow the public to see for themselves what it is all about.

Amateur radio has played a role in Bermudian life since the 1940s, and current Society president Miriam Callabras has a licence that was issued to a radio-user on the Island in 1946.

In times of emergency, such as during a hurricane, when other communication networks can be put out of action by damage and power cuts, amateur radio operators come into their own, able to rig-up broadcasting and receiving equipment within a short space of time and using portable generators for power as happened most recently in the aftermath of 2003?s Hurricane Fabian.

It is that kind of rapid ability to fill a vital role in times of adversity that helps keep amateur radio relevant in today?s world despite the evolution of other forms of mass communication.

Mrs. Callabras hopes members of the public will come along to find out more about amateur radio.

She explained that every Monday evening the Island?s radio enthusiasts can speak to one another across the airwaves when a ?net? is created allowing everyone to call in or simply listen as upcoming events are discussed from radio users as far apart as Somerset and St. George?s.

It was members for the Radio Society of Bermuda who manned a radio station at St. David?s lighthouse to receive the official communications of the Newport-Bermuda yacht race competitors as they crossed the finish line, and the group?s members also provide radio communication during the International Race Weekend marathon and associated running events.

During a time of crisis, such as when a hurricane that knocks out other forms of communication, the amateur radio network comes into its own.

Emergency Measures Organisation volunteers are amongst the Society?s members and, in emergency situations, can provide equipment and access to high frequency equipment for the likes of the Police service when all other communication is knocked out.

Asked why the 50 or so members of the Society continue to use radio receiving equipment when there are so many alternatives available, Mrs. Callabras said: ?We are the die-hards. We have clawed our way up and gained the necessary qualifications, learning basic electronics and how to decipher Morse Code at a speed of at least five words a minute.

?We have honed those skills and we keep those skills in practice every Monday evening during the ?net? session.?

Technological advancement has also allowed even those using low power equipment for local communication to reach similar ?local users? across the globe through a combination of computer link-ups and satellite signal relays.