The meeting room at North Augusta Public Safety Station No. 2 was quiet, except for a few muted voices and the sound of a message being transmitted in Morse code over a radio.

"That was someone with the club I was with in Virginia," Steve Czaikowski said as he wrote down letters corresponding to the dots and dashes that came over the radio.

Members of the North Augusta-Belvedere Radio Club demonstrated the use of amateur radios at the field event June 28-29 at the public safety station.

"The American Radio Relay Leagues have field days the fourth weekend of June," club secretary Carl Brossard said.

Club members set up a portable field radio station, operating the equipment on generators and using portable antennae, as they might do in an emergency situation.

Even in this high-tech age of cell phones and the Internet, amateur radio operators have found a niche.

"With Hurricane Katrina, in floods and tornadoes, cell towers can be destroyed," Mr. Brossard said.

An amateur radio station can be up in less than 30 minutes.

Locally, radio operators have been called on during events such as a lightning strike several years ago that knocked out power at the public safety dispatcher's office.

Boots Boyce, of Warrenville, has a different focus. A tornado chaser, Ms. Boyce uses the Internet and radios to track weather conditions. She's part of a private group that compiles data for the National Weather Service.

Reed Miller brought his two sons to the field day to expose them to something new.

Nathaniel, 9, and Alexander, 7, are Cub Scouts. Scouts were invited to take part in the activities.

"They only meet during the school year. This is an optional activity," Mr. Miller said.

The radio club has about 20 active members. Its meetings are held over the airwaves. Knowledge of Morse code is not necessary. To learn more, contact Mr. Brossard at aj4au@arrl.net.