Most of the time, amateur radio or ham radio, is a hobby that lets techies from around the world connect to chat about everything from apples to zip lines.

But during the last weekend in June, ham radio operators, or hams, from all around the country dial into Field Day, an emergency communication exercise to show that when the power is cut, when the networks are down and when all else fails, they can still get the word through.

Members of the Granite State Amateur Radio Association, GSARA, were among the more than 30,000 hams who set up makeshift radio stations powered by only batteries and generators. From the small clubhouse in Bedford's Legacy Park, the Granite State hams spent nearly 24 hours contacting fellow hams in as many other states as possible.

“You set out and prove you can do it,” said Ralph Dieter who has about 60 years of ham radio experience under his belt. “You get out and you operate on emergency power and show the fact is you can still communicate.”

Ham radio operators have proven time and time again that they are the ultimate fail safe communication network. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami, ham radio operators kept the lines of communication open among emergency centers. They also transmitted messages among families and friends who had no other way to contact loved ones.

Closer to home, ham radio operators from the New Hampshire Amateur Radio Emergency Service and Eastern Rockingham County helped out when flooding from a 2007 nor'easter knocked out a power substation and left many residents of Nottingham isolated. And the hams were back relaying emergency messages in 2008 when a December ice storm left thousands of homes without power for days.

Dennis Markell, president of GSARA, said emergency response is a specialty among ham radio operators, and those groups run their own tests and exercises. But Field Day, which dates back to the 1930s, is a yearly event that lets all ham radio operators participate in a simulated emergency event.

“We need to know how to deploy quickly, and everyone needs to know where they are going, and what they're doing,” he said adding there's work involved in setting up an emergency communication center. “We have to bring in the chords, cables the radios and the power supplies.”

Markell said amateur radio clubs all have a home base to set up, usually a member's home. Most are powered by generators, some of which run on solar or wind power.

“The goal is to sustain an independent radio station for 24 hours,” he said. “It gets to be a game or a challenge.”

Although the GSARA members would step up in a heart beat if needed, most became hams because they enjoyed the technical side of radio and the ability to listen to voices from far-off places.

“I'm a nerd, a geek, and I enjoy the camaraderie,” said Bedford resident Jerry Johnson. “The fact that I could listen to someone in Australia was amazing. Now, even with the computer age, I am still amazed I am getting a signal from Australia.”

Markell said he started out as a kid listening to short wave radio as he went to sleep at night.

“I remember listening to big bad Fidel,” he said. “It was a thrill.”

Despite the onslaught of Facebook, Twitter and other online social networks ham radio clubs are attracting new members who like more of a challenge than just a few simple mouse clicks.

The 70 members of the GSARA have 700,000 fellow hams operating throughout the United States and more people now seem to be finding their way to the hobby.

“It's still a thrill,” said Markell. “On any given day you can come home from work, send your call out and you never know who you'll reach. That's the fun of it.”

btaormina@newstote.com