The phrase, K6 Pappa Alpha Charlie, could be heard repeatedly at McBean Park this weekend as 36 ham-radio operators converged in the park.

Western Placer Amateur Radio Club members participated in a nationwide field day Saturday and Sunday to show how amateur radios, or hams, can be used during emergencies, according to Al Savery, a member of the radio club.

Club members are from cities, including Lincoln, Rocklin and Yuba City.

The wireless radio operators, all males, stationed themselves in the park from 11 a.m. on Saturday morning until 10:30 a.m. Sunday morning. Eight members stayed the entire time, according to the club’s training coordinator, Roger Brunnquell.

“Once a year, hams get together all over the United States and Canada. It’s a chance to practice and train,” Brunnquell said. “We made contact later in the evening to Japan, New Zealand and Australia.”

The club set up five short-wave radio stations using emergency power such as batteries and solar panels. The field day was to demonstrate how the radios could be used to communicate in an emergency situation when phone systems and Internet are not available due to an emergency.

“The goal is to operate without electricity, using solar power, batteries or generators to show if there was a disaster and no power, we could still communicate,” said Jeff Engle, a club member and ham radio operator.

Steve Otoole, a board member and founding member from Lincoln, said ham radio is like “an AM broadcast” with the ability to talk back and forth.

Operating a ham radio involves having a license through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the appropriate equipment.

The Western Placer Amateur Radio Club has helped out in the city of Lincoln during fires, and has helped police direct traffic when needed, according to Frank Loomis, vice president of the club.

The News Messenger visited the hams at noon Saturday, and despite the heat, the men seemed to enjoy the company of one another as they set up equipment and contacted other hams around the country and world.

“It’s a lot of fun and gives us the chance to talk to other ham radio operators,” Engle said.

Brunquell said he likes the “magic and the mystery” of using a ham radio to communicate.

“It’s like fishing. You never know if you’re going to catch Australia or India. Depending on band conditions, you never know who you’ll get,” Brunquell said.

Loomis said he likes the aspect of making new friends.

“I enjoy listening to different people talking and you can make new friends that way,” Loomis said. “It’s like a pen pal; you can talk to people all over the world.”

Those who visited the park to see what the club members were doing had a chance to talk over the radio to another ham radio operator in another state or country.

“We want them to talk, to get the experience,” Brunnquell said. “We want folks to get on the air.”

The News Messenger was able to speak with someone from Arizona, and was taken off guard a bit when the man on the other end of the radio responded with a “73” and an “88.”

Steve Harding of Lincoln told The News Messenger that 73 stands for best wishes and the 88 was code for “hugs and kisses.”

“You should feel flattered,” Harding said. “Ham radio operators enjoy talking to women on the radio because there are so few of them.”