KENT - Tom Poole was 18 when he caught the bug for ham radio. A friend used his amateur radio to call his home phone. Poole was stunned when it rang.

"I was hooked," he said.

That was more than 30 years ago. Yesterday, Poole was one of thousands of licensed amateur radio operators - who call each other simply "hams" - around the country who took part in the American Radio Relay League's annual Field Day, where clubs show how ham radio operators can continue to communicate when disaster strikes - either natural or man-made.

The Putnam Emergency and Amateur Repeater League, or PEARL, set up its demonstration in Putnam County Veterans Memorial Park. Using a generator for power, radios and laptops were set up at stations around a storage shed, and members of the club tried to connect with operators around the country. Lines ran to a 30-foot antenna on a trailer outside.

"This is preparing for operating under adverse conditions," said Bob Schneider, PEARL's chairman and technical director. "It's a test of a club's ability to set up emergency communications in the event of a disaster."

That can run the gamut from hurricanes to terrorism. After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, ham radio operators were able to communicate messages to emergency workers and agencies when other communications systems failed.

Ham operators received commendations from Congress for their efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

More than 1,500 clubs nationwide have set up in parks and schools for 24 hours, from 2 p.m. yesterday to 2 p.m. today, for the demonstration.

Communication can take the form of everything from Morse code to digital and satellite transmissions.

"It's basically the ARRL saying take all your toys someplace and let's see what you can do," Schneider said.

But ham radio operation is not all about the doom and gloom of terrorism and natural disasters.

Poole said it's a way to talk to people all over the globe with the flick of a switch. There's something cool about using a handheld antenna to bounce a radio signal off the moon so you can talk with someone in far-flung places, he said.

And on Field Day, there's more than the crackle of radio signals and voices from all over the country. There's also the food.

Schneider arrived late yesterday with homemade Spanish food his wife had cooked for everyone.

"We eat very well," said Poole, the club's membership director.

Schneider slapped his belly in agreement.

"Though not as well as the guys in Westchester," he said. "I heard they had lobster."

Reach Timothy O'Connor at tpoconnor@lohud.com or 914-694-3523.