The Gwinnett County Amateur Radio Society (GARS) and Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) groups will be demonstrating Amateur Radio at Sweetwater Park, 800 Bethesda School Road, Lawrenceville, 30044 on June 23 and 24, according to a news release.

Operations begin at 2 pm and continue for 24 hours. This will be part of a national deployment and demonstration.

The public is invited to come and see "Ham Radio’s" new capabilities and learn how to get their own FCC radio license before the next disaster strikes.

During emergencies such as Hurricane Katrina, Amateur Radio – often called “Ham Radio” - was often the ONLY way people could communicate, and hundreds of volunteer “hams” traveled south to save lives and property.

When trouble is brewing, Amateur Radio’s people are often the first to provide rescuers with critical information and communications.

There are over 650,000 Amateur Radio licensees in the U.S., and more than 2.5 million around the world.  Through the ARRL’s Amateur Radio Emergency Services program, ham volunteers provide emergency communications for thousands of state and local emergency response agencies, all for free.

To learn more about Amateur Radio, go to www.emergency-radio.org