What is Amateur Radio?
The amateur radio service is for
licensed individuals interested in self-training, communication with other
amateur stations, and technical investigations. It is for persons
interested in radio technique solely with a personal aim and without pecuniary
or commercial interest.
Amateur radio operators may provide voluntary noncommercial
communication service to the public, including emergency communications.
Amateur radio operators provide this service by relaying messages when
traditional lines of communications are not working. No amateur station
shall transmit communications for hire or for material compensation, or
communications in which the station licensee or control operator has a pecuniary
interest, including communications on behalf of an employer.
Messages may be transmitted on behalf of unlicensed individuals, at the discretion of the amateur station license. These messages are referred to as third party communications. The FCC’s rules permit an amateur station to transmit messages for a third party to any other amateur station within the jurisdiction of the United States. Amateur stations in the United States may transmit third party communications to amateur stations outside the Unites States under certain circumstances.
Amateur Radio Organizations
During emergencies, amateur radio operators coordinate through formal and informal groups referred to as "networks" or "nets." At the state level, amateur radio operators are often involved with state emergency management operations. At the national level, many amateur operators participate in at least one organization.At the national level, some amateur radio operators participate in at least one organization. ARES, the Amateur Radio Emergency Service, is an organization of amateur radio operators overseen by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL). These amateur radio operators train to provide communications during emergency events. Many ARES members complete training offered by ARRL and provide emergency services through the ARRL’s local and regional emergency communication’s organization. Additional information about ARES is available from the ARRL.
- ARES,
the Amateur Radio Emergency Service, is an organization of amateur radio
operators overseen by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL).
These amateur radio operators train to provide communications during
emergency events. Many ARES members complete training offered by ARRL and
provide emergency services through the ARRL’s local and regional emergency
communication’s organization. Additional information about ARES is
available from ARRL.
- RACES
was established by the FCC in 1952. RACES was envisioned to be a
temporary service to provide radio communication for civil defense purposes.
It is administered by local, county, and state civil defense organizations
and is supported by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as well
as the FCC. The rules that apply to RACES are in Section 97.407 of the
Commission’s Rules. All communications transmitted in RACES must be
specifically authorized by the civil defense organization for the area
served and only certain types of civil defense communications may be
transmitted.
- SKYWARN
is a group of highly trained volunteers utilized by the National Weather
Service (NWS) as weather spotters. The program was developed in the early
1970s to promote cooperation between communities and the NWS. Skywarn
volunteers typically obtain local weather information about wind gusts, hail
size rainfall, and cloud formations that could signal a developing tornado
or another weather-related emergency and report this information to the NWS.
Skywarn volunteers who are amateur radio operators often assist in the
distribution of NWS information to alert the public of incoming
weather-related emergencies.
- HEART,
the Hospital Emergency Amateur Radio Team,
is one of only a half-dozen ARES groups that specialize in providing
volunteer services to hospitals during emergencies. Such specialization is
important because working in a hospital can be much different than working
in other business or civic sectors. As in all situations in which emergency
communications are necessary, the amateur radio operators assisting
hospitals must be quick, brief, and highly accurate. However, they must also
know something about the medical terminology often encountered in a message.
Moreover, the volunteer relaying the information must be prepared to
experience and cope with emergency medical care in a trauma setting,
particularly when a mass casualty incident occurs.
What do Amateur Radio operators do during and after disasters?
Amateur Radio operators set up and operate organized communication networks locally for governmental and emergency officials, as well as non-commercial communication for private citizens affected by the disaster. Amateur Radio operators are most likely to be active after disasters that damage regular lines of communications due to power outages and destruction of telephone, cellular and other infrastructure-dependent systems.
How do Amateur Radio operators help local officials?
Many radio amateurs are active as communications volunteers with local public safety organizations. In addition, in some disasters, radio frequencies are not coordinated among relief officials and Amateur Radio operators step in to coordinate communication when radio towers and other elements in the communications infrastructure are damaged.
What are the major Amateur Radio emergency organizations?
Amateur Radio operators have informal and formal groups to coordinate communication during emergencies. At the local level, hams may participate in local emergency organizations, or organize local "traffic nets" using VHF (very high frequencies) and UHF (ultra high frequencies). At the state level, hams are often involved with state emergency management operations. In addition, hams operate at the national level through the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES), which is coordinated through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and through the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), which is coordinated through the American Radio Relay League and its field volunteers. In addition, addition, many hams are involved in Skywarn, operating under the National Weather Service.
Is Amateur Radio recognized as a resource by national relief organizations?
Many national organizations have formal agreements with the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and other Amateur Radio groups including:
- Department of Homeland Security -- Citizen Corps
- Federal Emergency Management Agency
- National Communications System
- American Red Cross
- Salvation Army
- National Weather Service
- Association of Public Safety Communications Officials
What are some examples of emergencies involving Amateur Radio?
|
|
The Field Day Story
For 76 years, Amateur Radio operators across the country have been providing emergency communications when other systems failed or overloaded in a crisis. Each year they take their equipment into unusual locations to test and make sure Ham Radio will always be there to get the message through. This year, is their the 76th anniversary “Field Day” as thousands of Ham Radio operators will be showing off their emergency capabilities.
Over the past year, the news has been full of reports of ham radio operators providing critical communications in emergencies world-wide. During 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, ham radio people are often the first to provide critical information and communications. On the weekend of June 28-29,2008. The public will have a chance to meet and talk with these ham radio operators and see for themselves what the Amateur Radio Service is about. Showing the newest digital and satellite capabilities, voice communications and even historical Morse code, hams from across the USA will be holding public demonstrations of emergency communications abilities.
This annual event, called "Field Day" is the climax of the week long "Amateur Radio Week" sponsored by the ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio. Using only emergency power supplies, ham operators will construct emergency stations in parks, shopping malls, schools and back yards around the country. Their slogan, "Ham radio works when other systems don't! " is more than just words to the hams as they prove they can send messages in many forms without the use of phone systems, internet or any other infrastructure that can be compromised in a crisis. More than 30,000 amateur radio operators across the country participated in last year's event.
We hope that people will come and see for themselves, this is not your grandfather's radio anymore. The communications networks that ham radio people can quickly create have saved many lives in the past months when other systems failed or were overloaded.
To find a group in your own home area, go to www.arrl.org/findaclub and see who will be demonstrating Amateur Radio in your community. Clubs invite the public to come and see ham radio’s capabilities and learn how to get their own FCC radio license before the next disaster strikes.
There are 660,000 Amateur Radio operators in the US, and more than 2.5 million around the world. Through the ARRL, ham volunteers provide emergency communications for the DHS Citizens' Corps, Red Cross, Salvation Army, FEMA and thousands of state and local agencies, all for free.
To learn more about Amateur Radio, go to www.emergency-radio.org . The public is most cordially invited to come, meet and talk with the hams. See what modern Amateur Radio can do. They can even help you get on the air!