Learning Unit 10 - Why use Amateur Radio?

Objectives: Following completion of this Learning Unit, you will understand why Amateur Radio is so important during emergencies and disasters. You will also learn how emergency communications compares with other Amateur Radio activities.

Information:

Since Amateur Radio equipment does not rely on wires and communications facilities provided by common carriers and phone companies, it is immune to disruptions with the telephone system. Licensed Radio Amateurs use a wide range of radio bands, each one with its particular strength in overcoming the barriers to radio communications. VHF (Very High Frequency -- 144 MHz) and UHF (Ultra High Frequency -- 440 MHz) radios are small and portable with lots of channels to handle a multitude of short-range communications.

HF (High Frequency) can propagate over mountains and valleys and between islands to provide coverage beyond VHF and UHF. Hams can use a wide range of communications modes, whether TV, data, voice or Morse code to exchange messages. The very nature of the Amateur Radio service encourages amateurs to learn how to make contacts, regardless of the challenges that may abound.

Amateur Radio operators are naturally distributed throughout the community, near schools, churches and park facilities which are often used for evacuation shelters. Many companies have Amateur Radio operators within their employment. They may already be near the scene of the trouble area and can respond. Should for any reason, a section of the town or city be devastated, there is enough equipment and operators ready in other parts of the community to respond.

Regardless of the specific brand and model of radio equipment, amateurs using the same frequency bands and modes can communicate with each other. Amateur Radio has more flexibility in the frequencies, range, modes, and kinds of persons with whom one many communicate -- which is the experiential advantage of Amateur Radio.

Hams are already licensed and pre-authorized to communicate internationally into and out of places hard hit during natural disasters. Amateur Radio operators are allowed to run higher power than other licensed and unlicensed personal radio services such as Citizen Band (CB) and the Family Radio Service (FRS) and have more flexibility with the equipment. Therefore, hams can communicate over greater distances.

Amateur Radio operators generally use their equipment regularly, which verifies that it's maintained and operational. Some of the equipment includes hand-held portables or mobiles installed in vehicles. The Amateur Radio operators are familiar with the operation and capabilities of their equipment, and how to overcome obstacles to radio communications that may exist within their neighborhood.

Why the Phone Company may not operate during emergencies:

Communications between agencies and the general public are handled by common carriers such as phone, paging and Internet companies. Phone companies invest large amounts of monies into equipment that provide reliable phone service, including durable and secure buildings, highly reliable phone switches, diesel generators, large banks of batteries. Cellular, paging and Internet companies in turn, rely on communications services provided by the phone companies.

These phone systems (a) are sized for the peaks in regular daily usage, not peaks in emergency usage due to economics, (b) usually rely on copper or fiber optic cables that when exposed are prone to damage during high winds and storm conditions, and (c) are usually not portable and reliable enough to respond to the demands of the emergency. These are the most common reasons why normal public communication needs are not met during emergencies.

How does amateur radio emergency communications compare with other amateur radio activities? Emergency communications uses basic skills and activities as a foundation. Amateur Radio operators will find that much of emergency communications borrows from existing aspects within our hobby. For example, each operator is federally licensed after a period of study and examination on varying levels of technical, operating and regulatory knowledge. Each operator routinely uses that privilege to practice and build upon the ability to communicate via radio.

One uses general operating practices to converse on repeaters and HF. National Traffic System (NTS) practice offers skill sets for passing formal traffic efficiently and accurately. Contesting emphasizes speed, listening skills and endurance. Field Day offers the chance to practice operating out of tents, handling radios powered by generators. Public Service events let us practice flexible communications practices while walking around serving a public event. These are some of the ways that regular Amateur Radio activities resemble skills used for emergency communications.

Emergency communications builds upon and extends this foundation in ways that normally do not occur in regular daily living, and are present only during times of emergency or disaster. Unlike public service events that are scheduled and planned in advance, emergency communicators are often activated with little or no previous warning to organize and coordinate field operations.

Unlike public service events where the communicators serve primarily under the direction of one lead organization, emergency communicators must handle several key organizations simultaneously. Unlike NTS which may have one or two nets, emergency communicators are often dealing with several nets simultaneously to pass messages within a limited timeframe.

Unlike repeaters and tower installations, stations must be portable and must be set up and operational in a matter of minutes or at most, a couple of hours. Unlike contesting which involves contacting any station for points, emergency communicators are looking for specific stations to contact now, to pass traffic. Teamwork, not competition between stations, rules the day.

Unlike Field Day, where one can plan on a single 24- or 27-hour operation, emergency operations are likely to continue for at least several days. Unlike general Amateur Radio activities, emergency operations happen in real-time. Things can't be delayed. Unlike general Amateur Radio activities, which involve primarily Amateur Radio operators, emergency communications involves both amateurs and non-amateurs alike.

Unlike commercial communications solutions, where there is no reserve for handling an instantaneously massive increase in communications needs, emergency communicators have the equipment, skill and knowledge to innovatively manufacture additional communications capacity in very short order.