WORLDWIDE
eDISPATCH
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1 DECEMBER 2008 - 1805Z
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Dedicated to Emergency Communications by RADIO
EMCOMM MONTHLY
Official
Journal of the World Radio Relay League
www.wrrl.org
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VOL. 5 -- No. 5 www.emcomm.org DECEMBER 2008
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
The EM
PHILOSOPHY
- HOLIDAY
MEMORIES
SHORT CIRCUITS - News and Announcements
FEEDBACK,
MUSINGS and SPURIOUS EMISSIONS
The EM
ADVISOR - "Q and A"
ICS
PERSPECTIVES - by
WRRL NEWS
and NETS
TRAFFIC HANDLING
NETWORK
NEWS - "N.E.T.S."
SHOW US YOUR SHACK
FEATURE - "Say Your Location" (UPDATED)
EMCOMM SPECIALTY ITEMS - Stuff for
NEW SUBSCRIBERS and CONTRIBUTORS
REFERENCE and RESOURCE SECTION
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The EM PHILOSOPHY
HOLIDAY
MEMORIES
It's the time of the year when many of us "wax nostalgic." We enjoy reflecting
upon pleasant memories of the holiday seasons of years gone by. From a time
when life was much less complicated. Our (Southern Hemisphere readers excepted)
recollections include long, cold, clear, starry nights, and tuning across the
bands listening for faint signals on our
Ocean Hopper
regenerative receiver, or
Heathkit AR-3 with its
gray fabric covered wood cabinet, or a gray metal cased Hallicrafters S-38D, and
sitting in our shack while enjoying a cup of coffee or hot chocolate with a
marshmallow slowly dissolving.
I first got seriously interested in shortwave radio in 1955. (I was 13.)
Information was hard to find.
Popular Mechanics
occasionally ran articles on radio construction, and
Popular
Electronics was new on the scene. In December of 1955
after finishing my newspaper route for the day, I stopped in at Pringle's Drug
Store on the corner of Fourth and Broadway. I was becoming a young
man, and comic books were beginning to become passé. On the back of the
rack of magazines I spotted
RADIO &
TELEVISION NEWS. The
"World's Leading Electronics
Magazine." On the cover, was a picture of a ham radio
operator, seated comfortably between a Christmas tree and a spectacular looking
console radio station. A wintery scene was visible through a
floor-to-ceiling window, and a 24 hour GMT clock was on the wall along with a
display of QSL cards.
The cover proclaimed
SINGLE-SIDEBAND SYSTEMS with an arrow pointing at the scene.
That "sold" me! I took the magazine to the counter and dug deep in my
jeans pocket for the 35 cents, made my purchase, went outside and tucked my
new-found treasure in my
The Register
canvas newspaper carry bags on my Schwinn bicycle leaning against a parking
meter on the sidewalk.
Later that night, in the warm sanctuary of my room, I read about that station,
and what it would be like to own one. When I read the two page article deep in
the magazine, it said the complete factory-built unit was "The New Hallicrafters
SR-500 station - comprised of an SX-100 receiver, an HT-30 exciter, and an HT-31
linear amplifier." It was all neatly contained in a desk-console,
and boasted of a "key-lock to prevent unauthorized operation." Wow!
No unauthorized person would ever be able to mess around with "my" radio!
(That is...if I ever had one.)
A few days later, I took
the magazine to school and shared it with a few of my radio buddies. We
all drooled over the picture on the cover, and commented about how nice it would
be to be able to have a station like that. Handling message traffic...or
maybe even a weak-signal distress call from some far-away location!
The
1956 Radio Amateurs Handbook listed the SR-500 at
$1,495.00. with a shipping weight of 525 lbs. Adjusted for inflation this
"anything but portable super-station" today would be around $12,000.00...plus
shipping! I never did see one of those factory console units in
person, or even hear of someone who owned one, except for the guy on the cover
of the magazine. It would be interesting to know just how many of these
dream stations The Hallicrafters Company sold.
Years have gone by, most of us use much smaller (and lighter), and considerable
better and less expensive radios. Few of them actually "glow-in-the-dark"
except for back-lit LCD or LED displays. But the thrill and excitement of
tuning across the bands on some long, cold, starry winter night...and
"pulling-in" a weak signal from some far away place...has not lost it's magical
appeal. At least not for me.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy New Year and...Season's Greetings!
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Editor
The December 1955 cover of
RADIO & TELEVISION NEWS can be viewed at: www.emcomm.org or www.wrrl.org/ (click on "Nostalgia".)
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SHORT CIRCUITS
COMPUTER GREMLINS
URLs in
EMCOMM MONTHLY are
supposed to appear "hot" (blue and underscored).
But, for some reason known only to
the computer
gremlins, some of them in the November issue did not pass through
cyberspace as we intended. Oh well...we keep trying.
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IN MEMORY OF JO
FRAZIER 1947-2008
Beloved wife of Bill Frazier, W7ARC, WRRL-3 passed away on November 19 after a
lengthy illness. She was at home with Bill who had been her primary
caregiver for nearly two years. Before her retirement, Jo served as
Director of Health and Safety Services for the West Sound Chapter of the
American Red Cross in Bremerton, Washington. Bill is webmaster for WRRL and
EMCOMM.ORG plus several other amateur radio web sites. Through all the
time that Bill cared for Jo he kept up these sites. He is also the WWA STM
and an ARES DEC. Jo was laid to rest at the G.A.R. Cemetery in Snohomish,
WA. on Monday, November 24.
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FROST
FEST - Richmond, VA - Saturday, February 7, 2009
February may seem like a
long way off...but time flies...and early planning is important!
"Frost Fest"
www.frostfest.com
is sponsored by The Richmond Amateur Telecommunications Society ("RATS"), and it
is held in the winter when most other amateur radio conventions are being
planned.
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FEEDBACK, MUSINGS and SPURIOUS EMISSIONS
COMPLAINTS VOICED
Two readers were apparently
offended by our EDITORIAL "Liberal or Conservative" in the November issue.
What is surprising is that we said nothing about the politics of Republicans or
Democrats, or voting, or who or what to vote for!
Our comments were "generic" and simply defined a couple of labels that are
commonly heard. We attempted to apply the terms
conservative
or
liberal to amateur radio, with reference to whether to keep the old
skills (e.g. - CW, the universal RADIOGRAM format, etc.) alive...or not.
We have to assume that most of the other 2100+ readers of
EM
were not excessively offended, whether they agreed with our editorial or not.
Oh well..."onward and upward". - Editor
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FROM
"THE GREAT LAND" (Alaska)
In the November issue, Gary Parr, K7ZNP asked the questions below. Ed "FB"
Trump, AL7N, comments follow.
Q: I have some questions concerning the comments by Ed "FB" Trump" AL7N,
in "Short Circuits" in the October issue of EM. Ed said that he encouraged
monitoring 3540, 7042, and 14050 kHz.
1. If I was lost and came up on one of them (3540) would anyone be listening?
2. Are those frequencies monitored in the "lower 48" also?
3. If #1 is true, do other amateur radio operators know about these frequencies?
4. I have not been able to find the WRRL Monday net. I have listened 20
kHz on either side of 14280. I have tried the last three weeks. Am I
missing something?
5. I have not heard any traffic on JNN. Do you send stations with traffic
off freq. to pass it? If so, how far away to you send them?
Ed "FB" Trump, AL7N, replies: All good valid questions, Gary.
1. Would anyone be listening(on 3540)? Well, if you were in Alaska,
and within range, yes. I would be, at least. Within
limitations of having to work a full time job. As for anyone else? I
have no way of knowing that.
2. In other areas of the country where the amateur population is more
dense, yes, probably someone would hear...But don't expect an answer on the
first call or two. You'd have to "make some noise". Keep your key
working!
3. The "monitor" or "guard" frequencies have been published several places for
years if anyone cares to look. WRRL Emcomm Monthly publishes them every
month....It is a worldwide publication.
The point is...an amateur's receiver does no good if it is not turned on and
tuned to SOME frequency so calls can be heard. It is up to individual
operators to do this. And the more the better.
Ed "FB" Trump, AL7N, Fairbanks, AK
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THE EM ADVISOR
The staff of
EMCOMM
MONTHLY is happy to answer your questions to the best of our
ability. Some are
"FAQs" (Frequently Asked Questions) and others are of a specific nature.
Each month, we will answer questions that may have value to other emcomm radio
operators. Technical questions are forwarded to our Technical Advisor, Ed
Ewell, K7DXV. Questions about our ARCT program or NIMS/ICS are forwarded to
Before submitting a question, we ask our readers to check the FAQ page
first...your question may have been asked before. Also, please consider
checking our site search page at:
http://www.emcomm.org/search.htm to see
if your question may have been previously addressed in
EMCOMM
MONTHLY. Thank you.
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Q:
Thanks for your insightful
EMCOMM Monthly publication. It was the first place I turned to for wisdom on
this subject
I’m helping with communications with a CERT group that had our first live drill
last Saturday morning. One of the unexpected obstacles we encountered was a
jammer on our primary GMRS/FRS channel. Most of our team members are not
Hams, although we did use a 2 meter simplex frequency to relay messages from
high ground to the command post.
At first I was irritated that our exercise was complicated by this
intrusion. Then as the morning went on and the jammer persisted, I wanted to
give him a prize because without his participation, all my talk in our
communications training about handling jammers would have failed to get the
attention it deserved.
After blatantly and unashamedly copying the article from your newsletter on the
subject
(ref. below - Editor), and forwarding it to all the team members,
there is one issue that still concerns me and that is the authentication of
messages. There were occasions during our drill when the jammer was able to
mimic the tactical call signs and procedures of our operational teams, and, on
more than one occasion team members interacted with the person before realizing
their mistake, me included. I should add that the jammer was probably a teen-age
kid with nothing else to entertain him and a cheap toy radio to play with.
In a real CERT deployment, a jammer could divert resources from the intended
destination to somewhere else and put team members at risk. Are you aware of any
practical method of authenticating voice messages that is jammer resistant?
I work with high security computer data every day, and, although our system can
be used over the web, we take great care that only authorized users can access
the content. However, these techniques don’t translate well into voice
communications using easily available civilian technology. - James D. House,
KA6IVF, Walnut Creek, CA
A:
Thank you for the kind words Jim. The mal-adaptive behavior you have
experienced is not limited to unlicensed persons. Years ago I was involved
in a search for a lost hunter over a wide area and in mountainous terrain.
We were utilizing an amateur radio club owned repeater system to
coordinate efforts between trail head locations and the actual search area.
Some disgruntled and mentally under-developed ham (we know who it was because he
made no effort to disguise his voice), broke in and announced: "move to
simplex." About half of the SAR team, (including our SAR Coordinator, a
Sheriff's sergeant) took the bait and switched to our SAR ops simplex frequency.
This put our SAR leader out of contact except though the Sheriff's radio. It
took about 20 minutes before everyone figured out what had happened and got the
net back and in communications with each other. A few hours later, the
lost hunter was picked up by a hunter from another party. He had a CB radio in
his truck, and made a call on Channel 9. Those of us who had CB radios
picked up the call, ascertained the location, used the 2 meter system to report
that the missing person had been located, and the hunter was soon re-united with
his party.
Although this incident had a good outcome, it could have been much worse as a
result of some idiot who doesn't like volunteers or public service activities on
the amateur bands. Had the missing hunter been injured or died as a result
the malicious interference, the offender could have been prosecuted,
I want to commend you for the integrated use of non-ham operators and
frequencies to originate messages on FRS or GMRS and relaying them to amateur
stations who have both FRS/GMRS and ham capabilities, who can then relay
messages over a wider range to a command post or SAR base..
Now to your specific problem. Since
codes and
ciphers are prohibited on amateur frequencies and also GMRS Part
95:183 -
(e) All messages must be in plain language (without codes or hidden meanings).
(But) They may be in a foreign language, except for call signs.
(I suppose that you could all learn a foreign language, but that isn't
realistic, and I doubt if
pig latin
would qualify as a foreign language!)
One option you have when this occurs would be to change channels on a
pre-determined schedule (e.g. - hourly or whatever works best for your team).
Of course this would require that every team member know (and remember) the
contingency plan. Radio channels can be designated with a letter or
name, known only to your team members. A pocket size copy of the plan
is provided to your team members, but remains unknown to the interloper.
These are not really "codes," but simply letter identifiers used for channel
designations.
I doubt that "Uncle Charlie" would object if a net control station were to
announce something like: "All stations switch to channel ZULU." A
plan like this would at least keep the interloper guessing for awhile. If
the offender is smart enough to figure out your channel designators, you can
always have a second "Plan B", etc. Then, by that time, the team may be
switching again.
If you need to get really sophisticated, assign a letter for each channel (e.g.
- BRAVO for channel 2 etc.) would work, if you key it to the time this channel
letter could change every hour. Example: at 0800, channel one could be ALPHA at
0900 channel one could be Bravo, etc.
Message authentication could be done similar, example make the first statement
like, "This is unit 17 and I have a BRAVO message. The letter B is keyed
to time, you could change this letter every 10 minutes, starting with
ALPHA the first of the hour. Any message without a letter designator that
is correct would be bad traffic. Change this code as often as necessary,
every 15 minutes, every 1/2 hour or every hour. You could use the first
word in the text as an authenticator. E.g. - BT (Break on 'phone)
ALPHA X SEND LUNCHES TO THE STAGING AREA BT JOE
These are not really codes,
just letter identifiers used for authentication or channel designations.
I hope this helps, just because some one does not know what some thing means
does not mean it is a code.
Another idea - Part
95:194 allows
non-voice
communications (e.g.- tones and text messages) on the FRS, so you
may consider looking into that as a possible way to foil a jammer. (Too
bad CW isn't legal on FRS!)
A final option to strongly consider would be to enlist the help of some local
T-hunt enthusiasts. Keep them on call and when the offender starts his moronic
routine, have them activate and try to track him down and report the jackanapes
to Uncle Charlie. -
EM Staff
Ref:
Dealing with
Jammers - February 2007 EM
http://www.emcommorg/em/2007/february2007.htm
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ICS PERSPECTIVES
By Jerry Boyd, N7WR,
Associate Editor and ICS Advisor
First of all, let me extend to readers best wishes for a very happy and safe
Christmas. In my last Worldradio
“Emcomm and You” column, before I retired from writing it, I made the point that the real need for
amateur radio Emcomm assistance rests in non-government organizations (NGO’s). That is because billions of Homeland
Security grant dollars have done much to shore up communications for government
entities. Government funds have done
literally nothing for NGO’s, yet the need for many of them to have reliable
communications during times of emergency persists.
The majority of hospitals, for example, are not operated by government. Hospitals, because they house the ill and
injured, are populated by vulnerable, at risk people who can do little to help
themselves when disaster strikes.
Internal communications are disrupted in such circumstances. The need may exist to evacuate such
facilities. At the very least,
hospitals will have the need to coordinate with other health care providers in
the area. That is a nearly
impossible task when normal communication circuits fail. Into that gap well-trained, disciplined,
and properly-equipped amateur radio operators can step to provide meaningful,
and potentially life-saving, assistance.
It is for this reason that I suggest Emcomm operators displaced from
their police and fire departments due to reduced need for their services
re-direct their energies to assisting the medical community.
Depending on the size and population of an area and the number of hospitals
needing assistance, this would be fertile ground for implementation of Amateur
Radio Communications Teams (ARCT) as developed by the WRRL several years ago. There is no need to “re-invent the wheel”
when it comes to developing a hospital communications assistance program. HDSCS
(Hospital Disaster Support Communications System) was created by a Registered
Nurse (WA6OPS) and her husband (KØOV) many years ago. Very helpful information on establishing
and maintaining such a support group can be found at their website
www.hdscs.org
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WRRL NEWS and NETS
∙ REGIONAL
EMCOMM NETS
(ALL SERIOUS EMCOMM STATIONS WELCOME):
Pacific (and Mountain) Time Zones: PTZNN (aka Jefferson Noon Net/JNN)
daily at 1200 PTZ on 7214± kHz (3911± kHz alternate)
Central (and Eastern) Time Zones: CTZNN Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at
1200 CTZ
on
7214± kHz
∙ WRRL NET
on MONDAYS on 14.280 MHz USB (Alternate: 14.270 or somewhere "in between.")
2000Z (When on Daylight Saving Time) and 2100Z (When on Standard Time)
∙ WRRL
STATION MAP UPDATE
Map showing the location of WRRL stations can be viewed at: http://www.wrrl.org/map
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TRAFFIC
HANDLING
“For want of a letter, a word was
lost.
For want of a word, a message was lost.
For want of a message, a life was lost.”
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"Record Message Traffic, by skilled operators, and by RADIO (only)!"
It's about Dependability, Accuracy and Accountability!
NET and TRAFFIC HANDLING
LINCOLN NOON NET - LNN
(CTZNN) M-W-F
MONDAYS, WEDNESDAYS, and
FRIDAYS at 1200 CTZ on 7214 kHz ± LSB.
All emcomm stations in the
Central (U.S.) Time Zone, PLUS the Eastern and Mountain Time Zones are
invited to check in.
JEFFERSON NOON NET -
JNN (PTZNN) DAILY
DAILY at 1200 PTZ on 7214
kHz ± LSB. (3911 kHz alternate)
Stations in the MTZ (and CTZ if the band is very long) are also welcome!
The LNN and the JNN are for operators who want to learn and/or practice proper
net operating procedures and standardized traffic handling skills.
Stations in the MTZ (band conditions permitting) can potentially participate in
both of these nets, and thereby provide a relay
circuit between the east coast and the west coast on 40 meters three times a
week! It is anticipated that the LNN will eventually become a daily
circuit.
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THE
“TRAFFIC HANDLER’S MANTRA” (Recite often to help
remember the eight parts in preamble):
“No •
Prepared • Ham • Should • Copy • Priority • Traffic • Delayed”
NUMBER • PRECEDENCE
•
HX
(Handling Instructions) •
STATION OF
ORIGIN •
CHECK
•
PLACE OF
ORIGIN •
TIME
•
DATE
To help you to memorize the eight parts of the preamble,
RECITE
the
"Traffic Handlers Mantra" often:
“No •
Prepared • Ham • Should • Copy • Priority • Traffic • Delayed”
ASSESS your current traffic handling skill. Take the
"TRAFFIC HANDLER’S CHALLENGE" at:
www.emcomm.org (main page)
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NATIONAL EMCOMM TRAFFIC SERVICE (N.E.T.S.)
The NATIONAL EMCOMM TRAFFIC SERVICE uses designated watch and
calling frequencies. Public service amateur radio operators
everywhere are invited to monitor these frequencies whenever possible. But when
disasters or other incidents occur, emcomm operators are asked to warm up their
radios and "light up" the NATIONAL EMCOMM TRAFFIC SERVICE..."24/7". Active
operators know which bands are most likely to be "open" depending upon the time
of day, season, etc.
During disasters and for other emergencies, the frequencies are "open nets".
When traffic becomes heavy, they will become "command and control"
frequencies with a net control station "triaging traffic" and directing stations
with traffic to another (traffic) frequency. (At least 5 kHz away.)
Proper net procedures are essential.
NETS
does not maintain regular schedules and does not handle routine "make work"
messages such as birthday greetings, "your license is about to expire", "book
messages", etc. NETS
is intended to
supplement
and
fortify other networks by providing a vehicle for emcomm
operators to originate, relay and deliver legal radio message traffic (I.e. -
"first class mail") of any precedence, at any time, from and to anyone and
anywhere--especially during disasters or other crises. NETS
stations will cooperate and use other networks that are known to be capable of
accurately and efficiently handling RADIOGRAMS.
NATIONAL EMCOMM TRAFFIC SERVICE (NETS) WATCH • MONITOR • CALLING • TRAFFIC
FREQUENCIES
All
listed frequencies (except 60 meters) are nominal. Actual nets may be up or
down as much as 20 kHz
SSB:
• 1982 kHz
• 3911 kHz RADIO RESCUE (SSB and CW)
• 5332 kHz "Up" to other 60M channels as necessary. 50W maximum ERP.
(Activated during actual incidents.)
• 7214 kHz
• 14280 kHz
•
CW:
• 1911 kHz
• 3540 kHz
• 3911 kHz RADIO RESCUE (SSB and CW)
• 7111 kHz
• 10119 kHz
• 14050 kHz
•
•
GULF STATES (LA, MS, TX, AL)
- 7111
kHz 1100Z-2300Z / 3570 kHz 2300Z-1100Z
During EMERGENCIES: 7111
kHz daytime, 3570 kHz nighttime.
(Times approximate depending on band conditions and changes in sunrise/sunset.)
VHF/UHF FM
• LOCAL EMCOMM SIMPLEX - 146.55 MHz
• RED CROSS EMCOMM SIMPLEX - 147.42 MHz
• NATIONAL CALLING SIMPLEX - 146.52 MHz
Frequencies listed may be on or near other established net frequencies.
As a matter of operating courtesy, always move up or down a few kHz to avoid QRM
when a frequency is in use.
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"SHOW US YOUR SHACK"
•
"SHOW US YOUR SHACK" is at: http://www.emcomm.org/em/shacks
• Send a picture of you
AND
your shack (all in one frame and in JPG or JPEG format) to:
k6soj@wrrl.org
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FEATURE SECTION
It's been three years since we ran this important lesson. It is one of the
most requested "Request Permission to Reprint" (for other emcomm and club
publications).
Here it
is again (slightly updated). It will be new for some of you, and a review
for long time readers. From the December 2005 issue of
EM:
WHAT IS YOUR LOCATION?
An EM basic studies training module by D. W. Thorne, K6SOJ
If you hear someone ask: “What is your location?” or say: “Say your location”
(on phone) or send: QTH? (on CW); how do you reply? The correct answer
will vary based upon the time, place, and situation. To effectively and
appropriately “state your location” takes knowledge and experience in proper
operating procedures plus a little “common sense”.
If I break a pile-up working a DXpediton station, I would say to the DX:
“You are 59 in northern California.” That is all that is necessary (or
desired). If I say much
more, I will probably be ignored (or worse), and run the risk of being labeled
“a lid”. However, "armchair DX operators" (casual QSO) in other countries
may be interested in knowing what county or city I live in, or some other
geographical or historic information about the area in which I live. E.g.
- “I’m 40 miles northeast of Mt. Shasta which is 14,192 high.” VHF and UHF
operators are often interested in knowing from what grid square your signal is
originating. E.g. - (On phone) “I am in Siskiyou County, California,
CN91."
Most stations
in a public
service net need to know a station’s approximate location since
they may have message traffic to a certain general area. Say your location
in a manner that most people will recognize about
where you are. When working DX or stations around the U.S., I usually say
my location as: “I am located in northern California, 10 miles south of the
Oregon border”. (The reason I add the second clause is because many people
think of Sacramento and San Francisco as “northern California”, and I am
actually 300 miles north of those population centers!) I might also add,
“200 miles inland from the Pacific Coast”, and/or add “Siskiyou County”, or the
name of my nearest town...“Macdoel”. It all depends upon the type of
contact.
In EMCOMM work, whether it is local VHF, or in wider-area HF nets and
contacts...the guidelines change. Things must be more specific! When
reporting an EMERGENCY incident (e.g.- a automobile accident, or some lost
hikers just found in the woods and urgent help is needed) all of the examples
given above are useless to first responders!
Once contact with another station is established, the location being sent must
be accurate and SPECIFIC. It must be stated in such a way that rescuers
can find it and in such a way that the location stated CANNOT be mistaken for
ANY OTHER PLACE! It must also be sent in a way that the receiving station
and/or agency will recognize any landmark references you are saying. (Of
course
you
must know where you are!) When reporting to a station
who will be relaying to message to local authorities who (hopefully) are
familiar with the area, reference local roads, landmarks, and other
topographical features.
Here are some examples of how to effectively say your location:
• “I am reporting a house fire at 811 North Flame street, Belltown. Cross
street 8th Ave.”
• “The accident is on HWY 97, approximately 14 miles south of Midland.”
• “I am on HWY 39 one quarter mile north of mile marker 14 in Cormorant County.”
• “The smoke is on the west side of Sheep Mt. at about 5500 ft. elev.”
• “I am broke down east of Interstate 5 approximately 20 miles in, on forest
service road 46N32W in the Goosenest Ranger District.”
Suppose you are enjoying a boating vacation and are called upon to make a
distress call from somewhere on the shores of Lake Powell. Your home
is far away and are not familiar with the area. After calling MAYDAY
MAYDAY MAYDAY on 20M, you establish contact with a capable station in Palm
Beach, Florida, you say:
• “I am reporting an EMERGENCY on Lake Powell in Utah. Houseboat explosion
with 14 injured persons.” <pause> “Notify Utah State Police.”
<pause> “We are six miles northeast of the fuel dock at north end of
lake.” <pause> “I am standing by for your reply.” The receiving
station then confirms that the information has been received and understood.
As long as the signals are sufficiently readable, the receiving station MUST
maintain control of the frequency. If other stations “break”, he/she
should say: “I am handling EMERGENCY traffic. All stations please stand by
and monitor unless called.” I was once in the process of handling an
actual emergency situation and had to ask five stations, all of whom "wanted to
help”, to please stand-by. Good intentions and a willingness to help...MAY
delay a rescue. If you hear actual emergency traffic in progress:
LISTEN CAREFULLY, WRITE DOWN EVERYTHING YOU HEAR, AND STAND BY IN CASE YOU ARE
NEEDED.
The receiving station would then call the Utah State Police direct, or call
their own local or state police, or even the Coast Guard, confirm to the calling
station that the incident has been reported to a competent authority, and
provide an ETA if appropriate.
The calling stations and that receiving station should maintain contact until
help has arrived. Possibly even after first responders are "on scene".
(They may not have contact with the dispatch center.)
If you are low on battery power, minimize your transmissions, ask the receiving
station to maintain a radio watch (and keep the frequency clear) and make a
schedule as to when you will call again. E.g. - “I will call every ten
minutes”; or, “I will call you at the top and bottom of each hour.”
Other traffic from the reporting station might include: “We will signal
with smoke or aerial flare when rescue craft are spotted.” And, if your
have a GPS receiver: “Our position is 37 degrees 30.3 minutes North by 110
degrees 28.7 minutes West.” (ECWB #176 covers how to send geographical
coordinates.)
http://www.emcomm.org/svares/archives/number176.htm
How you reply to the question "Say your location" will vary depending upon
the time, place, and situation. To effectively and appropriately “say your
location”
takes knowledge,
experience, and (most important)..being able to THINK clearly under pressure!
How NOT to “say your
location”:
Here are a few actual voice
replies to the query: “What is your location?”...actually heard on the
air. Sadly, some of these were during actual emergencies.
“I’m at home.” (I
guess this person believes that he is so well known that everyone must know
where he lives!)
“I’m on the highway...just past the SPEED LIMIT 55 sign.”
“I’m parked by the big
green gate.”
“I don’t know. Honey,
where are we?”
“I’m in bed.”
(Probably better if you just let that one go.)
“I’m on Interstate 5.”
(That’s a long road. But that does narrows it down to about 2000 miles.
Might as well have said "I'm on Main St.)
“I’m at the college.” (Too bad you never attended.)
One day as I was serving as
net control for a regional net, a station checked in and identified as being in
northern California. I was interested in knowing more and asked, “Can you
be more specific as to your location?” He replied by saying the name of a
mountain peak (with which I was not familiar). I queried the operator
again who replied by giving his “lat/long”. Well, I guess I got what I
deserved! But, without having a map of his area handy (with latitude and
longitude lines), a
ruler, and maybe a divider...I still had no clue as to his location.
So...be careful what you ask for...and be ready for it!
Occasionally we hear a mobile operator give his location as, "I'm en route or
headed to ------------." Now that's very nice to know, but it sure doesn't
have anything to do with where he/she is now! One can be "en route to"
somewhere from anywhere! NCS and other net stations need to know where you
are NOW, in the event there is a request for current road or weather
information. Where you are headed, may or may not be of value.
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operators who are concerned about preserving the ability of amateur radio
operators to be prepared to provide skilled, accurate and efficient emergency
communications during times of disaster or other events where normal channels of
communication may be interrupted or overloaded. If you have benefited from
our efforts, and would like to support this work in a tangible way, you may do
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REFERENCE and RESOURCE SECTION
• ICS-ARCT GUIDE:
www.emcomm.org/ARCT/
• WRRL ARCT Page
www.wrrl.org/arct_program/
• TRAFFIC HANDLER’S CHALLENGE:
http://www.emcomm.org/thc
• OPERATING PROCEDURES: www.wrrl.org/operating
• PHONETICS:
www.wrrl.org/operating/itu_phonetics.htm
• RADIOTELEPHONE PROCEDURES:
www.wrrl.org/operating/icao_radiotelephony.htm
• GEAR AND EQUIPMENT LIST:
www.emcomm.org (Click on GEAR CHECK LIST)
• FEMA TRAINING COURSES:
http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/IS/crslist.asp
• FEMA TRAINING COURSE IS-700 (NIMS): http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/IS/is700.asp
• ARRL FSD-218. The famous “pink card” that contains (almost) “everything
you ever needed to know about RADIOGRAMS”.
An electronic version of FSD-218 is at:
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/forms/#fsd-218
• NTS page by W7ARC:
http://www.w7arc.com/nts
• NATIONAL TRAFFIC SYSTEM (NTS) Methods and Practices Guidelines:
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/nts-mpg/
• PACIFIC AREA TRAFFIC NETS:
http://home.earthlink.net/~k7bfl/nwnets.html
• MARITIME MOBILE SERVICE NETWORK:
http://mmsn.org/
• BEAUFORT WINDSPEED SCALE: http://www.zetnet.co.uk/sigs/weather/Met_Codes/beaufort.htm
• NOAA/NWS WINDCHILL CHART:
http://www.weather.gov/os/windchill/index.shtm
• STANDARD TIME ZONE SCALE: http://www.travel.com.hk/region/timezone.htm
• HOSPITAL DISASTER SUPPORT COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM (HDSCS): http://www.hdscs.org
• U. S. AIR FORCE Search and Rescue SURVIVAL MANUAL MIRROR SIGNALING (AFM 64-5
Aug. 1969)
http://www.emcomm.org/drawings/Mirror_Signaling_mid.jpg
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The opinions expressed by individual contributors do not necessarily reflect the
EM
philosophy, the editorial position of
EM,
or its staff.
ARES®
and
Amateur Radio Emergency Service® are registered service marks of
the
American Radio Relay League Inc., and are used with
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For
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contact: D. W. Thorne at:
k6soj@wrrl.org or write:
EMCOMM MONTHLY,
EM
STAFF:
D. W. Thorne, K6SOJ - Editor and Publisher -
k6soj@wrrl.org
Bill Frazier, W7ARC - Associate Editor and Webmaster -
w7arc@wrrl.org
Ed Ewell, K7DXV - Technical Advisor -
k7dxv@wrrl.org
Ed Trump, AL7N - Traffic Editor and Alaska Correspondent -
l.trump@att.net
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EMCOMM MONTHLY -- The Official Journal of the World Radio Relay League - WRRL®
EM
is published 10 times a year (September through June) and is copyrighted (c)
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