Amateur radio emergency communications

Amateur radio emergency communications

In times of crisis and natural disasters, Amateur radio is often used as a means of emergency communication when wireline, cell phones and other conventional means of communications fail.

Unlike commercial systems, Amateur radio is not as dependent on terrestrial facilities that can fail. It is dispersed throughout a community without "choke points" such as cellular telephone sites that can be overloaded.

Amateur radio operators are experienced in improvising antennas and power sources and most equipment today can be powered by an automobile battery. Annual "Field Days" are held in many countries to practice these emergency improvisational skills. Amateur radio operators can use hundreds of frequencies and can quickly establish networks tying disparate agencies together to enhance interoperability.

Recent examples include the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in Manhattan, the 2003 North America blackout and Hurricane Katrina in September, 2005, where amateur radio was used to coordinate disaster relief activities when other systems failed.

On September 2, 2004, ham radio was used to inform weather forecasters with information on Hurricane Frances live from the Bahamas. On December 26, 2004, an earthquake and resulting tsunami across the Indian Ocean wiped out all communications with the Andaman Islands, except for a DX-pedition that provided a means to coordinate relief efforts. Recently, Amateur Radio operators in the People's Republic of China provided emergency communications after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake and US hams did similar work following Hurricane Ike.

The largest disaster response by U.S. amateur radio operators was during Hurricane Katrina which first made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane went through Miami, Florida on August 25, 2005, eventually strengthening to Category 5. More than a thousand ham operators from all over the U.S. converged on the Gulf Coast in an effort to provide emergency communications assistance. Subsequent Congressional hearings highlighted the Amateur Radio response as one of the few examples of what went right in the disaster relief effort.

Organization

While every ham has some emergency communications capability, those who are particularly interested in the public service aspects of the hobby usually affiliate with an organized group for disaster specific training, quick mobilization and to practice emergency skills. These major organizations include:

Australia

In Australia [http://www.wicen.org.au/ WICEN] (pronounced 'Wy-sen'), the Wireless Institute Civil Emergency Network is the officially recognized group that manages Amateur Radio operators to provide emergency communications. In NSW, WICEN is an accredited squad of the [http://www.rescue.org.au/ NSW Volunteer Rescue Association] .

Canada

In Canada, [http://www.rac.ca/fieldorg/racares.htm ARES] , Amateur Radio Emergency Service, is sponsored by [http://www.rac.ca RAC] , Radio Amateurs of Canada. Often other less formal networks of volunteer radio operators are also used and organized by the local emergency response agencies in conjunction with local ham radio operators.

India

. In this chapter, the emergency disaster communication operation of ham radio operators during tsunami is highlighted.

Ireland

In Ireland (26 counties), the [http://www.aren.ie Amateur Radio Emergency Network (AREN)] , co-ordinates emergency communications activities on behalf of the Irish Radio Transmitters Society (IRTS). [http://www.aren.ie AREN] membership is, however, open to all amateur radio operators whether members of IRTS or not.

New Zealand

In New Zealand the [http://www.nzart.org.nz New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters (NZART)] provides the [http://www.nzart.org.nz/NZART/AREC AREC - Amateur Radio Emergency Communications] (formerly Amateur Radio Emergency Corps) in the role. They won the [http://www.nzart.org.nz/NZART/AREC/natsaraward.html New Zealand National Search and Rescue award] in 2001 for their long commitment to Search and Rescue in NZ.

Trinidad and Tobago

In Trinidad and Tobago, the Emergency Amateur Radio Service (EARS), is a non profit organization registration number E 1772{95}is part of the Trinidad and Tobago Amateur Radio League TTARL http://www.ttarl.org coordinates emergency communications activities within its membership and others who wish to volunteer with EARS in times of emergency.With the Office Disaster Preparedness Management (ODPM) is actively involved in amateur radio and maintains an active amateur radio station and Five repeaters.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom RAYNET, the Radio Amateurs' Emergency Network, provides the organizational backbone of their amateur radio emergency communications groups.

United States of America

In the United States, there are two major methods of organizing amateur radio emergency communications: Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), sponsored by the ARRL, and the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES), which requires registration with municipal or county governments, to allow continued operation under Part 97.407 of the FCC regulations in the event the Amateur Service is ever shut down by presidential order. ARES and RACES involvement within the same area are usually intertwined, with many governments requiring membership and service in that locale's ARES organization as well. Many government Emergency Operating Centers, Red Cross Chapters and National Weather Service facilities have permanent Amateur Radio stations installed.

Radio clubs independent of the ARRL and ARES also participate in emergency communications activities in some areas. Additionally, the Department of Defense also sponsors the Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS) program which also utilizes Amateur Radio operators for emergency communication using military radio frequencies.

Emergency communications and disaster assistance is usually done in conjunction with volunteer disaster relief organizations such as the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, local government emergency management agencies, as well as volunteer fire departments and ambulance corps.

The ARRL has a memorandum of understanding with numerous agencies including the American Red Cross and Salvation Army and is a partner in the Citizen Corps program of FEMA. The ARRL also is a member of the Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD) and conducts emergency communications certifcation courses for interested Amateur Radio operators.

External links

* [http://www.arrl.org/pio/emergen1.html ARRL Backgrounder: Amateur Radio Emergency Communication]
* [http://www.navymars.org Navy-Marine Corp MARS with links to Air Force and Army programs]
* [http://www.races.net Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services]
* [http://www.lacdcs.com Disaster Communications Service ( DCS )]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Amateur Radio Emergency Communications — (AREC), formerly the Amateur Radio Emergency Corps , is a service provided by the New Zealand Association of Radio Transmitters (NZART) which provides trained radio communicators and communication systems for emergency situations.Mission… …   Wikipedia

  • Global Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Conference — The Global Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Conference or GAREC is a yearly conference held by the International Amateur Radio Union for discussion of Amateur radio operation during natural disasters and other emergencies. GAREC was first… …   Wikipedia

  • Amateur Radio Emergency Service — infobox Organization name = Amateur Radio Emergency Service image border = size = 125px caption = msize = 125px mcaption = abbreviation = ARES motto = formation = extinction = type = Non profit organization status = purpose = Emergency response… …   Wikipedia

  • Amateur radio — Amateur radio, often called ham radio, is both a hobby and a service in which participants, called hams, use various types of radio communications equipment to communicate with other radio amateurs for public service, recreation and self training …   Wikipedia

  • List of amateur radio organizations — Amateur radio organizations have been important from the earliest days of radio communications. In the early days, there was a very pragmatic reason for this. Amateur radio stations did not have a very wide range, so messages would often have to… …   Wikipedia

  • Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service — infobox Organization name = Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service image border = size = 169px caption = msize = mcaption = abbreviation = RACES motto = Emergency Communications Through Radio Amateur Operators formation = 1952 extinction = type =… …   Wikipedia

  • Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service — Der Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service RACES ist eine Notfunk Organisationsplan für den Amateurfunkdienst in den USA. RACES ist nach einer Vorschrift der Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ein Standby Dienst . Das Konzept eines… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Hong Kong Amateur Radio Transmitting Society — infobox Organization name = 香港業餘電台聯會 Hong Kong Amateur Radio Transmitting Society image border = size = 200px caption = msize = mcaption = abbreviation = HARTS motto = formation = extinction = type = Non profit organization status = purpose =… …   Wikipedia

  • amateur radio — ▪ communications       noncommercial, two way radio communications. Messages are sent either by voice or in International Morse Code.       Interest in amateur radio arose around the turn of the century, shortly after the Italian inventor… …   Universalium

  • Amateur radio in India — Infobox amateur radio country country=India caption=Amateur radio operators at a foxhunt in Mumbai licensed=16,000 license year=1913 itu region=3 itu zone1=41 itu zone2=49 cq zone1=22 cq zone2=26 itu rep=WPC iaru rep=ARSI callsign1=VUA to VWZ… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”