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Home My WebLink About2007 06 25 Handout Given By Mayor Bush Date: June 25, 2007 The attached was distributed to the Mayor and City Commission during Awards and Presentations at the June 25, 2007 City Commission Regular Meeting. WHEN A ALLHam ELSE RR FAILS... AMATEUR RADIO Rac! ... Getting the message through for your family and community Y : I + i L)4W y $ f 40, u u, w •y V 4 r. m ARRL The national association for AMATEUR RADIO Amateur Radio, often / '/ "ham radio," has consistentlybeen emergenciesmost reliable means of communications in systemsfailed or were overloaded. Hams meet on the air and in person. There are about 11 hams in the USA Simply Put—Ham Radio Works! with ham radio clubs and gatherings all Most of the time, things work fine. But despiteover the countq1. the development of very complex systems —or maybe because they ARE so complex— ham radio has been called into action again and again to provide communications when = CD— Central -� Tower or it really matters. switchboard Multiple Why Ham Radio Works So Well. Facility F Relays Telephones, cell phones, Internet, trunk lines, - Normal"communications have many satellite phone—to get a message out they L vulnerable choke points all have to go through many vulnerable choke ' �S.it.hbooarrd points and need electric power. Even if the � � system is functioning, these systems can be I overwhelmed by the number of cries for L Recipient help and families seeking information. Amateur Radio Repeater Ham Radio is Different. Communications While hams MAY use the Internet or a repeater system, they do not HAVE to do so! Hams can "go direct"and talk You 0. Recipient straight through to each other because Ham radio MAY use a repeater,but can talk directly too. each station is fully independent. Hams can operate just fine without other infrastructure. By selecting the right frequencies, hams can talk across town Hams communicate using microphones, or around the world. In an emergency, when your family's lives telegraph or Morse code keys, computers, may be at risk, which communications TV cameras and even their own satellites. system would YOU want to have? Ham radio operators provided emergency communications during these recent everts® Earthquake in Hawaii-2006 World Trade Center, Pentagon and Western Flooding in Northeastern States-2006 Pennsylvania Terrorist Attacks-2001 Hurricanes Katrina,Wilma and Rita-2005 Tropical Storm Allison-2001 Wildfires in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico-2005 Fires in Los Alamos, New Mexico-2000 Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne-2004 Hurricane Floyd-1999 Tsunami in Asia-2004 Flooding in Texas-1998 Earthquake in Central California-2003 Hurricane Georges-1998 Hurricane Isabel-2003 "500-Year Flood" in N.D. and Minn.-1997 Northeast Blackout-2003 Western U.S. Floods-1997 Shuttle Columbia Recovery Effort-2003 Hurricane Fran-1996 Wildfires in Colorado-2002 TWA Plane Crash-1996 Flooding in Kentucky-2002 Oklahoma City Bombing-1995 Hurricanes, Ice, Snow, Tornadoes, Storms and SKYWARN { The National Hurricane Center in Florida relies on a its ham radio station, WX4NHC, to receive reports from hams in affected areas (www.wx4nhc.org). The National Weather Service uses ham radio operators for their"SKYWARN" program to get ground level reports of events that are missed by Doppler radar. Ham radio operators by the hundreds volunteered for service to the devastated areas of the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina and her sisters Ritaf and Wilma pounded a five state area and destroyed other communications systems. For their life- saving work, the hams received commendations from the President and Congress as well as international praise. It truly proved the saying, "When all else fails, ham radio works!" "cttarrr°',., taw�o �ITt Patt�� Within minutes of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, ham operators communicated from emergency operations centers as other systems The National Weather failed.The ham operations continued for weeks as Service uses ham operators i ip the amateurs handled emergency and other important or its rl' messages for disaster and government agencies as well as for displaced families. program get level reports Hams use all sorts of radios and antennas on a that are missed by wide variety of frequencies to communicate with Doppler radar. M other hams across town or around the world. They use ham radio for personal enjoyment, for keeping in touch with friends and family, for public service communications and to experiment r • P with radio technology. ' .� U. Boaters, RVers and outdoor enthusiasts also use ham radio as an excellent way to maintainOw .; communications from wherever they are. Big station or small and portable, hams enjoy a the security of knowing they can get a message through in almost any situation without depending on a fragile infrastructure that can fail or be overloaded. "Amateur" FEMA advises that in a crisis am'e-tur- noun you should plan to be A person who engages in an art, science or other total) activity purely for the personal interest or self- 746�5 y on your own improvement value of it, rather than a financially for at least 3 days— compensated profession. -Amateur athlete How will YOU -Amateur astronomer communicate? -Amateur musician I You Can Have This Capability for Yourself and Your Family— Getting Your Own Ham Radio License Unlike some other types of radio services, you need an FCC license to communicate with a ham radio.There are three levels of Amateur Radio licenses, and getting your first one is not all that hard. Many people pass their FCC exam in a week of spare time study and there are lots of groups and people who will help you. You can get help from a local club at www.arri.org/findaclub. There is even an online, self-teaching course at www.arrl.org/cce/courses.html#ec010. Costs What is the ARRL? In general, you can expect to spend about $40 Founded in 1914, the American Radio Relay in books and fees to earn your first license. League is the 150,000-member national With another $200 you can purchase your first association for Amateur Radio in the USA. radio and the gear you will use to get on the air Other countries have their own national for yourself and start making contacts. Of course associations. good, used equipment is available for less. ARRL is the primary source of information about what is going on in ham radio. It provides books, news, support and information for Joining an Emergency individuals and clubs, special events, all sorts Communications Group of continuing education classes and other benefits for its members. To join the Amateur Radio Emergency Service Amateur or"ham" radio has been around for a (ARES), you must have a ham radio license. century. In that time, it's grown into a worldwide ARES members constantly learn more about community of licensed operators using the emergency operations and practice regularly airwaves with every conceivable means of by providing aid to non-emergency events like communications technology. Its practitioners parades, marathons and drills. range in age from youngsters to grandparents. Ham radio attracts those who have never held A a microphone as well as the technical expert ARES R R who grew up with a computer. Even rocket ARES has formal, national scientists and a rock star or two are in the agreements to provide L ham ranks. emergency communications Most, however, are just normal folks like you aid for FEMA, DHS, The and me who transmit voice, data and pictures American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, through the airwaves, use the Internet, lasers and many other response organizations. and microwave transmitters, satellites and TV, and even travel to unusual places near and far to make contact. Simply stated, ham radio provides Where do 1 start? the broadest and most powerful GO to: wireless communications capability available to any private Www.emergenCy-radio.org citizen anywhere in the world. You can find more information to get started on the Web site or contact the local group listed below: A Lake MQnroo Amateur Radio Society R R Cgordinator 800 ,