Amateur Radio Emergency Communications

By Erik Bayer AF6EF

 

How can we serve our community effectively in a disaster situation? Let us start by comparing the capabilities of California OES with that of a local ARES team. The OES has a fleet of com vans loaded with high-tech equipment like satellite phone system, inter-operable radio systems, broadband microwave equipment, HF equipment including a 2500 watt amplifier. As far as I am aware the vans are located in a central storage facility. If a disaster strikes in some part of the state this fleet would mobilize to begin providing communications.

1. Volunteer or paid operators must be highly trained to run this equipment.

2. The operators must get to the storage yard and then mobilize to where needed. This can result in delays of 2-3 days before they are actually providing communications depending on how widespread the disaster is.

3. Great reliance is placed on microwave links and satellite for broadband and telephone connections. In an earthquake or wind event microwave dishes at tower sites may lose their aim so links will be down until technicians can fix them. So they will have to use the HF radios or satellite to go any distance in and out of the disaster area. 

In contrast, the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) teams have relatively simple equipment, much less funding (most all volunteer their own vehicles and equipment or a club puts together a com trailer or van). They are already dispersed throughout the state and they have (or should have ) functional stations and prior training and practice to respond within minutes to a disaster. I believe the Amateurs can and should be the first responders to organize emergency communications before OES teams arrive. In order for hams to be called out quickly there has to be a close relationship to agencies served prior to a disaster. Often, agencies call the hams in as a last resort after communications chaos is evident.

One big reason hams are not called on more is that they are recognized as only being able to pass voice messages, or they might be able to get a packet link working, which limits their usefulness in today's data-driven world. Many old-timers pride themselves in the ability to pass messages through the National Traffic System. This has a place in the scheme of things, but today's communicators have to know more and do more. Agencies think of the NTS and passing voice messages as a novelty, rather than a necessity.

Necessity is being able to hand a mic to the Incident Commander and give him a direct connection to headquarters on a secure channel which he would normally do on a cell phone, if the cell phone worked from his present location. Necessity is being able to send and receive e-mail supply requisitions from a fire camp deep in the woods. It is being able to fax a fire line progress map back to fire camp at dawn prior to the morning strategy session.

Amateur Radio people are innovators...if they know what needs to be done, they will figure out a way to do it. For instance, you need to send a current map of a fire to headquarters without having to wait for a man to drive back out of the woods to give a report. So you hand him your dry-erase board and markers and he draws his map, you take a picture with your digital camera, download to your laptop, and transmit it to the hams at headquarters via SSTV, they save a jpeg file to a flash drive and hand the flash drive to the appropriate staff so they can load it into their computer....all within a few minutes.

Also, let me introduce you to a new tool for EMCOMMS that Howard “Skip” Teller KH6TY, Dave Freese W1HKJ, and others are developing. If you recall, Skip was instrumental in bringing on the revolution in radio teleprinting called PSK-31. Well they are working on a new one that is in the beta-testing phase called Narrow Band Emergency Messaging System (NBEMS). This system is based on sound-card digital mode software on a PC that allows amateur radio operators to semi-automatically establish a link  to send and receive e-mails and files with PSK modes. It is similar in operation to packet, but without the need for digipeaters and knowledge of command codes. It is much easier to implement than Pactor/Winlink 2000. It requires a live, thinking operator at both ends, uses narrow bandwidth on virtually any amateur band, so can go any distance desired by choosing the appropriate frequency band. An operator can manually connect and pass traffic with any station that has mode capability....other station does not require the same software. One can even communicate with a CW operator without even knowing the code as long as the other station operator has a good fist so the computer can copy him. So, just like Skip Teller's PSK-31 revolutionized radio teleprinting, I believe this can revolutionize amateur radio emergency work. We need to download the tools, start learning to use them, and spread the word so operators all over the world can become proficient with them.

Don't forget that we can serve the public directly as well, and that can be done without a lot of formality. Say there is a storm and widespread power outages...your neighbor can't reach a relative to let them know they are going to a motel in town until the power comes back on. That's where you offer to pass a message for them via ham radio. You put out a call on the repeater to reach someone in the relative's area and a ham volunteers to get the message to them. If phones and power are out you can put the word out or put up signs in the neighborhood for people to use FRS/GMRS channel 1 tone off to talk to each other on those little handie talkies most everybody has so people can start helping each other get through the  situation. Make sure they know you are a ham and can communicate with public service and outside the local area. (Check out this idea that citizens in Washington, D.C. have proposed called DCERN.

To wrap up, Amateur Radio in 2008 has a lot to offer in the way of emergency communications capability. Hams need to stick with what they do best, and make sure agencies and the public are aware of amateur radio in the community. Hams need to work on data transmission by simple systems, prepare off-grid stations, and practice regularly...developing networks of trained operators that can respond effectively in a disaster situation. I think that's what we're doing with the Oroville Amateur Radio Society...and it's creating a lot of excitement and interest!