Comments on: Is amateur emcomm ‘a waste’? http://radio.kdsanders.com/amateur-radio/is-amateur-emcomm-a-waste Radio technology and scanning in the Midwest Sat, 28 Aug 2010 23:43:11 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Jim Fagan http://radio.kdsanders.com/amateur-radio/is-amateur-emcomm-a-waste/comment-page-1#comment-308 Jim Fagan Thu, 19 Aug 2010 19:39:58 +0000 http://radio.kdsanders.com/?p=152#comment-308 Brief comment...if the served agency already knows you, what you can do, and that it can trust you to do a job when things turn bad, communcications will work much better. Brief comment…if the served agency already knows you, what you can do, and that it can
trust you to do a job when things turn bad, communcications will work much better.

]]> By: Jason - KD0FLC http://radio.kdsanders.com/amateur-radio/is-amateur-emcomm-a-waste/comment-page-1#comment-61 Jason - KD0FLC Sun, 14 Feb 2010 21:06:10 +0000 http://radio.kdsanders.com/?p=152#comment-61 By: Jason - N6WBL http://radio.kdsanders.com/amateur-radio/is-amateur-emcomm-a-waste/comment-page-1#comment-51 Jason - N6WBL Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:58:41 +0000 http://radio.kdsanders.com/?p=152#comment-51 I would say in my area other organizations are taking over from ARES and RACES. For example many hams have joined CERT, and I've noticed many CERT members have become licensed hams. Usually on a smaller scale the CERT members provide communications without tapping RACES or ARES though some members of CERT are in RACES and/or ARES. For example, recently the CERT team utilized ham radio to provide communications between Travis Air Force base and Sacramento as resources were deployed to Haiti and then returned. Also up the hill the El Dorado Search and Rescue Team utilizes ham radio as a backup to the commercial police frequencies, and these members help in emergencies without use of ARES or RACES. In the case of this SAR team the Amateur repeater system has much better coverage in the Sierras than their commercial system and they have remotes to deploy including coverage of the Rubicon Trail. So Amateur radio is alive and well in providing emergency communications, but it is transitioning away from its traditional role into other organizations better able to utilize it directly by their trained volunteers who are also licensed Amateurs. So I would say that there is already a hybrid system incorporating the idea of Freecom underway. Some Amateurs utilizing their expertise to devise the communication systems needed, while other trained emergency personnel directly utilize those communications who also happen to be licensed Amateurs. Personally, I'm younger and employed full time and already see myself as a Freecom resource. I leave these organizations to the retired that seem to make up a large percentage of their ranks. Though, if the wife and I move up the hill I would like to join the SAR team. Being an avid hiker/backpacker with 4x4, I could be of use and enjoy the work as well as already being able to utilize their communications system quite well. For occasional SAR call outs I wouldn't mind burning some personal days. I would say in my area other organizations are taking over from ARES and RACES. For example many hams have joined CERT, and I’ve noticed many CERT members have become licensed hams. Usually on a smaller scale the CERT members provide communications without tapping RACES or ARES though some members of CERT are in RACES and/or ARES. For example, recently the CERT team utilized ham radio to provide communications between Travis Air Force base and Sacramento as resources were deployed to Haiti and then returned. Also up the hill the El Dorado Search and Rescue Team utilizes ham radio as a backup to the commercial police frequencies, and these members help in emergencies without use of ARES or RACES. In the case of this SAR team the Amateur repeater system has much better coverage in the Sierras than their commercial system and they have remotes to deploy including coverage of the Rubicon Trail. So Amateur radio is alive and well in providing emergency communications, but it is transitioning away from its traditional role into other organizations better able to utilize it directly by their trained volunteers who are also licensed Amateurs. So I would say that there is already a hybrid system incorporating the idea of Freecom underway. Some Amateurs utilizing their expertise to devise the communication systems needed, while other trained emergency personnel directly utilize those communications who also happen to be licensed Amateurs.

Personally, I’m younger and employed full time and already see myself as a Freecom resource. I leave these organizations to the retired that seem to make up a large percentage of their ranks. Though, if the wife and I move up the hill I would like to join the SAR team. Being an avid hiker/backpacker with 4×4, I could be of use and enjoy the work as well as already being able to utilize their communications system quite well. For occasional SAR call outs I wouldn’t mind burning some personal days.

]]> By: Steve, KB9MWR http://radio.kdsanders.com/amateur-radio/is-amateur-emcomm-a-waste/comment-page-1#comment-45 Steve, KB9MWR Mon, 21 Dec 2009 03:16:00 +0000 http://radio.kdsanders.com/?p=152#comment-45 Very nice commentary, and that is exactly how I feel. "Yes. Do we need to keep maintaining an inefficient, overly-political, antiquated, bureaucratic emcomm-specific radio organization? No. Amateur radio operators have always been willing to help in times of true emergency, and that won’t change if ARRL didn’t have its grubby little hands all over it. ARES-type emcomm as we know it could use some restructuring and attitude changes. When all else truly does fail, agencies will still want us, whether we’re trained in ICS or not, and whether we’re ARES or not." Very nice commentary, and that is exactly how I feel.

“Yes. Do we need to keep maintaining an inefficient, overly-political, antiquated, bureaucratic emcomm-specific radio organization? No. Amateur radio operators have always been willing to help in times of true emergency, and that won’t change if ARRL didn’t have its grubby little hands all over it. ARES-type emcomm as we know it could use some restructuring and attitude changes. When all else truly does fail, agencies will still want us, whether we’re trained in ICS or not, and whether we’re ARES or not.”

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