Contents
Contents for Subpart E
97.401 Operation during a disaster.
97.403 Safety of life and protection of property.
97.405 Station in distress.
97.407 Radio amateur civil emergency service.
Subpart E--Providing Emergency Communications
(a) When normal communication systems are overloaded, damaged or
disrupted because a disaster has occurred, or is likely to occur, in an
area where the amateur service is regulated by the FCC, an amateur station
may make transmissions necessary to meet essential communication needs and
facilitate relief actions.
(b) When normal communication systems are overloaded, damaged or
disrupted because a natural disaster has occurred, or is likely to occur,
in an area where the amateur service is not regulated by the FCC, a station
assisting in meeting essential communication needs and facilitating relief
actions may do so only in accord with ITU Resolution No. 640 (Geneva, 1979).
The 80 m, 75 m, 40 m, 30 m, 20 m, 17 m, 15 m, 12 m, and 2 m bands may be
used for these purposes.
(c) When a disaster disrupts normal communication systems in a
particular area, the FCC may declare a temporary state of communication
emergency. The declaration will set forth any special conditions and
special rules to be observed by stations during the communication
emergency. A request for a declaration of a temporary state of emergency
should be directed to the EIC in the area concerned.
(d) A station in, or within 92.6 km of, Alaska may transmit emissions
J3E and R3E on the channel at 5.1675 MHz for emergency communications. The
channel must be shared with stations licensed in the Alaska-private fixed
service. The transmitter power must not exceed 150 W.
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No provision of these rules prevents the use by an amateur station of
any means of radiocommunication at its disposal to provide essential
communication needs in connection with the immediate safety of human life
and immediate protection of property when normal communication systems are
not available.
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(a) No provision of these rules prevents the use by an amateur station
in distress of any means at its disposal to attract attention, make known
its condition and location, and obtain assistance.
(b) No provision of these rules prevents the use by a station, in the
exceptional circumstances described in paragraph (a), of any means of
radiocommunications at its disposal to assist a station in distress.
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(a) No station may transmit in RACES unless it is an FCC-licensed
primary, club, or military recreation station and it is certified by a
civil defense organization as registered with that organization, or it is
an FCC-licensed RACES station. No person may be the control operator of a
RACES station, or may be the control operator of an amateur station
transmitting in RACES unless that person holds a FCC-issued amateur
operator license and is certified by a civil defense organization as
enrolled in that organization.
(b) The frequency bands and segments and emissions authorized to the control
operator are available to stations transmitting communications in RACES on a
shared basis with the amateur service. In the event of an emergency which
necessitates the invoking of the President's War Emergency Powers under the
provisions of S 706 of the
Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. S 606, RACES stations and
amateur stations participating in RACES may only transmit on the following
frequencies:
- (1) The 1800-1825 kHz, 1975-2000 kHz, 3.50-3.55 MHz, 3.93-3.98 MHz,
3.984-4.000 MHz, 7.079-7.125 MHz, 7.245-7.255 MHz, 10.10-10.15 MHz, 14.047-
14.053 MHz, 14.22-14.23 MHz, 14.331-14.350 MHz, 21.047-21.053 MHz, 21.228-
21.267 MHz, 28.55-28.75 MHz, 29.237-29.273 MHz, 29.45-29.65 MHz, 50.35-
50.75 MHz, 52-54 MHz, 144.50-145.71 MHz, 146-148 MHz, 2390-2450 MHz
segments;
- (2) The 1.25 m, 70 cm and 23 cm bands; and
- (3) The channels at 3.997 MHz and 53.30 MHz may be used in emergency
areas when required to make initial contact with a military unit and for
communications with military stations on matters requiring coordination.
(c) A RACES station may only communicate with:
- (1) Another RACES station;
- (2) An amateur station registered with a civil defense organization;
- (3) A United States Government station authorized by the responsible
agency to communicate with RACES stations;
- (4) A station in a service regulated by the FCC whenever such
communication is authorized by the FCC.
(d) An amateur station registered with a civil defense organization may
only communicate with:
- (1) A RACES station licensed to the civil defense organization with
which the amateur station is registered;
- (2) The following stations upon authorization of the responsible civil
defense official for the organization with which the amateur station is
registered:
- (i) A RACES station licensed to another civil defense organization;
- (ii) An amateur station registered with the same or another civil
defense organization;
- (iii) A United States Government station authorized by the
responsible agency to communicate with RACES stations; and
- (iv) A station in a service regulated by the FCC whenever such
communication is authorized by the FCC.
(e) All communications transmitted in RACES must be specifically
authorized by the civil defense organization for the area served. Only
civil defense communications of the following types may be transmitted:
- (1) Messages concerning impending or actual conditions jeopardizing
the public safety, or affecting the national defense or security during
periods of local, regional, or national civil emergencies;
- (2) Messages directly concerning the immediate safety of life of
individuals, the immediate protection of property, maintenance of law and
order, alleviation of human suffering and need, and the combating of armed
attack or sabotage;
- (3) Messages directly concerning the accumulation and dissemination of
public information or instructions to the civilian population essential to
the activities of the civil defense organization or other authorized
governmental or relief agencies; and
- (4) Communications for RACES training drills and tests necessary to
ensure the establishment and maintenance of orderly and efficient operation
of the RACES as ordered by the responsible civil defense organizations
served. Such drills and tests may not exceed a total time of 1 hour per
week. With the approval of the chief officer for emergency planning the
applicable State, Commonwealth, District or territory, however, such tests
and drills may be conducted for a period not to exceed 72 hours no more
than twice in any calendar year.
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