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Why use Amateur
Radio for Emergency Communications?
Since Amateur Radio equipment does not rely on wires and communications
facilities provided by common carriers and phone companies, it is
immune to disruptions with the telephone system.
Licensed Radio Amateurs use a wide range of radio bands,
each one with its particular strength in overcoming the barriers
to radio communications. VHF (Very High Frequency -- 144 MHz) and
UHF (Ultra High Frequency -- 440 MHz) radios are small and portable
with lots of channels to handle a multitude of short-range communications.
HF (High Frequency) can propagate over mountains and valleys and
between islands to provide coverage beyond VHF and UHF. Hams can
use a wide range of communications modes, whether TV, data, voice
or Morse code to exchange messages. The very nature of the Amateur
Radio service encourages amateurs to learn how to make contacts,
regardless of the challenges that may abound.
Amateur Radio operators are distributed throughout the community,
near schools, churches and park facilities which are often used
for evacuation shelters. (Click here to see
where they are in Santa Maria) Many companies have Amateur Radio
operators within their employment. They may already be near the
scene of the trouble area and can respond. Should for any reason,
a section of the town or city be devastated, there are enough equipment
and operators ready in other parts of the community to respond.
Regardless of the specific brand and model of radio equipment, amateurs
using the same frequency band and mode can communicate with each
other. Amateur Radio has more flexibility in the frequencies, range,
modes, and kinds of persons with whom one many communicate -- which
is the experiential advantage of Amateur Radio. Hams are already
licensed and pre-authorized to communicate internationally into
and out of places hard hit during natural disasters.
Amateur Radio operators are allowed to run higher power
than other licensed and unlicensed personal radio services such
as Citizen Band (CB) and the Family Radio Service (FRS) and have
more flexibility with the equipment. Therefore, hams can communicate
over greater distances. Amateur Radio operators use their equipment
regularly, which verifies that it's maintained and operational.
Some of the equipment includes hand-held portables or mobiles installed
in vehicles. The Amateur Radio operators are familiar with the operation
and capabilities of their equipment, and how to overcome obstacles
to radio communications that may exist within their neighborhood.
Why the Phone Company may not Operate During Emergencies
Communications between agencies and the general public are handled
by common carriers such as phone, paging and Internet companies.
Phone companies invest large amounts of moneys into equipment that
provide reliable phone service, including durable and secure buildings,
highly reliable phone switches, diesel generators, large banks of
batteries. Cellular, paging and Internet companies in turn, rely
on communications services provided by the phone companies. These
phone systems (a) are sized for business reasons for the peaks in
regular daily usage, not peaks in emergency usage, (b) usually rely
on copper or fiber optic cables that when exposed are prone to damage
during high winds and storm conditions, and (c) are usually not
portable and reliable enough to respond to the demands of the emergency.
These are the most common reasons why normal public communication
needs are not met during emergencies.
Follow this link
to the ARRL website for more information...
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