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Northwest Mississippi
Amateur Radio
Emergency Service |
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"Organized amateur radio communications
for the benefit of your community."
What do Amateur Radio operators ("hams") do
during and after disasters?
Amateur Radio operators set up and operate organized
communication networks locally for governmental and emergency
officials, as well as non-commercial communication for private
citizens affected by the disaster. Hams are most likely to be
active after disasters that damage regular lines of communication,
i.e. power outages and destruction of telephone lines.
How do Amateur Radio operators help local officials?
Many hams are active as communications volunteers with local
public safety organizations. In addition, in some disasters,
radio frequencies are not coordinated among relief officials, and
hams step in to coordinate communication when radio towers and
other elements in the communications infrastructure are damaged.
What are the major Amateur Radio emergency organizations?
Amateur Radio operators have informal and formal groups to
coordinate communication during emergencies. At the local level,
hams may participate in local emergency organizations, or
organize local "traffic nets" using VHF and UHF
frequencies. At the state level, hams are often involved with
state emergency management operations. In addition, hams operate
at the national level through the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency
Service (RACES) which is coordinated through the Federal
Emergency Management Agency
Is Amateur Radio recognized as a resource by national
relief organizations?
Many national organizations have formal agreements with the
Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), including:
DeSoto County Emergency Training
and Information Net
Meets Monday evenings at 0130 UTC on
the CARA's W5GWD 146.91/31
repeater
ARES/RACES meetings for the Northwest
Mississippi area are at 17:00 UTC at the Olive Branch Library
every third Saturday of each month.
The following HF nets have been designated by
ARRL Section Leadership
officials as primary traffic outlets during section-wide
emergencies.
Net Name |
Freq. (kHz) |
Regular Meeting |
UTC Time |
Manager |
Magnolia Section Net |
3862.5 |
Monday - Friday
Saturday -Sunday |
1200
1300 |
N4VHX |
Mississippi Section
Phone Net |
3862 |
Daily |
0000 |
N5JCG |
Mississippi Traffic Net |
3665 |
Daily |
0045 |
KB5W |
Add your ARES net to the list
send e-mail to KD5CKP
and register with the Section Manager
Malcolm Keown, W5XX
and ARRL Headquarters.
Volunteer your skills