Brazil Times: Blog: Calling all HAM radio operators

Calling all HAM radio operators

Posted Wednesday, July 8, 2009, at 1:02 PM
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As Clay County Emergency Management Agency Director, I have learned a lot of things over the last four-and-a-half years.

One of them, is learning the resources and capabilities of the people and organizations here in Clay County. There has been a big push over the last 2-3 years for interoperable communications.

The State of Indiana has been building a statewide infrastructure of radio towers so we can communicate from one end of the state to the other. One of the problems with this system is, if an event happens that destroys a group of these towers, a specific area communications will not exist.

For years, there has been interoperable communications in a basic form called Radio Amateur Civil Emergency System (RACES) or HAM or Amateur Radio operators.

These radio operators can basically set up anywhere and in no time start passing information across the state and the nation, linking an area where communications has been destroyed back to the rest of the world.

Now, my reason for writing this blog: I was given a list of Amateur Radio Operators here in Clay County about a month ago and I could not believe how many we had. It was three pages long.

Many counties have an organized group of these communicators to help during large scale disasters, to help assess the needs of the people in the disaster area and link them to the responders trying to help.

If you are one of these radio operators, or know some of them, I would like to do something that will help organize a RACES group for our county.

It's like having an insurance policy that gives us countywide ability to make sure everyone is helped to the best of our ability.

If the group is already been started, I would like to see what I could do to help make a place for it when a disaster happens.

We need to prepare ourselves as if lives depend on it, because it does!

Bryan Husband

Clay County Emergency Management Agency Director

611 E. Jackson St.  

Brazil, Indiana 47834  

Office Phone Number: 812-446-2535 Ext. 156   

Fax Number: 812-448-8400  

E-mail: clayema@claycountyin.gov or husband@cebridge.net

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Bryan:

It is good to see the recognition of ham radio as a viable link in emergency communication. I will do what I can to help you pull the county operators together in a way that will support what you are trying to accomplish. I look forward to being able to work with you for the benefit of Clay County.

Gary Adams

-- Posted by W9EEU on Thu, Jul 9, 2009, at 11:19 AM

Mr. Husband,

We of the Amateur Radio service want to congratulate you on your observations and decision to utilize the service Amateur Radio Operators can provide. Although I do not live in Clay County, I have heartstrings there, as Brazil was my hometown and where you can see my fathers name on the bronze plaque as one of the founders of the hospital there.

The ARRL tries to have Emergency Coordinators in each county in every state for purposes as you describe. I am one of those in Clark County IL. and our team has an excellent relationship with our ESDA (Now called EMA Director). He is one of our served agencies in Clark County IL.

You are so correct in your observations regarding communications. Even in the flood last year in Terre Haute, cell phones were nearly useless because they were swamped. The Red Cross Shelter couldn't get a phone message to their office to tell them what they needed in the way of supplies for all the people coming in. We had just set up a station at that shelter (and have one at the Red Cross office) and she asked if we could get a message through. She explained she had been trying for the past 45 min to get through. In less than 3 min we gave her confirmation her office was sending what she needed. It was funny to see here throw her cell phone on the table and said "Follow me, we need you". When I left and the next ham radio shift took over the cell phone was still where she threw it.

For the purpose of those reading the blog in Clay County unfamiliar with Ham radio I encourage you to investigate this hobby/service. It's not your grandfather's pastime. There is all kinds of new innovative communicates modes and methods available. Of course there is voice and Morse code, but it's becoming more common to hear Hams talk about the digital modes (hooking a computer to the transmitter) and satellite communications, slow scan TV, packet radio etc. Best yet there are no monthly service fees. While a disaster manmade or natural may take out your backbone across the state and even in the county, and it may take out some of us Hams, it will not take us all out. As soon as we can dig out of the rubble we will be on the air when there is no cell phone, no internet, no electricity (We can be heard around the world on the electricity from our own generators or a car battery....and we know where to "find" lots of them if needed :-)

Again Mr. Husband I want to commend you on your quest. I can tell you that you have a fine pool of Hams over there to draw from. I know several of them personally and take a lot of pride in telling you they are my brothers in this service.

For those who want to know more about the hobby/service go to (before the New Madrid Fault cuts loose, or a tank truck of Ammonia is ruptured on National Ave and Meridian St., or a tornado, or train with a tanker of 2,2,4 Tri-methyl-pentane wrecks):

http://www.hello-radio.org/

ARO N9YRX John W. Van Sandt

1302 Beech St.

Marshall, ILL 62441

Ph 217-826-8821

http://www.qrz.com/db/N9YRX/1238340661

ARRL ARESŽ Clark County ILL Emergency Coordinator

For present location:

http://www.findu.com/cgi-bin/find.cgi?ca...

"Amateur Radio Emergency Service" are registered servicemarks of the American Radio

Relay League, Incorporated and are used by permission.

-- Posted by N9YRX on Thu, Jul 9, 2009, at 1:31 PM

Mr. Husband,

first I want to say thank you for your many years in public safety. I remember viewing many video tapes from my fire service days that you had taught. I am a former member of the Van Buren Volunteer Fire Dept. I was on the department ten years or longer. Later becoming Lieutenant before resigning due to time constraints.

Now on to business. You, Gary and John are correct. When the statewide trunking system fails from a computer glitch, or force of nature, there will be a need for alternate communications. Radio Amateurs will be there. Most have already been trained in some form of emergency communications. Most of us (Hams) routinely participate in those communications. And many are professional communications people. Of notable mention are the Sky Warn Nets that are active anytime severe weather threatens the area. Sky Warn reports directly to the National Weather Service. Hams, along with law enforcement, are the eyes of the weather service. If the weather service spots something questionable on radar, they call on the hams to visually confirm conditions.

I would be happy to do what I can for Clay County RACES. Please contact via email about some other EMA related subject matter.

Again, thank you for your service.

Ken Myers - W0THI

Chief Operator - WTHI-FM (EAS LP2 Station for the Terre Haute Operational Area)

Ph. 812.448.3087

ken@IndianaSound.com

-- Posted by kmyers on Fri, Jul 10, 2009, at 10:40 PM