georgel
Behind Every Blade of Grass
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Just a comment about repeaters and clubs involved in ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Services), AUXCOMM (Auxiliary Communications) and the like.
When I was VP of our club in Charlotte, we were involved with these services. We had 3 repeaters and two were committed to this purpose by agreement. For those that don't know, these are organizations that coordinate the support of regular emergency services like police and fire with amateur radio. They supply supplemental radio support during emergencies, like coordinating where shelters or supplies are or even alternative comms if primary radio systems go down. They might place an amateur radio operator at a fire station to communicate with a team at the area Emergency Operations Center (EOC). Test are regularly conducted out of the EOC.
The gotcha is that once the emergency is declared and the system activated, they control the repeater. All traffic is highly regulated. This means regular use is suspended. This happens even during Skywarn activations. (Skywarn is the weather watch service that coordinates with NOAA.)
So, suddenly repeater comms to your group of friends and family are shut down. What now? When I was VP of our club, I emphasized keeping one repeater uncommitted and open for community use. Another alternative is HF.
Anyway, if you are involved in a club that commits its repeaters to these services and have multiple repeaters, consider keeping one open for community emergency comms.
When I was VP of our club in Charlotte, we were involved with these services. We had 3 repeaters and two were committed to this purpose by agreement. For those that don't know, these are organizations that coordinate the support of regular emergency services like police and fire with amateur radio. They supply supplemental radio support during emergencies, like coordinating where shelters or supplies are or even alternative comms if primary radio systems go down. They might place an amateur radio operator at a fire station to communicate with a team at the area Emergency Operations Center (EOC). Test are regularly conducted out of the EOC.
The gotcha is that once the emergency is declared and the system activated, they control the repeater. All traffic is highly regulated. This means regular use is suspended. This happens even during Skywarn activations. (Skywarn is the weather watch service that coordinates with NOAA.)
So, suddenly repeater comms to your group of friends and family are shut down. What now? When I was VP of our club, I emphasized keeping one repeater uncommitted and open for community use. Another alternative is HF.
Anyway, if you are involved in a club that commits its repeaters to these services and have multiple repeaters, consider keeping one open for community emergency comms.
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