"When all else fails... amateur radio works" is a motto of the
American Radio Relay League, the national association for amateur (ham) radio operators in the United States. How does it work? In times of disaster, telephones, cell phones, and Internet connections all have to go through many vulnerable choke points and need electric power to get a message out. Even if the system is functioning, these systems can be overwhelmed by the number of cries for help and families seeking information. Amateur radio is different. While ham operators
may use the Internet or have a repeater system, they do not
have to do so. They can "go direct" and talk straight through to each other because each station is fully independent. Ham operators can operate just fine without other infrastructure, and by selecting the right frequencies, they can talk across town or around the world.
Ham radio operators provided emergency communication during these recent events:
Earthquakes in Haiti and Chile (2010), Earthquake in Hawaii (2006), Flooding in Northeastern United States (2006), Hurricanes Katrina, Wilma, and Rita (2005), Wildfires in Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico (2005), and more.
Locally in San Jose, California, amateur radio operators
provided valuable service in 2009 when a fiber optic cable outage led to widespread disruption of phone service -- including tens of thousands of land lines, an undetermined number of cell phones, Internet access and 911 emergency service -- in southern Santa Clara County, as well as in Santa Cruz and San Benito counties. With the infrastructure disabled, local Emergency Management officials called on ham radio operators in their communities to provide back-up communications.
Interested in finding out more about amateur radio? Ask me or
find a club near you.
-Mike Matessa
Ham operator KB3TCT
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