How to communicate by Amateur Radio when disaster strikes
GOSHEN — The Orange County Amateur Radio Emergency Service and Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services will put their communication skills to the test during their annual “Field Day."
The public is invited to stop by the Orange County Emergency Operations Center during the weekend of June 24 and 25 to meet ham radio operators and to see what modern Amateur Radio can accomplish, especially during emergencies.
Every year, whole communities find themselves in the dark and unable to communicate, despite the internet, cell phones, email, and other modern tools. Floods, blizzards, and other severe storms can leave people unable to contact their loved ones. In these cases, one consistent service that has never failed the public is Amateur Radio.
Volunteer ham radio operators provide backup communications support to the Orange County Office of Emergency Management, the American Red Cross, FEMA, and other agencies that need the ability to communicate during a natural disaster. Over the past few years, the news has seen many reports of ham radio operators providing critical communications during unexpected emergencies. When trouble is brewing, amateur radio operators are often the first to provide rescuers and other first responders with critical information and communications support.
Activation exerciseFor the first time ever, the Orange County Amateur Radio Emergency Service and Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services will be “activating” the Orange County Emergency Operations Center for an emergency radio exercise.
“The fastest way to turn a crisis into a total disaster, is to lose communications, said Allen Pitts of the American Radio Relay League. “From tsunami’s in Japan, to earthquakes in Nepal, and Tornadoes in the U.S., ham radio has provided the most reliable networks in the first critical hours of major events. Because ham radios are not dependent upon the internet, cell towers or other infrastructure, they work when nothing else is available. "
The weekend is the climax of the weeklong Amateur Radio Week sponsored by the American Radio Relay League, the national association for Amateur Radio. Using only emergency power supplies, ham operators will construct emergency portable stations in parks, malls, backyards all across the country. Their slogan, “When All Else Fails, Ham Radio Works,” is more than just words to the maps as the prove they can send messages in many forms without the use of phone systems, internet, or any other infrastructure that can be compromised in a crisis. It is expected that more than 30,000 hams will participate in the exercise nationwide.
For more information contact Steve Fleckenstein at ocskywarn@gmail.com or Neil Schubert at carmic7@gmail.com.