- David L Norris
- Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
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2005-02-05
Amateur "Ham" Radio
Mike Palmer, N9FEB and myself have been working on the Indianapolis-Marion County Ham Radio website a bit over the past few weeks. The primary focus is information for communications volunteers helping with Indianapolis and Marion County area festival, parade, triathlon, marathon, bicycle race, and emergency events.
Who?
The information listed there is for Amateur Radio, often called Ham Radio, operators who help coordinate communications between Red Cross, local government, or other agencies in the Indianapolis area. Surprisingly often event organizers rely on cell phones or cheap recreational radios to communicate. Unfortunately, most volunteers they have on hand are inexperienced in dealing with situations requiring complex communications. During a large event this can be dangerous. During an emergency it can be deadly. Amateur Radio can help alleviate these problems.
In many communities there are, often large, groups of Amateur Radio operators willing to offer their communications skills just for the experience of doing so. By federal law, US Amateur Radio operators cannot provide their services for pecuniary interest. Meaning, they can't be paid in any way for the use of their radios. So, it's a perfect fit with charity and government sponsored events. And it provides Amateur Radio operators with a chance to practice their communications skills. Skills which often prove valuable in large-scale emergency situations.
What?
For example, in places Amateur Radio operators provided the only means of communications in the initial days following the Tsunami and Earthquake in Asia in December 2004. The existing infrastructure had been completely destroyed in those areas but hams were able to step in and communicate worldwide using portable radios on battery and generator power. Hams frequently help coordinate wildfire activities in the Western US. Hams assisted NASA in locating widely dispersed wreckage from the Columbia space shuttle accident. Hams are members of many search and rescue organizations. Hams also provide specialized radio support networks for other hams who are mariners, truck drivers, travelers, and so on. Most astronauts and all cosmonauts are Ham Radio operators. There is a permanent Ham Radio station aboard the International Space Station with voice, data, and video capabilities.
Thousands of Amateur Radio operators nationwide help the National Weather Service (NWS) every day by providing weather reports from remote areas via Ham Radio back to storm prediction centers. Amateur Radio operators are also a major force in Skywarn and storm chaser programs around the US. So much so that nearly all NWS offices have their own permanent Ham Radio stations operated by volunteers from the community. Hams also have a large network of automated weather observing stations which NWS/NOAA and others feed directly into storm prediction "mesonet" computers.
Thousands of US Hams are members of the Military Affiliate Radio Service (MARS) which, among other things, passes routine messages between far-off soldiers and family. Hams in MARS are assigned to military radio channels with military callsigns. They learn the details of military communications procedures so they can function as a fallback resource in case primary military communications infrastructure is overloaded or damaged. MARS has, at times, helped tested new communications technology before it is widely deployed.
How?
Hams have many means of communications available to them. The most common means of communications is short-range VHF/UHF FM. VHF/UHF radios are often small enough to fit into one's pocket. VHF/UHF generally covers an area of up to about 50 miles but can be extended by repeaters, IRLP, and satellites. Repeaters commonly cover tens to hundreds of miles. IRLP nodes use the Internet to interconnect repeater stations worldwide much like dialing a telephone number. Satellites can relay data and voice communications within a several thousand mile area. High orbit satellites are available for complex high power ground stations as well as low orbit satellites usable by handheld radios that fit in the pocket.
HF provides the only truly worldwide communications even though other methods come close. HF works by bouncing radio signals off ionized layers of the Earth's atmosphere. HF uses moderate amounts of power and requires a few dozen feet of wire for the antenna strung up in a tree or from a building. HF can be a bit unpredictable but an experienced operator can often find some way to make their contact. Newer digital communications modes make HF unpredictability much less troublesome.
For such large scale disasters like hurricanes, tsunami, and such Hams will coordinate local activities on VHF/UHF then relay summaries via HF to regional centers. VHF/UHF can operate several dozen miles without any infrastructure in place. HF doesn't work well at all for short range but can work very well beyond a hundred miles or so.
Who?
The information listed there is for Amateur Radio, often called Ham Radio, operators who help coordinate communications between Red Cross, local government, or other agencies in the Indianapolis area. Surprisingly often event organizers rely on cell phones or cheap recreational radios to communicate. Unfortunately, most volunteers they have on hand are inexperienced in dealing with situations requiring complex communications. During a large event this can be dangerous. During an emergency it can be deadly. Amateur Radio can help alleviate these problems.
In many communities there are, often large, groups of Amateur Radio operators willing to offer their communications skills just for the experience of doing so. By federal law, US Amateur Radio operators cannot provide their services for pecuniary interest. Meaning, they can't be paid in any way for the use of their radios. So, it's a perfect fit with charity and government sponsored events. And it provides Amateur Radio operators with a chance to practice their communications skills. Skills which often prove valuable in large-scale emergency situations.
What?
For example, in places Amateur Radio operators provided the only means of communications in the initial days following the Tsunami and Earthquake in Asia in December 2004. The existing infrastructure had been completely destroyed in those areas but hams were able to step in and communicate worldwide using portable radios on battery and generator power. Hams frequently help coordinate wildfire activities in the Western US. Hams assisted NASA in locating widely dispersed wreckage from the Columbia space shuttle accident. Hams are members of many search and rescue organizations. Hams also provide specialized radio support networks for other hams who are mariners, truck drivers, travelers, and so on. Most astronauts and all cosmonauts are Ham Radio operators. There is a permanent Ham Radio station aboard the International Space Station with voice, data, and video capabilities.
Thousands of Amateur Radio operators nationwide help the National Weather Service (NWS) every day by providing weather reports from remote areas via Ham Radio back to storm prediction centers. Amateur Radio operators are also a major force in Skywarn and storm chaser programs around the US. So much so that nearly all NWS offices have their own permanent Ham Radio stations operated by volunteers from the community. Hams also have a large network of automated weather observing stations which NWS/NOAA and others feed directly into storm prediction "mesonet" computers.
Thousands of US Hams are members of the Military Affiliate Radio Service (MARS) which, among other things, passes routine messages between far-off soldiers and family. Hams in MARS are assigned to military radio channels with military callsigns. They learn the details of military communications procedures so they can function as a fallback resource in case primary military communications infrastructure is overloaded or damaged. MARS has, at times, helped tested new communications technology before it is widely deployed.
How?
Hams have many means of communications available to them. The most common means of communications is short-range VHF/UHF FM. VHF/UHF radios are often small enough to fit into one's pocket. VHF/UHF generally covers an area of up to about 50 miles but can be extended by repeaters, IRLP, and satellites. Repeaters commonly cover tens to hundreds of miles. IRLP nodes use the Internet to interconnect repeater stations worldwide much like dialing a telephone number. Satellites can relay data and voice communications within a several thousand mile area. High orbit satellites are available for complex high power ground stations as well as low orbit satellites usable by handheld radios that fit in the pocket.
HF provides the only truly worldwide communications even though other methods come close. HF works by bouncing radio signals off ionized layers of the Earth's atmosphere. HF uses moderate amounts of power and requires a few dozen feet of wire for the antenna strung up in a tree or from a building. HF can be a bit unpredictable but an experienced operator can often find some way to make their contact. Newer digital communications modes make HF unpredictability much less troublesome.
For such large scale disasters like hurricanes, tsunami, and such Hams will coordinate local activities on VHF/UHF then relay summaries via HF to regional centers. VHF/UHF can operate several dozen miles without any infrastructure in place. HF doesn't work well at all for short range but can work very well beyond a hundred miles or so.