Category Archives: Emergency Communications

Amateur Radio, Amateur Radio Organizations, Amateur Radio Relay League, ARES, Bill Williams Mountain Radio Club, Coconino Amateur Radio Club, Emergency Communications, Flagstaff, News

EOC activation for Museum Fire

(Edited July 27, 2019)

On Sunday July 21, I turned on my two radios to monitor the 146.980 (- 162.2) repeater on Mt. Elden and the 146.780 (- 91.5) repeater on Bill Williams mountain as I normally do. On Sunday I did not expect much as traffic is normally light. To my surprise, I heard Janice KI6WCK announcing that the Emergency Operation Center (EOC) in Flagstaff was active and the Coconino Amateur Radio Club (CARC) Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) was providing communication services.

The ARES group was providing backup communications in support of a fire that was being called the Museum Fire. I listened to monitor the situation for a few minutes. When it was clear they were asking for volunteers, I volunteered. This is, after all, what we train for. I could not drop everything and run up that day. So I volunteered for Monday. I contacted Joe W7LUX who is the District Emergency Coordinator for Coconino County. He needed someone late in the day Monday so I volunteered.

There were other things happening on Sunday. Amateur radio operators responded to the call to tow the CARC antenna tower trailer and the communication trailer to the EOC. Others brought coaxial cable that was needed. Some came to help set up and relieve Janice. It was a busy day.

The trip to Flagstaff for me is about 80-miles round trip and about two-hours travel time. Arizona Department of Transportation is currently doing repairs on the highway in both directions east- and west-bound on I-40. So that was another thing I had to contend with.

I packed my emergency dual-band antenna and mast in my car and an extra power supply in case it was needed. I carried them to Flagstaff every time I went up.

The Museum Fire from 4th Street in Flagstaff.

When I arrived in Flagstaff, I was actually stunned by the magnitude of the fire. To make matters worse, the fire was in an area called Shultz Pass that had a fire years ago. This caused flooding when it rained. Fortunately Coconino County had been working on the problem long before this fire. There was some flash flooding because of rain on Tuesday—according to NOAA radio—but it did not damage any private structures, as far as I know.

The big concern was whether or not the fire would reach the repeaters at Devil’s Head on Mt. Elden. I was impressed that the CARC trailer was set up for its intended purpose of emergency communications. The CARC antenna trailer had been set up and Ken KF7DUR had a VHF and UHF emergency repeater set up in the trailer in case the worse happened.

The CARC trailer and antenna set up for emergency communications.

We were also able to maintain communications with the Bill Williams Mountain Club repeater in Williams. The 146.780 (- 91.5) Bill Williams repeater is also attached to Echolink. Under normal conditions, I’ve met some new Hams coming in on Echolink.

Ken KF7DUR set up a UHF and VHF repeater in the CARC trailer in case the worse happened.

By the end of the day Monday, it was clear that there was less danger to the repeaters. Things slowed down and Erv KE7QFI conducted the Skywarn net.

On Tuesday I had an appointment at the VA in the morning, so I went to the EOC right after. I did not expect to, but I wound up staying until they secured ARES for the day. In the morning, the Southwest Area Type I Incident Management Team 2 took over management of the fire. What that means, in layman’s terms, is that this was a serious fire. The terrain was rugged and aircraft had been bombing the fire with water since the fire began.

  • l-r Ken KF7DUR, Jacob KI7WNS, Governor Doug Ducey, Glen KG7YDJ and Joe W7LUX

The big news (though not over the amateur radio airwaves) was that Governor Doug Ducey was going to come to the EOC to sign the Declaration of Emergency for the Museum Fire. They had podium, flags and chairs set up for the purpose. He did not arrive at the scheduled time. It turns out he went into the field. He did,however, show up at the EOC later and took time out to thanks us for our work. He also patiently took time so we could all snap a picture with him.

The Museum Fire on Tuesday. The trailer in the foreground is a piece of equipment from Arizona DEMA that is used to establish cell communications and Internet.

After he left we returned to duty. The monsoon rains started. They were relatively light but seemed to help slow the fire a bit. Surely it helped cool off the fire fighters. The problem was that there was now a flash flood warning until 7 p.m. People were given the opportunity to get sand bags for their homes. At about 5:30 p.m., I checked NOAA radio and it was reported that a flash flood was crossing Paradise Road and heading toward the community of Sunnyside. It was reported by Skywarn observers that the flash flooding carried ash and debris from the fire. I did not hear of any damage to homes. After 9.5 hours I went home.

On Wednesday I returned to the EOC at about 12:45. The fire was still going as was the EOC. I did notice that there was considerably less smoke. I received a surprise visit from an amateur radio friend, Ian, who was a fire fighter on the TYPE I team that was sent in to manage the fire. He got to see just what ARES does.

Wednesday is the regular ARES net. I remembered to take my computer, but forgot to take a copy of the roster and even the script. So I had to text Ron KG7OH to email me a copy of those items. It was an interesting experience running the net from the EOC. I made it more interesting by playing with the buttons on the radio and forgetting to re-set it back to the proper settings before the net. I was familiar with the Yaesu radios, so it was no problem getting it set properly and conducting the net.

I simply could not return on Thursday due to personal reasons. I still monitored the radio, of course. On Friday I monitored fully prepared to respond if needed. I learned, however, that ARES was being de-activated at 10 a.m., but that the EOC was still being staffed over the weekend. So we are still “on call,” though we are breaking down the CARC equipment tomorrow.

Overall it was an interesting experience participating in an actual ARES activation. It was more interesting because this was such a major emergency. I met new Ham operators both on the radio and in person. It gave me a chance to learn to interact with the different groups in the EOC.

The EOC provided plenty of food and snacks. In fact on Tuesday they provided an Italian cuisine with spaghetti, Parmesan chicken and the works. Of course, no Italian menu would be complete without Chinese fortune cookies. They had a box of them. This was one of my fortunes:

Amateur Radio, Emergency Communications, Federal Communications Commission, News, Technical

FCC Petition RM-11831 Threatens Amateur Digital Operations Like Winlink

By Lor Kutchins, W3QA, Winlink Development Team, President, Amateur Radio Safety Foundation, Inc

April 5, 2019–The FCC has opened for comment RM-11831, a proposal for rule making that would do two things the the US amateur radio rules:

1) remove paragraph (c) of 97.221. This would disallow narrow-bandwidth ARQ modes of 500 Hz or less from outside the specified 97.221 sub bands for automatically controlled digital stations. This will require all US Winlink HF gateway stations, regardless of mode/technique, to only operate within these narrow sub bands.

2) modify the wording of 97.309(4) thusly:
(4) An amateur station transmitting a RTTY or data emission using a digital code specified in this paragraph may use any technique whose technical characteristics have been documented publicly, such as CLOVER, G-TOR, or PacTOR, (remove –, add the following:) and the protocol used can be be monitored, in it’s entirety, by 3rd parties, with freely available open source software, for the purpose of facilitating communications.

This effectively eliminates Pactor 2, 3, and 4 from the US amateur bands unless SCS steps up and publishes complete technical specifications, including their proprietary signal processing methods, and produces an open-source monitoring program allowing on-air eavesdropping by third parties (not likely).

The Winlink Team will have to produce monitoring software for an unconnected eavesdropper for WINMOR, ARDOP. VARA’s author must do the same. The alternative is for Winlink to close shop for US licensees on HF amateur bands, or to eliminate B2F compression for messages sent by US-licensed amateurs. This will cause US users of all modes to suffer much longer transmission times by a factor of 2-10 times. Limits would not be placed on other users.

See and read the new proceeding from the link below. The 30-day comment period opened on 28 March. We have prepared a document containing useful arguments you may paraphrase for your comment filing. The formal ARSFI Motion to Dismiss RM-11831 and Petition for Rulemaking is also here for your review.

https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/search/filings?proceedings_name=RM-11831&sort=d…

Unless we receive support from users on this serious threat, Winlink may be forced to close shop on HF in the USA. US and non-US users and gateway operators are urged to educate themselves and file a comment soon!

Amateur Radio, Amateur Radio Organizations, ARES, Coconino Amateur Radio Club, Emergency Communications, Event, FEMA, Flagstaff, Morse Code, National Government

Flagstaff EOC opens doors to the public

The nerve center of the Emergency Operation Center.

FLAGSTAFF – On March 23, the Emergency Operation Center in Flagstaff held an open house to allow the public to peer inside for the first time.


The Emergency Operation Center is based on a modular, FEMA model. That means that only those areas necessary for the current emergency are staffed. That could mean representatives from federal agencies, State agencies or local agencies. Local agencies can be anything from the American Red Cross, Amateur Radio Emergency Service, Community Emergency Response Team, Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, representatives from fire and police departments from anywhere in Coconino County to name a few.

The Coconino Emergency Operation Center is operated by Coconino Emergency Management. It received national recognition during the Tinder Fire in the Blue Ridge area. Amateur radio operators from the Coconino Amateur Radio Emergency Service was the only communications to get through to the EOC at the beginning to issue evacuation orders.

Visitors got a chance to see the various community emergency services in Coconino County. The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) sponsored by the Sheriff’s Department was one. The group is made up of volunteers that respond to various emergencies as directed by the CCSO. This can be anything from assisting in searching for a lost person to providing traffic control. CERT training, provided by the CCSO, is required to be a member.

Amateur radio operators set up antennas to demonstrate emergency communications.

The Coconino Amateur Radio Club Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) group mans their space at the EOC for almost every emergency. Amateur radio—aka “Ham”—operators are people of all walks of life licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to operate amateur radio equipment on several frequencies. This is not the same as a General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) license. Although amateurs are not required to, many donate countless hours in training and providing emergency communications. Amateur radio can get through when many other means of communications fail. They use a variety of digital and voice modes and sometimes even old-fashioned Morse code. Some FEMA courses are required to work with the amateur radio operators in the EOC, however any amateur radio operator can participate by providing reports in their area. ARES is a program sponsored by the American Radio Relay League. There is no requirement to join any group or provide emergency communications attached to an FCC amateur radio license.

The American Red Cross also provided an information table for their continuing role in many emergency situations in and outside of the EOC. The State Emergency Management Agency also presented their role.

Ground control to Major Tom. This unit provides cell and wi-fi service in remote locations.
Flagstaff Police Department bomb squad robot.

Outside there were several agencies present . The Flagstaff Police Department bomb squad had their bomb robot present. The State Emergency Management Team had their “Ground Control” unit that provides cell and Wi-Fi services in remote areas. There were also representatives from the fire department and ambulance services.

Amateur Radio, Amateur Radio Organizations, Emergency Communications, International, News

How ITU is strengthening emergency telecommunications in the Americas

By Miguel Alcaine, Representative of the ITU Area Office in Tegucigalpa, Honduras

In recent years, the increasing number of disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis and floods has highlighted the urgency of establishing strong telecommunication systems, which are essential if medics, firefighters, police and others are to provide effective relief during emergencies.

In the aftermath of disasters, alternative telecommunication systems are often needed to replace normal systems that have been damaged or destroyed. ITU membership has recognized this need: For many years, emergency telecommunications has been a priority in the Americas Region.

n 2018, ITU teamed up with regional telecommunications bodies in the Americas such as la Comision Regional Tecnica de Telecommunicaciones (COMTELCA), the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL) and the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) to set up an alternative telecommunication system for use in times of emergencies. The system does not rely on conventional means of communication such as the Internet, but rather on amateur radio systems.

The benefits of Winlink

The alternative telecommunications system used is known as Winlink, a worldwide email service that uses radio pathways and is capable of operating completely without the Internet.

READ MORE AT ITU NEWS.

Emergency Communications, FEMA, National Government, News

FEMA’s Email Subscriptions: Treasure Trove of Resources and Info

FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and formal partner agency of the ARRL, offers a wealth of information, updates and alerts on a wide range of emergency and disaster response topics by email subscription. These topical advisories and alerts are relevant to ARES participants, and readily subscribed to by clicking here. Simply subscribe by checking the boxes; unsubscribe by un-checking the boxes. Access your subscriber preferences to update your subscriptions or modify your password or email address without adding subscriptions.

Subscribers can opt to receive FEMA declarations, such as Emergency Declarations, Fire Management Assistance Declarations, Major Disaster Declarations, Disaster Updates by FEMA regions of the country, and Updates During Disasters.

Featured FEMA Updates include registration information and updates for America’s PrepareAthon, which motivates people and communities to take action to prepare for and protect themselves against disasters. ARRL has supported the preparedness program, and since 2003, has been an affiliate of Citizen Corps, under the four charter Citizen Corps programs–Neighborhood Watch, Volunteers in Police Service, Community Emergency Response Teams and Medical Reserve Corps. Get updates on 2018 America’s PrepareAthon plans.

Subscribers can also receive Citizen Corps News and Updates during disasters, and updates on the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program.

For information on the Department of Homeland Security’s Center For Faith-Based & Community Initiatives, and Neighborhood Partnership, check the relevant box.

FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute’s mission is to train, exercise and educate to improve the competencies of Emergency Management at all levels. The EMI is home for FEMA’s well known Independent Study (IS) program, where ARES participants and others can take the NIMS and ICS (and numerous other topics) online courses. Email subscribers can receive a wide array of EMI news and updates, including on the Independent Study courses.

Other news and updates are available on topics such as HAZMAT, IT, Mitigation (Grants Policy), Communications and Outreach, Risk Analysis Branch, and, of course, the National Incident Management System (NIMS). Emails are available for the FEMA National Level Exercise, National Response Framework, FEMA Daily Operations Briefing, and much more.

I’ve been an email subscriber for many of these update and bullletins for several years now — I highly recommend them. — K1CE

Amateur Radio, Amateur Radio Organizations, Amateur Radio Relay League, ARES, Emergency Communications, Event, Hamvention, News

ARRL Public Service Enhancement Working Group Chairman Updates Hamvention® Crowd on Proposed ARES Changes

At the ARRL Member Forum at 2018 Hamvention® last month, hosting Great Lakes Division Director Dale Williams, WA8EFK, chairman of the ARRL Public Service Enhancement Working Group, spoke about the dramatic changes that are occurring among agencies serving in the emergency/disaster response sector. He discussed planning for proposed new guidelines for participants in the ARES program, including plans for a new volunteer management software system, called ARES® Connect. Upgrades to ARES training and resources will ensure the service continues to be a valuable partner for its served agencies into the future.

Williams’ program was titled ARES Advances into the 21st Century — A New Program, A New Mission. The vision is for an ARES that is comprised of organized, trained, qualified, and credentialed Amateur Radio operators who can provide public service partners with radio communications expertise, capability, and capacity.

Goals include aligning the ARES organizational structure with the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and Incident Command System (ICS). The Emergency Coordinator (EC) will continue to lead the ARES team locally during an incident, while the District EC and Section Emergency Coordinator will continue to serve as resources and support for the EC. ARES Connect is the new platform designed to support Reporting, Membership, Database – Portability, Record Keeping, and Statistics.

It is envisioned that additional training will be mandated, including ARRL Emergency Communications courses and the now standard FEMA NIMS/ICS courses IS-100, 200, 700, 800, with IS-300 and 400 for higher levels. Other specialty courses will be required in certain cases such as SKYWARN and other agency-specific training.
Levels of training attained would dovetail with three new levels of participation: Level One would be comprised of all entering the program with no training, while progressing through the ARRL emergency communications training and the FEMA Independent Study courses 100, 200, 700, and 800. Level Two would be attained upon successful completion of these courses, and would be considered the “Standard” level for ARES participants. Level Three would be attained upon completion of the advanced FEMA courses IS 300 and 400, which would qualify candidates for the ARES leadership positions EC, DEC, SEC and Assistants.

Level One participants would be able to fulfill most ARES duties with the target of attaining Level Two in one year. Level Two would be considered the normal participant level, which would gain the participant access to most incident sites and EOCs. Level Three would convey full access as granted by the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ), and qualification for ARES leadership.

It is proposed that ARRL will provide a basic ARES ID, which would convey recognition of registration with ARES nationally and indicate level of training. No conveyance of site access is guaranteed. The AHJ would grant an additional ID/pass for site access, which would be “owned” by the AHJ.

What is Happening Now

The ARES Connect system is currently being field-tested and implemented, with ARRL HQ staff undergoing training in its administration, and group registrations currently being made. Group IDs are being assigned. Beta testing with four ARRL Sections with large ARES organizations is underway.
The plans as described above are pending approval by the ARRL Board of Directors. An ARES Strategic Plan for the ARRL Field Organization, and an Introductory Announcement are being drafted. Editing/updating ARRL ARES-related publications is underway.
A full article on the ARES enhancements, once approved, will appear in September QST.

ARES® Connect

ARES program administrators at ARRL HQ will phase out the traditional ARES report forms later this year in favor of an online system called ARES Connect — a new volunteer management, communications, and reporting system. The new system will allow information to be logged by ARES members and managed through the Field Organization.

It does not change how ARES operates when serving a partner entity; it is simply a system that will make managing volunteers and incidents/events easier. Beta testing of ARES Connect began in March

ARRL Emergency Coordinators may register their ARES group here for a group ID.

Amateur Radio Organizations, ARES, Emergency Communications, National, News

National Hurricane Center Station WX4NHC Annual Station Test

WX4NHC, the amateur station at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida, will conduct its annual station test on Saturday, May 26, 2018 from 9AM-5 PM EDT (1300Z-2100Z). This year marks the station’s 38th year of public service at the NHC.

The purpose of this event is to test station equipment, antennas and computers prior to this year’s Hurricane Season, which starts June 1st and runs through November 30th.

This event is good practice for ham radio operators worldwide, and helps NWS offices across the country become familiar with Amateur Radio communications support services available during times of severe weather.

WX4NHC operators will be making brief contacts on many frequencies and modes, exchanging signal reports and basic weather data (“Sunny”, or “Rain”, etc.) with any station in any location. WX4NHC will be on-the-air on HF, VHF, UHF, 2 and 30 meter APRS and WinLink wx4nhc@winlink.org (subject line must contain “//WL2K”).

Operators plan to stay on the accepted Hurricane Watch Net frequency 14.325 MHz most of the time. Due to space and equipment limitations, there will only be two operators per shift. Hams may be able to find the operation on HF by using one of the DX spotting networks, such as DX Watch.

Operations will also be run on the VoIP Hurricane Net 4PM to 5PM EDT (2000-2100Z). (IRLP node 9219 / EchoLink WX-TALK Conference node 7203). The Florida Statewide SARNET and local VHF and UHF repeaters will also be employed to make contacts.

QSL cards are available via WD4R. Please send your card with a S.A.S.E. Do not send QSLs directly to the Hurricane Center address, as they will get delayed.

Due to security measures, NO VISITORS will be allowed entry to NHC without prior clearance from the NHC PIO and Security. Only WX4NHC Operators on the pre-approved operating schedule will be allowed entry. For more information about WX4NHC, please visit the website.

Thank you for your participation in the WX4NHC Annual Station Test event. — Julio Ripoll, WD4R, WX4NHC Amateur Radio Assistant Coordinator, www.wx4nhc.org — celebrating 38 years at the National Hurricane Center, www.nhc.noaa.gov

Amateur Radio, Emergency Communications, Event, Military Auxiliary Radio System, News

Communications Interoperability Training with Amateur Radio Community Set

Elements of the US Department of Defense (DoD) will conduct a “communications interoperability” training exercise November 4-6, once again simulating a “very bad day” scenario. Amateur Radio and the Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS) organizations will take part.

“This exercise will begin with a national massive coronal mass ejection event which will impact the national power grid as well as all forms of traditional communication, including landline telephone, cellphone, satellite, and Internet connectivity,” Army MARS Program Manager Paul English, WD8DBY, explained in an announcement.

During the exercise, a designated DoD Headquarters entity will request county-by-county status reports for the 3,143 US counties and county equivalents, in order to gain situational awareness and to determine the extent of impact of the scenario. Army and Air Force MARS organizations will work in conjunction with the Amateur Radio community, primarily on the 60-meter interoperability channels as well as on HF NVIS frequencies and local VHF and UHF, non-Internet linked Amateur Radio repeaters.

Again this year, a military station on the east coast and the Fort Huachuca, Arizona, HF station will conduct a high-power broadcast on 60-meter channel 1 (5330.5 kHz) on Saturday from 0300 to 0315 UTC. New this year will be an informational broadcast on Sunday, on 13483.5 kHz USB from 1600 to 1615 UTC. Amateur Radio operators should monitor these broadcasts for more information about the exercise and how they can participate in this communications exercise, English said.

“We want to continue building on the outstanding cooperative working relationship with the ARRL and the Amateur Radio community,” English said. “We want to expand the use of the 60-meter interop channels between the military and amateur community for emergency communications, and we hope the Amateur Radio community will give us some good feedback on the use of both the 5-MHz interop and the new 13-MHz broadcast channels as a means of information dissemination during a very bad day scenario.”

Contact Paul English for more information or questions about this exercise via email at, mars.exercises@gmail.com .

Amateur Radio, Amateur Radio Organizations, ARES, Coconino Amateur Radio Club, Education, Emergency Communications, Flagstaff, News

Alternate Emergency Operation Center Activated for drill

Corrected 10/21/2017 @ 21:10
—
FLAGSTAFF – On Thursday, October 19 the Alternate Emergency Operation Center was activated in Flagstaff, Arizona. The Coconino Amateur Radio Club ARES members were a part of the activation. The Emergency EOC is located near Buffalo Park.

I was able to participate in the set up and operation. I was also able to see how the emergency center would be set up in the event of an actual emergency. It is set up in standard FEMA format with the Incident Commander, Finance Section, Logistics Section and so-forth. The amateur radio group is a component of logistics.

Emergency centers are divided into modular units and only those needing to be activated are. The purpose of the activation was mainly to acquaint member of the teams with computer equipment and programs they would be using.

On the amateur side, we were given the opportunity to test communication with various areas of northern Arizona and the emergency center in Phoenix. We were given a small break room to use which proves that it doesn’t take much room to operate emergency communications. Hopefully we’ll be able to add CW in the future.

We had to arrive early to set up the Alpha Delta DX DD dipole and Diamond X-50NA vhf/uhf antennas. We tested HF frequencies and communications to repeaters.

My main contribution was to test the 146.780 repeater on Bill Williams repeater maintained by the Bill Williams Mountain Radio club. I contacted Todd Hitzeroth N6ZXJ who happened to be traveling west on I-40 at the time. It is interesting who you meet on amateur radio.

Overall it was an enjoyable and educational experience. Unfortunately it was conducted when many people had to work. I was able to rearrange my schedule to participate in the event. There are ways in which people can participate without having to travel to the center itself. In fact, boots on the ground are as important as the people in the center. The people in the small room in Flagstaff cannot see what is happening in Valle, Williams, Ash Fork and other northern Arizona areas.

If you live in Valle, Parks, Williams, Ash Fork or any other area where you can reach a repeater or have HF capability, you can listen in and make reports concerning the condition of your area. If you hear of the activation of the EOC in the future, contact someone involved and let them know you are available.

Joe Hobart, W7LUX, ARES District Emergency Coordinator (DEC) and ARA Tech Rep.

The report from Joe W7LUX reads:

Thanks to:

Glen KG7YDJ
Janice KI6WCK
Ken KF7DUR
Lina KE7QFE

who set up and operated HF and VHF/UHF amateur radio equipment at and during the full scale activation of the alternate EOC.

Thanks to:

Bob WA6OJY Greenhaven/Page
Doug K7YCA/N0DAJ Yavapai County ARES/RACES
Earl AD7EO Indian Wells (Navajo County)
Erv KE7QFI Southwest Flagstaff (Army MARS representative)
Gary K7GH Scottsdale (Representing Arizona State EOC)
Lee KF7YRS Saint George
Jeremy KG7HZA Page (Sheriff’s substation)
Vince WB7UWW Page (Home and sheriff’s substation)

for helping Coconino ARES meet the goals of good communications around Coconino County, with Yavapai County (also conducting an exercise), and with the state.

Also, thanks to:

AC7AJ Mingus Mountain
K6DWP Good test of 40 meter short skip Flagstaff to Cottonwood
KF7WOT Prescott
N6ZXJ Williams Area
W7YRC Yavapai Club

for providing additional signal reports and Community Status Reports.

Frequencies and modes used were:

3990 KHz LSB
7252 KHz LSB

146.780 MHz FM Repeater
146.980 MHz FM Repeater (ARA)
147.140 MHz FM Linked Repeater (ARA)
448.875 MHz FM Linked Repeater (ARA)

40 meter propagation was much better Thursday than during the Alternate EOC practice setup on 10 October. 75 meter propagation was adequate, but long paths were becoming weak by 1100. The new dipole antenna at the EOC worked very well. The Northlink and Rimlink linked repeaters also worked well.

Special thanks to Vince, WB7UWW, for making an unscheduled trip to the Page sheriff’s substation to conduct 40 meter radio checks.

Aviation, Emergency Communications, Federal Communications Commission, News

ENFORCEMENT BUREAU REMINDS CIVIL AVIATION COMMUNITY THAT USE OF A CERTAIN AVIATION FREQUENCY IS RESTRICTED TO EMERGENCY USE

This notice from the FCC applies to the aviation emergency radio frequency. Many of the principles apply to all radio services, however. For example Channel 9 of the Citizens Band Radio Service is an emergency only channel. It is illegal to broadcast a false distress call on ANY radio frequency. Just thought this might be of interest to the amateur radio community.

DA 17-747; August 8, 2017; Enforcement Advisory No. 2017-01

121.500 MHz Reserved for Emergency Use Only The Enforcement Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), has been investigating instances of misuse of, and harmful interference to, frequency 121.500 MHz, which the FCC has set aside for emergency and distress communications. The FCC regulates aviation communications in cooperation with the FAA, which, among other things, continuously monitors distress frequencies to protect life and property. The FAA has reported to the FCC that the FAA’s ability to monitor aviation channel 121.500 MHz for actual emergencies is being impaired by an increase in the use of 121.500 MHz for non-emergency communications. The Enforcement Bureau will aggressively enforce the rules related to aviation radio operations.

Ensuring the integrity of safety and distress frequencies is vital to safeguarding lives and property.

What Should You Know?
Aircraft operating domestically are authorized to operate VHF aviation radios, radar, and emergency locator transmitters (ELTs) without having to obtain individual licenses from the FCC, while aircraft operating internationally must hold a license issued by the FCC. In both cases, however, airmen1 must follow the operating procedures specified in Part 87 of the FCC’s rules.2

FCC ENFORCEMENT ADVISORY
Of particular importance, Section 87.173 of the FCC’s rules mandates that 121.500 MHz be used solely for emergency and distress purposes.3 The FAA continually monitors 121.500 MHz and treats any distress call received as an emergency to be investigated immediately. Prohibited communications on 121.500 MHz include: false distress or emergency messages, superfluous communications, messages containing obscene, indecent, or profane words or meaning, general calls (calls not addressed to a particular station), routine messages, radio tests, and transmission of recorded audio (such as music or spoken text). Misuse of 121.500 MHz can distract FAA personnel monitoring the channel from hearing transmissions related to actual emergencies and, as a result, poses a threat to life and property.

What Happens if Users Do Not Comply with the FCC’s Rules?
Interference to an aviation distress and safety frequency, including 121.500 MHz, is a violation of the most critical nature, with the potential to obscure genuine distress transmissions. The Enforcement Bureau intends to aggressively enforce violations of the FCC’s aviation radio communications rules.

Violators may be subject to the penalties authorized by the Communications Act, including, but not limited to, substantial monetary fines (up to $19,246 per single violation and up to $144,344 for an ongoing violation), an in rem action to seize the offending radio equipment, and criminal sanctions.

What Should You Do?
The FCC rules governing the aviation radio service are designed to protect both your life and the lives of those around you – fellow airmen and the public. Please take the time to learn the FCC rules governing proper radio operation and comply with them. Airmen should note that 122.750 MHz is available for air-to-air communications.4

Need more information?
For additional information regarding enforcement of the aviation radio rules, proper use of aviation radio frequencies, and licensing of aircraft radio stations, please visit the FCC website at https://www.fcc.gov/aircraft-stations. Media inquiries should be directed to Will Wiquist at (202) 418-0509 or will.wiquist@fcc.gov.

To file a complaint, visit https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov or call 1-888-CALL-FCC.

To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities (Braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530 (voice), (202) 418-0432 (TTY). You may also contact the Enforcement Bureau on its TTY line at (202) 418-1148 for further information about this Enforcement Advisory, or the FCC on its TTY line at 1-888-TELL-FCC (1-888-835-5322) for further information about the aviation radio rules. Issued by: Chief, Enforcement Bureau

1 For this Enforcement Advisory, we use the term “airman” as that term is defined in the Federal Aviation Act of 1958, as amended. There, Congress defined the term “airman” as “an individual—(A) in command, or as pilot, mechanic, or member of the crew, who navigates aircraft when under way; (B) … who is directly in charge of inspecting, maintaining, overhauling, or repairing aircraft, aircraft engines, propellers, or appliances; or (C) who serves as an aircraft dispatcher or air traffic control-tower operator.” 49 U.S.C. § 40102(a)(8).

2 47 CFR § 87.1 et seq.

3 47 CFR §§ 87.173, 87.187(k). Frequency 121.500 MHz also is used for maritime distress and search and rescue communications, and for direction-finding with respect to emergency radiobeacons at sea and on land. See 47 CFR §§ 80.1077, 87.199(b), 95.1402(a), 95.1403(b).

4 47 CFR § 87.187(j).