Why every Ham Radio Operator should Support Search and Rescue Teams!
Terms to know while reading this article:
- ARO=Amateur Radio operator(s)
- S.A.R. =Search and Rescue
- RF Footprint= the geographic area that a repeater covers with it's transmitter
- Repeater= a transmitter/receiver that repeats a signal. Repeaters are usually located on mountain tops and cover a large area
- RF Power= Radio frequency signals that radiate at a certain transmitted power level
- Hand held= often known as a HT are radio's that are held in the hand to communicate through repeater systems or simplex (radio to radio)
- Net(s)= a group of hams joining together on a frequency to pass emergency message, or to practice their skills of passing emergency messages
Can Hams really give help and support to S.A.R. ?
The answer is absolutely! And here are the reasons why....
Individual Hams
Amateur Radio Operator's are really professional communicators, well most of them, and as such have excellent skills in communicating information clearly and concisely. Every day on all bands and modes ARO's pass information and practice their communication skills in emergency nets. ARO's keep their gear in top notch condition - 99 % of ham radio stations on running top notch equipment and most of their equipment is relatively new, usually less than 5 years old. Gear and antenna's are checked often to maintain maximum RF power and transmitting distance. Ham's pride themselves on long distance contacts even on the UHF and VHF bands. This expertise can be utilized in the S.A.R. Environment. Many Members of S.A.R. are also hams but just as many are not. For the “not” members their focus is mainly S.A.R. Skills and not communication skills so much. Licensed hams can educate and fill in the blanks spaces making searching and rescuing more successful and of shorter duration. Every minute in the field in emergency situations puts the rescuers and the victims at greater risk for their life, especially in cold weather situations. When proficient Ham Radio communication and professional S.A.R. Knowledge and skills are mixed together lives are saved on both ends of the rescue!
Repeater Owners
Repeater's are a excellent tool for S.A.R. Most repeaters have a fairly large RF footprint giving extended communication that hand held to hand held radio's cannot provide. You might ask, “are repeater owners ready to give up their repeaters for S.A.R. Use? I think the answer is a very strong YES! I offered this to our local S.A.R. Team locally and knowing the caliber and purposes of Ham Radio and it's licensed users I am 99 % sure that there is not a repeater owner who would think different then me. In a time of emergency many many ham radio's are turned on and operator's are listening but no one will interrupt except when specifically called upon. I know of no individual ham radio operator who would block, interrupt, or disrupt any communication regarding an emergency. If someone would do this there would be immediate calls by other ham's to the FCC to report the person involved and that person risks losing their ham radio license and faces large and major financial fines. Remember these men and women hams are professional communicators that know the consequences to themselves and others by doing such unthinkable things.
Above is just a short list that ARO's can contribute to S.A.R. Teams. Now let's explore what S.A.R. Can do for ham radio and it's licensed operators....
SAR Members and Ham Radio
S.A.R. Team members and ARO's belong to the same family. Most often we both have the same interests, have similar equipment and have the same philosophies – to help others and save lives when called upon.
As I stated previously many S.A.R. Members are hams but not all. However in many areas of our country S.A.R. teams are waking up to the value of ham radio in what they do. Thus many teams are now requiring S.A.R. Members to take their ham test and become licensed members. My experience thus far has been that a great percentage of Ham licensed S.A.R. Members take up the ham radio hobby full time and get very serious about working the bands at a personal level far removed from S.A.R. Not only have they joined and increased our ranks but have aided in increasing the number of ham';s that are available to talk with plus many new additional friends to meet and fellowship with on the air. Let me ask you this if you were part of a search and rescue event far out in the field where hand radio to hand radio communication is extremely limited and you encounter a life threatening situation which would you rather have at your disposal......
- Just a few of your fellow S.A.R. team members, or
- 5 to 20 hams listening to your activities which can make phone calls for you and coordinate life saving assistance immediately,when requested by the S.A.R. Team leader?
I think most of us know the answer to that. While the average person standing on the sidelines has little training in emergencies and will attempt to jump in and often make matters worse you will almost never have that happen with a ARO who is trained and practicing daily his/her communication skills,techniques and understanding. A good radio communicator will listen first until they understand what is happening and then not interrupt or interject transmissions until specifically called upon for their assistance and not before. A S.A.R. Member highly trained in rescue skills and ham radio skills is dynamite when it come to saving lives and I endorse and encourage all S.A.R. teams to make being a ARO licensed individual a requirement.
Equipment and distances
Here's a tidbit to remember. Ham Radio's cannot legally be used on commercial bands, including those frequencies used by S.A.R. However, most S.A.R. Radios which are commercial radio's can be used on ham radio frequencies. Here's the clincher many ARO's own a commercial rig that they have programmed for use on the ham bands which is legal to do. You can see the benefit can't you? Here are potential new S.A.R. Members that already have the communication equipment to use in Search and Rescue. That represents quite a financial savings for the S.A.R. Team. It is usually a simple matter to reprogram a radio to have both ham band repeater's and S.A.R. Frequencies in the same radio and most hams can program the radio themselves, or know another ham that can do it for them free. As to distances most ARO's know at any given moment exactly how far their equipment can transmit and receive. They also know where the repeaters are located, how far out they reach and what circumference/radius they cover. In many cases they even know the names and calls signs of the hams who monitor a specific repeater most of the time and even when they are monitoring. When saving lives that type of information is vital, valuable, time saving and life saving.
How to support SAR?
If your a repeater owner the answer is pretty obvious but if your and individual it's a little bit sketchy. As an individual the first step is to have a dialogue with your self and you significant other (husband/wife/kids) about the level of involvement you can commit to. Being a S.A.R. Team member affects everyone in your family. You may be called out in the middle of the night and the husband/wife may have to get up and help get you going, though hopefully you have everything prepared and ready to go at a moments call and you can just slip out silently and not disrupt the families sleeping, and hopefully when your mate gets up he/she knows you didn't just slip out in the middle of the night to the local bar. He/she also has the confidence that you are with other team members that are committed to preserve and protect your life and not worry. If your employed you also have to take your employer into consideration as in major Search and Rescues you may be out in the field for a few days at a time so talk to your boss before taking another step to becoming a S.A.R. Team member. Training is expensive and teams do not like to invest in your training only to have you leave the team in a month or two!
If you decide you cannot join a S.A.R. Team on an active basis all is not lost. Your radio and communication skills/expertise can be utilized by the S.A.R. Team as a consultant. You can do presentations regarding both communications and equipment at S.A.R. Meetings. There are many topics that crossover between S.A.R. and Ham Radio find them and put together a presentation to present to your local S.A.R. Team – they will appreciate your personal investment and the value your providing to assist in S.A.R. Positive outcomes. If nothing else, perhaps you just don't like speaking at groups or in front of people, a 5-10-15-20 dollar donation every month will help immensely! Even though many S.A.R. Groups get some form of community/city/government financial assistance many don't and nearly all S.A.R. Groups still struggle to make ends meet. if a mere 10 hams in a local community donate $20.00 a month to their local S.A.R. Group it makes a MAJOR impact on what they can do and what rescue equipment they have at their disposal to save lives. You never know one day it might be you their rescuing and wouldn't you like to know you have equipped them to save you own life quickly and easily?
In closing this blog I challenge you to contact your local S.A.R. Team Leader and see how as a ARO you can assist. Don't wait. Do it while it's fresh in your mind just find out where your local S.A.R. Group meets and attend a meeting it's that simple. People who care about other people and their safety are great people to hang out with! Anything I personally can do to save a life or assist life saving agencies in their pursuit of service to the community with their life saving measures and expertise is my extreme honor to do and I hope yours also.
73,
Rev. Fr. Johnny Shepherd ARO KD5LWU General Class Licensed
Owner of the KD5LWU Repeater System Cortez.Mancus, Colorado
President of the Mesa Verde Area ARC (known as the Cortez Radio Club)
Chaplin of the Delores K9 Search and Rescue Team
Owner of the KD5LWU Repeater System Cortez.Mancus, Colorado
President of the Mesa Verde Area ARC (known as the Cortez Radio Club)
Chaplin of the Delores K9 Search and Rescue Team
