[ScanIndiana] HAM communications question

[Bob Burns W9RXR]

At 09:21 PM 1/4/2008, Justin Knox wrote:
>I am with Boone County Civil Defense and I am on the skywarn or 
>"storm response team".  Last year during some severe weather I 
>overheard via one of my personal scanners in my vehicle a mobile HAM 
>radio operator stating he had a visual on a funnel cloud & I did not 
>have any communications with this person (nor did any other Civil 
>Defense unit on duty).

Justin, I agree with the other posters' opinions that such 
communications would not be legal under FCC rules. The rules with 
regard to emergency communications are sometimes given strained 
interpretations, but I think the consensus is that communications 
without the appropriate license on a radio band where a license is 
required is only permitted in the event of immediate threat to life 
or property _and_ if no other means of communications is possible.

I am RACES Radio Officer and Skywarn Coordinator for Hendricks 
County. In our county, RACES and Skywarn work very closely with 
county emergency management. Our EMA Director is a strong proponent 
of amateur radio as a back-up to the county communications system. We 
provide him with a pool of trained volunteers skilled in both 
emergency communications and storm spotting. I'm sure your EMA budget 
is as tight as ours, so without our volunteers, some tasks just 
wouldn't get done.

When severe weather threatens Hendricks County, I can count on my 
cell phone ringing with a call from the EMA Director. He immediately 
looks to us amateur radio operators as a source of information about 
the impending weather. We routinely provide the EMA Director with 
information about storm tracks in the county and damage information 
after the storm has passed.

The county has provided me with a handheld radio programmed for the 
Project SAFE-T radio system. I occasionally use that radio to 
communicate with the EMA Director and the Sheriff's Department. I 
also have a VHF radio programmed for the old VHF police and fire 
frequencies in the county. But most of my communications is via 
amateur radio so that I can funnel information between the hams and 
EMA. We have ham radio equipment installed at the county EMA office 
and we are working on plans to put ham radio equipment in the 
county's mobile command center and the new county dispatch center.

I strongly urge your department to develop a relationship with the 
hams in your county. I think you will find them to be a willing and 
capable resource that can provide a great benefit to your county.

Alternatively, you could get an amateur radio license yourself. To 
get the entry-level license, Technician, you would need to pass a 
35-question test about procedures, rules, and basic radio theory. The 
question pool, with answers, is available from many sources and there 
are study guides available in book form or on-line.

Bob Burns
Hendricks County RACES