Amateur Radio Emergency Communication exams

[ne1ll]

Exams canceled.

[aa9g]

This is not a good idea, because all of the material covered in the course, along with the required student activities, allows the material to "sink in" for students.

The final exam is only a small piece of the pie. The quality of the courses are in the text, not the exam. I disagree with this decision & think the ARRL should re-consider it.

The art of emcomms is not demonstrated by just passing a simple exam & being certified through the League. This new system will convert the ARECC program into a "fly by night" emergency communications certification.

AA9G said that...

[n0irs]

Right on the money AA9G. I agree totally. Certification should take place in the classroom, taught by qualified instructors. Testing should be certified by them. The true measure of someone's ability to perform in a given position should be accomplished in three phases, Written, Oral and Performance exams. A test only measures one factor, "Facts". Can the individual explain verbally what he or she should do in a given scenario. And finally when placed in the position can they function or "Perform" based on what they have learned, during an exercise or an actual emergency.
Isn't this the same thing that happened to our current Amateur License levels. Guessing your way to a certification.
It's all about the money. I guess someone thought this up as a way to backfill their shrinking bank account. Not surprised at all. What next, Ham Licenses sold at Wally World......oh, for $21.00.

[N2RJ]

ARRL needs to do something as I know people who have and have had personally a mentor basically abandon the course and leave me hanging.

Until they fix that they need to have an alternative means of certifying folks.

[WA5BEN]

Right on the money AA9G. I agree totally. Certification should take place in the classroom, taught by qualified instructors. Testing should be certified by them. The true measure of someone's ability to perform in a given position should be accomplished in three phases, Written, Oral and Performance exams. A test only measures one factor, "Facts". Can the individual explain verbally what he or she should do in a given scenario. And finally when placed in the position can they function or "Perform" based on what they have learned, during an exercise or an actual emergency.
Isn't this the same thing that happened to our current Amateur License levels. Guessing your way to a certification.
It's all about the money. I guess someone thought this up as a way to backfill their shrinking bank account. Not surprised at all. What next, Ham Licenses sold at Wally World......oh, for $21.00.

Most of the people I know could probably write a pretty good course from hands-on experience. (Some of us actually have done that !) I doubt that anyone can walk in "cold" and come anywhere near passing the exam.

My counter question is this: Why should those who could teach the course with little / no preparation be required to do other than read through the material and pass the test ?

The FEMA 100/ 700 courses are generally tougher than the ARRL course, but they are not that difficult for those with experience.

We MUST have trained and GOVERNMENT CREDENTIALED people in the field. The ARRL and FEMA certifications should be viewed as the MINIMUM level of training required. They should not be viewed as actual "qualification" for any position. Qualification is a matrix of knowledge + skills + abilities + personality. One may have all of the training in the world and be a total disaster when placed in the field.

If one cannot work effectively as a member of a TEAM, one cannot work effectively in Emergency Management. The credentialing process allows the TEAM to be developed. TEAM training allows capabilities to be refined, and assignments made to work with the STRENGTHS of each person.

[KG4RRN]

It is definately shocking to learn that the ARRL has resorted to this, abandoning its mentor to student approach for the ARECC which I felt was working as well as an elmer, to new ham might.
As I am involved in public service and NTS nets,
I find the lack of volunteers who need to be credentialed lacking due to:
1) Attitude (Ego interlaced) feelings of "I dont need no govt agency, (or anyone else) telling me how to talk on the radio" (NEWS FLASH : the FCC has been doing that longer than FEMA has....)
2) Younger people still may not understnad that ham radio offers communciation when all else fails and it has before and will again
3) I go to our ARES monthly meetings, same crowd 40+ and one guy constantly falls asleep !
4) Charging to pass a test will ensure that the next generation will be able to buy their way into ham radio without having to learn it form those who came before, just pay the price-- and your on the air...great ....cant wait for ham licenses in cereal boxes ...
5) Stop and listen--- and learn ....lets get back to reading, writing, and elmering please !
Meanwhile, freedom of speech is not politically correct even here !
better toe the line sonny cause big brother is watching what you say...

[n7wr]

It's just like the licensing cram course that the ARRL recently bragged about for those who did not want to sit through a classroom session. Tragically the ARRL has moved from once being about quality to being all about quantity. How those who make decisions for the league can live with themselves given their "sell out" mentality is beyond me. I was once a proud member of the league (still am a "life Member"---for what that's worth) but no more. The exec VP and some of the long time HQ paid staff have stayed around way too long. Whatever real principles they once had have long been forgotten.

As others have pointed out the learning of Emcomm is important. Learning just to pass a convenient exam is short term and will likely not be retained. This is but another in a lengthening string of poor decisions. With today's ARRL it is all about marketing, not about substance. And they want me to buy a brick!?!? Fat chance.

[kb2vxa]

To put it simply, without proper schooling, examination and scheduled recertification all you have is another piece of whacker wallpaper.

[n4xts]

Most of the people I know could probably write a pretty good course from hands-on experience. (Some of us actually have done that !) I doubt that anyone can walk in "cold" and come anywhere near passing the exam.

My counter question is this: Why should those who could teach the course with little / no preparation be required to do other than read through the material and pass the test ?

The FEMA 100/ 700 courses are generally tougher than the ARRL course, but they are not that difficult for those with experience.

We MUST have trained and GOVERNMENT CREDENTIALED people in the field. The ARRL and FEMA certifications should be viewed as the MINIMUM level of training required. They should not be viewed as actual "qualification" for any position. Qualification is a matrix of knowledge + skills + abilities + personality. One may have all of the training in the world and be a total disaster when placed in the field.

If one cannot work effectively as a member of a TEAM, one cannot work effectively in Emergency Management. The credentialing process allows the TEAM to be developed. TEAM training allows capabilities to be refined, and assignments made to work with the STRENGTHS of each person.

Could not have said it better myself. Unless the training is certified by the Feds or your local EMA, it isn't worth the paper it's printed on. While the information in some of the ARECC courses often paralells the accredited training, it isn't recognized by FEMA or any local EMA I've ever worked with.

One can only be a resource if his/her certifications are from a government recognized accrediting board, such as APCO, FEMA, etc. Hate to say it, as much as they want themselves to be, but the ARRL does not fall into this category.

[w4lgh]

Well guys, this is one of the MANY reasons I got out of all this CRAP, July 2006, and dropped my ARRL membership completely. The ARRL has always only been about the MONEY! It is NOT a club or and Organization for Ham radio, but a Business! So now they have come up with another way to increase their revenue by basically selling you an Emergency Communications
license. ARRL staff MUST sit up all night long thinking up this stuff!

Most Local and State Emergency Management has been seduced by Motorola and others with all the Bells and whistles there NEW radios can do, and have completely forgotten what a radio is for! Good basic reliable communications!

What has made Amateur Radio work, when all else failed in the past, present and the future is that we operated as individuals, and NOT put all of our eggs in the same basket, like Emergency Management Officials have been doing.

We don't need the ARRL, or the Local EM Officials to handle emergency traffic, they need us, and they already know we are out there. As long as you keep pushing yourself on them to help, they can & will make up all the rules, but when they come to US, then its a completely different ballgame!

My station and myself stand ready to handle whatever comes my way, with 2 sources of backup power, backup antennas for HF, VHF and UHF and additional backup radios. Many of you have the same type of setup out there, and THATS what makes Amateur Radio WORK when all else fails!

It will be a very SAD day, when you are trying to handle a piece of emergency traffic and the response on the other end comes back and says...
Sorry but you do NOT have the proper certs and I can NOT take this call.
And its going that way guys...wake up and smell the coffee.

73 and good luck!
de W4LGH - Alan
Ex ARRL Member
Ex ARES EC
A 100% Completely Independant Ham radio operator.

[k9zw]

The FEMA 100/ 700 courses are generally tougher than the ARRL course, but they are not that difficult for those with experience.

We MUST have trained and GOVERNMENT CREDENTIALED people in the field. The ARRL and FEMA certifications should be viewed as the MINIMUM level of training required. They should not be viewed as actual "qualification" for any position. Qualification is a matrix of knowledge + skills + abilities + personality. One may have all of the training in the world and be a total disaster when placed in the field.

If one cannot work effectively as a member of a TEAM, one cannot work effectively in Emergency Management. The credentialing process allows the TEAM to be developed. TEAM training allows capabilities to be refined, and assignments made to work with the STRENGTHS of each person.

In many ways we seem to be in a period of redefinition of Emcomm.

Teamsmanship has always been important.

As was being licensed as a Radio Amateur.

Whether Emcomm remains an Amateur Radio activity, or will it continue down the path of becoming an Appendant Body?

Pseudo-Professionalization and outright Professionalization may be needed to meet Emergency Government Emcomm Needs, but at the expense of making breaking Emcomm away from Amateur Radio.

That may not be in itself a bad thing, but its consequences will change our hobby.

73

Steve
K9ZW

http://k9zw.wordpress.com/tag/Emcomm/
http://k9zw.wordpress.com/

[n7wr]

Steve (ZW)
You are on to a very valid point. Public Safety (and government in general) radio systems are becoming more reliable, more redundant, and definitely more interoperable. In addition, public safety is quickly putting together teams of trained, equipped dispatchers available to go anywhere to supplement local communications in time of major emergency. Some Emcomm amateurs, realizing that the actual need for them by government is becoming less and less have tried the "value added" approach which ranges from offering over the air e-mail capability (questionable legality and certainly not consistent with general use of the amateur bands), traffic control, operating public safety radios etc etc.....in other words to stay on the "in" and enjoy their perks some Emcomm hams have nearly abandoned amateur radio altogether and are just unpaid public safety types.

Emcomm has a long term future but it isn't supporting government. It is supporting non-profits and the general public neither of which have reliable comms in a major disaster when their cell phones won't work. But for some hams that is not glamorous or adrenaline pumping enough to satisfy them.

I'm a long time public safety professional and long time Emcomm active ham---but I call em as I see em and the current Emcomm approach isn't getting it. Some of the promises the ARRL (and others) are making to government just to stay in the "in crowd" are false. They are promises which, when the big one hits, cannot be kept. When that's discovered by the "served agencies" it will be all over for government related amateur radio Emcom.

[k8elr]

Hey why don't you guys read the posting closely before you old codgers start bitching. It says exam nothing else. Man some of this bitching is so stupid.

~

[n4xts]

and they only way to sell amateur radio as a resource is for it to be something public safety can use for itself, and that is something that is very unpopular with the ham community. Merely suggesting that we encourage EOC staff, police and firefighters to obtain their ticket as a "when all else fails" brings up all kinds of negativity within the ham community. People spew forth rhetoric of "cops taking over their 2 meter repeaters with 10-codes and cop talk" when in fact, it would be rarely used. What it would bring is a skill set for public safety, they would have a resource they could utilize when their 80 million dollar digital POS is in failsoft or taken out by a terrorist attack. They could participate in Skywarn operations and have direct access to the local ham volunteers if needed. Some might even acquire a technical prowess that will allow for a more informed public safety communications community.

but NOOOOO. says most hams. The ARES salesman come a knocking on the doors of every EOC with MOU's in hand, promising that when the world comes to an end, they will be there to save the universe. And we know that simply isn't true. Public safety folks do NOT want any outsiders meddling in their business, and unless you are a registered EMA volunteer employee, that is what you are: an outsider. They aren't going to utilize such a resource if they can't manage it internally, and the only sure fire way to do that, is when you are using people in your employ.

Same thing with health care. I work in telecommunications for a major Atlanta hospital system. I can tell you first hand that it will be a cold day in hell before any outside parties are going to march right into our operations. With HIPAA, EMTALA, etc it isn't so simple anymore.

yes, our world is evolving. No longer are we privy to reliable wireless communications. The commercial services from cellular to ESMR to ISP are learning from the Katrina's and 9/11's. It's vital to the survival of their core business. The amateur community needs to evolve itself to fill the roles that are unmet. Providing volunteer services to non-profits and under served agencies are a way to do it.

But without open minds and a willingness to adapt to the served entities' standards, it won't happen. The ARRL spends too much time promoting it's own interests and agenda and IMO, has lost sight of it's vision. The amateur radio service cannot continue to exist in a vacuum. It's 2008, there are a plethora of commercial interests with billions o' bucks in hand who can do more with this spectrum than it being a playground for hobbyists. We have such a wide variety of resources at our disposal, and many brilliant minds yet I often think of the ham community like high school: lots of cliques and groups. And that is often our Achilles Heel.

[KI6OBU]

"4) Charging to pass a test will ensure that the next generation will be able to buy their way into ham radio without having to learn it form those who came before, just pay the price-- and your on the air...great ....cant wait for ham licenses in cereal boxes ..."

Already been done, not in the cereal boxes but on them...

http://lists.contesting.com/_towertalk/2006-12/msg00574.html

[KE7PMX]

Steve (ZW)
In addition, public safety is quickly putting together teams of trained, equipped dispatchers available to go anywhere to supplement local communications in time of major emergency.

You are right,

Myself, and my coworkers can be plucked right out of our chairs now, and put into the field without much more then the time it takes to drive to the new locations.

[w6em]

..........

Most Local and State Emergency Management has been seduced by Motorola and others with all the Bells and whistles there NEW radios can do, and have completely forgotten what a radio is for! Good basic reliable communications!

Amen, amen and A-MEN! The trunked junk peddlers have set up replications for what happened to New Orleans' public safety system, post-Katrina, nationwide.


What has made Amateur Radio work, when all else failed in the past, present and the future is that we operated as individuals, and NOT put all of our eggs in the same basket, like Emergency Management Officials have been doing.

Yes, each of us can and do stand alone. Just like the guy with the modded HT in New Orleans who helped coordinate with Coast Guard helos. And, the guy somewhere in the midwest who picked up the request to rescue folks off of a roof.


My station and myself stand ready to handle whatever comes my way, with 2 sources of backup power, backup antennas for HF, VHF and UHF and additional backup radios. Many of you have the same type of setup out there, and THATS what makes Amateur Radio WORK when all else fails!

Yes, those who truly will be life savers will be more just like you, not the orange vest toting, visibar and siren equipped hackers.


It will be a very SAD day, when you are trying to handle a piece of emergency traffic and the response on the other end comes back and says...
Sorry but you do NOT have the proper certs and I can NOT take this call.
And its going that way guys...wake up and smell the coffee.


This won't happen unless regulations are changed. The FCC has in Part 97, language giving the amateur the option to use any means necessary in a true emergency. That includes operating on any frequency, not just allocated amateur bands.

Someday, it may be necessary for us to assert that right. So, its important to know that it exists. And, fight any inclination by the money hungry League or anyone else to change it.

Thanks, Alan, for an honest and accurate contribution.

73.

[w6em]

Steve (ZW)
You are on to a very valid point. Public Safety (and government in general) radio systems are becoming more reliable, more redundant, and definitely more interoperable.

Gerald, you need to look back at New Orleans, post Katrina. Replacing overlapping conventional repeater systems with single point failure prone trunked junk is lowering reliability. The bells and whistles of being able to summon the dog catcher or the public works drain cleaner via a public safety mobile isn't worth the loss of the total system if the controller should fail.

The FCC's grandiose plan of moving conventional PS systems to 700MHz is a snafuu, designed by the major equipment vendors, to line their pockets with cash at taxpayer expense.

What good are a bunch of 5-15W 700MHz silmplex mobiles that venture from thousands of miles away, only to find that the trunking controller failed?

In addition, public safety is quickly putting together teams of trained, equipped dispatchers available to go anywhere to supplement local communications in time of major emergency.

And, that would assume they go with equipment that they're thoroughly trained on how to use? And, again, if its trunked junk, chances are it will be useless.

Oh, they can do like the small county I used to live in in FL did, post-Katrina: They can bring their command center bus (with portable trunking controller and generator), trailer with crank up 75 foot mast, a thousand miles to Mississippi, so the 15 Sherrif Deputy cars with 800MHz trunker-kerdunkers could talk to each other and the command post in a 5 mile radius.

73.

[KC0OFZ]

Hearing some here one gets the impression that ONLY AR saves lives. I wonder? Have any of the other systems saved a life and worked or is it only AR that can do that?
Understanding that AR can fill in when needed is one thing and it is true. But to think that AR will NEVER fail, and all other systems WILL ALWAYS FAIL is the exact message that the emcomm crowd wants us to believe.
Yes, other systems have failed and AR has helped out, no one is arguing that point, but sending the message that AR will NEVER NEVER fail and is the ONLY thing that saves lives could have a very serious back lash someday if anything/anyone comes up short.
Even a station that brags about 2 back up power sources (heck even I have something simple like that so that is not a hard thing to have) and multiple radios, antennas ect can be taken off the air too. How well will your stuff do with a direct hit from a tornado? How about a fire? Yes, you may get back on the air, but you will be down for a period of time and with major equipment loss you will not have the same capacity you have right now. The point is NOTHING is completely fail safe. The best safe guard that AR has is multiple backup. If my station is destroyed and I am unable to do anything others in area towns/communities may be able fill a gap if needed. That being said I still will not sell AR as a NEVER fail system.

[k3roj]

Gee, the ARRL is stepping out of bounds here. This is exactly what is happening to our schools and colleges now through Affirmative Action. There should be qualified people to give these exams since many will have friends who will pass right away. There is only one way to have good communications, use CW. It is a known fact that CW is much faster and reliable when sending any type of message. I have seen emergency drills where nobody could get the gear to function, especially when it required a computer and software hookup. Heck, as a last resort, you can touch two wires together to send a message. The only reason CW was dropped as a requirement for licensing is, nobody at the FCC knows Morse Code.

[w6em]

Hearing some here one gets the impression that ONLY AR saves lives. I wonder? Have any of the other systems saved a life and worked or is it only AR that can do that?

No one here will dispute that other forms of radio communication haven't saved lives.

The key issue is *robustness* of both the operator and the equipment.

.....to think that AR will NEVER fail, and all other systems WILL ALWAYS FAIL is the exact message that the emcomm crowd wants us to believe.

Both are absurd assumptions. However, the sheer simplicity and distribution of amateurs using HF communications peer to peer, via basic, widely used modes (SSB, CW, AM, FM) ensures that if someone is able to operate at the disaster site, someone can and will be able to communicate with them.


Even a station that brags about 2 back up power sources (heck even I have something simple like that so that is not a hard thing to have) and multiple radios, antennas ect can be taken off the air too. How well will your stuff do with a direct hit from a tornado? How about a fire? Yes, you may get back on the air, but you will be down for a period of time and with major equipment loss you will not have the same capacity you have right now. The point is NOTHING is completely fail safe. The best safe guard that AR has is multiple backup. If my station is destroyed and I am unable to do anything others in area towns/communities may be able fill a gap if needed. That being said I still will not sell AR as a NEVER fail system.

This shouldn't be about bragging rights as to who's got the best capability. Each and every one of us is vulnerable. But, as you say, multiple backup, or redundancy IS the answer.

We, and especially the ARRL, are culpable for not stressing the SINGLE POINT FAILURE PITFALLS of TRUNKED RADIO SYSTEMS. (There, I'll shout it). Culpable IF, we go about selling amateur radio as a back-up knowing that public safety entities are taking the "candy" from radio salesmen to replace their hardened, redundant conventional systems with trunked stuff and becoming more and more vulnerable as time passes. At the price of trunked systems, equipment/system redundancy is prohibitive.

ARRL, since it has accepted goods and services from one of those "candy" suppliers (to say nothing of the federal DOHS grant monies), will likely say nothing. Part of its (and our) initiatives to public safety agencies should be to WARN THEM of the pitfalls of trunked radio so that if they happen to be considering going to a trunked system, perhaps they won't.

Just the mention of the paralysis suffered by New Orleans police and fire departments ought to be enough.....to pique their interest.. They all ought to hear the Katrina story. But, most haven't. The FCC even managed to downplay the trunked system collapse in their post Katrina committee investigation. Funny, that a Motorola Vice President was a committee member, yet their equipment wasn't involved in the New Orleans mess. (M/A Comm was.....)

A responsible FCC, not one that has "sold out" to commercial interests, would investigate the trunking concept based on what happened in New Orleans and perhaps preclude its application in certain aspects of public safety. If, as I say, it is indeed more prone to total system collapse than are overlapping conventional repeater systems.

Ah, but like everything else, I guess we need a dozen more Katrina examples before anything meaningful will change (besides how much spare fuel should be stockpiled for generators).

73.

[K1VSK]

Sounds like a whole lot of folks have some highly exaggerated sense of value HR plays in emergency response - it's usually parenthetical and sometimes counterproductive.

Why not have simple certification? - that is essenetially what today's HR licensing is now. Take a quiz on memory skills and your a ham!

As we already have such a meaningless entry requirement for HR, it is only logical we also have one for limited value EMCOMM certification

[w6em]

The "buy-line" has disappeared, and we are left with an "exams cancelled" message.

What happened? Did ARRL change its mind?

Tell us more, don't just cut off our water!! :D

[W7BDN]

There is only one way to have good communications, use CW. It is a known fact that CW is much faster and reliable when sending any type of message.

Hams who use Morse Code have a higher IQ


As we already have such a meaningless entry requirement for HR, it is only logical we also have one for limited value EMCOMM certification

:rolleyes::p:rolleyes:

[K7KHA]

I just finished a course and had an EXCELLENT mentor. I'm sorry to see this change, I got some great feedback from Charlie and I think the mentors make a huge difference in remote learning....hmm.

[n2nov]

In the meantime, you can use this link for lessons, reference material and testing:

http://www.nyc-arecs.org/EmComm.html

[N2RJ]

To put it simply, without proper schooling, examination and scheduled recertification all you have is another piece of whacker wallpaper.

The mentor system for me was a nightmare.

My mentor forgot to respond to emails, didn't keep track of my progress and basically abandoned me in my quest to do EC-002. EC-001 was easy, as the mentor was a guy I knew.

I see nothing wrong with an exam as long as the pool is not published. If we don't make the same mistake as the FCC did with the actual license exams, the exams can actually mean something instead of just being "whacker wallpaper."

[n1ea]

The "buy-line" has disappeared, and we are left with an "exams cancelled" message.

What happened? Did ARRL change its mind?

Tell us more, don't just cut off our water!! :D

Here is the original post that was deleted - but remember - THE EXAMS HAVE BEEN CANCELLED:


For the first time the ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Communication exams will be offered at the Dayton Hamvention. This is an alternative means to be certified in the ARRL ARECC Em-Comm courses. Exams will be offered on Friday and Sunday at the Hamvention from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM in the East concourse off the main arena.

The exams are $14.00 and as with the license exams you may take additional levels for the same exam fee, failed exams do require an additional $14.00 fee. Proof of passing lower levels is required to take the next higher level. The exams are closed source/book.

Walk-ins are welcome, reservations are accepted at kc8avz(at)yahoo.com.

Hope to see you at Hamvention 2008

[WA5BEN]

Well guys, this is one of the MANY reasons I got out of all this CRAP, July 2006, and dropped my ARRL membership completely. The ARRL has always only been about the MONEY! It is NOT a club or and Organization for Ham radio, but a Business! So now they have come up with another way to increase their revenue by basically selling you an Emergency Communications
license. ARRL staff MUST sit up all night long thinking up this stuff!

Most Local and State Emergency Management has been seduced by Motorola and others with all the Bells and whistles there NEW radios can do, and have completely forgotten what a radio is for! Good basic reliable communications!

What has made Amateur Radio work, when all else failed in the past, present and the future is that we operated as individuals, and NOT put all of our eggs in the same basket, like Emergency Management Officials have been doing.

We don't need the ARRL, or the Local EM Officials to handle emergency traffic, they need us, and they already know we are out there. As long as you keep pushing yourself on them to help, they can & will make up all the rules, but when they come to US, then its a completely different ballgame!

My station and myself stand ready to handle whatever comes my way, with 2 sources of backup power, backup antennas for HF, VHF and UHF and additional backup radios. Many of you have the same type of setup out there, and THATS what makes Amateur Radio WORK when all else fails!

It will be a very SAD day, when you are trying to handle a piece of emergency traffic and the response on the other end comes back and says...
Sorry but you do NOT have the proper certs and I can NOT take this call.
And its going that way guys...wake up and smell the coffee.

73 and good luck!
de W4LGH - Alan
Ex ARRL Member
Ex ARES EC
A 100% Completely Independant Ham radio operator.

The "I am an independent operator" person is quite simply worthless in any emergency or disaster situation. Only those who are members of a TEAM -- who have trained with that TEAM, are useful.

Emergency and disaster communications are NOT primarily formal message handling. In point of fact, messages should NEVER need to be passed on voice -- with the possible exception of "first notice of disaster" messages. Those who believe that message handling is the primary function of EMCOMM are woefully untrained and uninformed.

Voice EMCOMM is primarily tactical Command Control Communications (C3I). Message traffic MUST be handled by digital methods for three very critical reasons:

1. ACCURACY -- For a voice message to be sent accurately involves "voice ARQ", with at least one 100% readback. Even then, there are situations where the receiving operator "heard" one word, and the transmitting operator "heard" another. Accuracy CANNOT be guaranteed on voice. Good digital modes are 100% accurate.

2. Speed of transmission -- Digital is much faster than any voice method for what is commonly termed "record traffic". Especially on a marginal circuit, digital is on the air for a much shorter time than a voice transmission.

3. Ease of handling -- A message received digitally can be forwarded with no loss of accuracy, even if moved to an entirely different mode. It can also be printed and hand delivered and/or placed in a message log.

I hear of groups of amateurs who "train" for emergency operations without EVER asking their potential served agencies HOW they operate. Then they want to show up and handle messages, when the NEED of the agency(ies) is to support tactical operations.

You must train WITH the team on which you will be playing. To enable that, the agency(ies) with which you will be working must understand your capabilities, and plan for your involvement. That normally means that you must pass a background check and be credentialed by one of the agencies.

As a volunteer, I represent Dallas County Emergency Management on a regional EMCOMM working group. Lots of people with badges and guns (and ham licenses -- many long time holders of Extra Class) are a part of that working group. We well understand that there will be a time when commercial communications are down, that one or more cities and/or counties will lose their public safety communications, and that intercommunication between several or all EOC within the 16 county region will be required.

We are building the network to SUPPLEMENT both voice and data public safety and EMCOMM communications. This network will be open to all amateurs at all times except when it is required for an actual emergency. A separate network is now in operation for hospitals in the "core" counties. We are looking at ways to join these networks, at least on the data side.

That is what happens when you work WITH your agencies.

[KB2SFH]

That is very discouraging to read as I am, or was seriously considering enrolling in these courses in the very near future of summer or fall. But I don't know if I want to put money out with my commitment to be abandoned.
Thanks for the heads up.
:(


[QUOTE=N2RJ;1208278]ARRL needs to do something as I know people who have and have had personally a mentor basically abandon the course and leave me hanging.