Ham Talk Live! Episode 89 - Puerto Rico Disaster Communications with Val, NV9L

This assumes any group, ARES in this example, has priority access to the amateur bands or assets such as repeaters. This is not the case... at least until some governmental agency temporarily suspends the usual rules and assumes the role of or delegates frequency management... or the repeater operator grants such permissions to a particular group. Until that happens the only way this works is for civilized coordination and cooperation of all users of the amateur radio band assets be they group or individual entities. Perhaps this is what you meant.

 

According to the language in the General Class exam book, emergency communications have priority on amateur bands. The authority of RACES is clear too.

 

Indeed true. Hence emergency commo between individuals carries the same weight as between groups/individuals or groups/groups. As few as we really are, there should be enough room for all. Cooperation and good spirits are a prerequisite for success. Otherwise some one group may claim to the arbiter of emergency message prioritization. I don't think we are very good at that.

 

You hit the ARES nail on the head. RACES is the official emergency service and recognized as such in Part 97, not sure why ARES was created but maybe it's time to consolidate everything under RACES
and play by their rules. I'm going to be labeled a 'basher' again for even suggesting that but maybe HQ needs to get out of the way..........trying to be nice here

 

RACES involves governmental entities as the served agencies. ARES includes service to NGOs.

 

After the PR debacle I'll bet some of those NGO's are rethinking amateur radio. ARES is slowly sliding into obsolescence being replaced by AUXCOMM (SHARES) for serious disaster situations.
If you don't want to believe hams are becoming less and less important feel free but unless something changes in the way ARES is structured and works it's headed to the trash heap of history.

 

Force of Fifty After Action Report

http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Public Service/ARES/2017 Hurricane Season AAR.pdf