LEARNING CURVE

CQ dedicates October as its emergency communications (EmComm) issue. CQ’s editors recognize the vital importance hams contribute to communities in assisting with emergencies, whether natural or man-made. As a matter of fact, the Federal Communications Commission lists emergency preparedness as one of the primary justifications for the Amateur Radio Service in its Part 97.1 Rules: “(a) Recognition and enhancement of the value of the amateur service to the public as a voluntary noncommercial communication service, particularly with respect to providing emergency communications.” This issue is chock-full of EmComm experiences and wisdom. In contrast, I am a relative newcomer to the EmComm world, but I am happy to share my insights into this very important facet of amateur radio.

What Does 97.1 (a) Mean to Me?

Every radio amateur needs to ask, “what can I do to enhance the value of ham radio with respect to providing emergency communications?” Most of us are aware of the many facets of amateur radio, such as DXing, rag-chewing, and contesting, just to name a very few. Likewise, there are ham radio enthusiasts whose primary radio interest is to be prepared for an emergency. Some of these dedicated hams volunteer their time and resources to national organizations such as Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) (Figure 1), the American Red Cross (), and the Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) ().