Amateur Radio Volunteers Reside in your community Purchase their own equipment Volunteer large amounts of time Help in emergencies Promote educational activities Licensed by the FCC Ham radio operators come from every walk of life. There have been many who are heads of state, entertainers, community leaders and so on, but most are just plain folks who enjoy communications as a hobby. Hams purchase their own equipment but unlike many other hobbies, they rely on others to have made a similar purchase. Out of this rises an interdependence and a willingness to share. As a result, hams tend to be community volunteers, using their skills and equipment for the benefit of the community. They are often the first to respond in a time of need. Hams are also involved in education, such as providing links between school children and orbiting astronauts. In fact, many astronauts are hams! Hams are also licensed by the FCC after they pass tests showing their knowledge of the rules, technical aspects and safety considerations that apply to their hobby.

Hams Are Innovators! Developed long distance radio communications Set the stage for public safety communications Generated much of the technology behind today’s cellular phone systems Involved in space communications Ham radio has a proud history of innovation. Many of the items you use today had their origins with Amateur Radio experimenters. From your remote garage door opener, to your cellular telephone and microwave oven, not to mention your radio and television, electronic hobbyists have added greatly to our quality of life. Ham radio innovators showed public safety agencies a better way when they developed FM communications that utilized repeaters providing clear communications over a wide area. That same technology led to today’s popular cellular phone systems. Hams are involved in communications into outer space every day. There are several satellites that relay Amateur Radio communications, hams have routinely spoken with astronauts and some of us even bounce signals off the moon!

What Is A Repeater? Repeats signals from a radio to a wide area Allows use of small, efficient radios Public safety agencies and cellular telephones use repeaters High places are best for repeaters A repeater is just that - a device that takes signals from a small hand-held, mobile or base radio and repeats them over a wide area for all to hear. It overcomes the limited distances that restrict radio waves and helps transmit signals past large obstacles, such as hills or buildings that might otherwise block the signals. As a result of the use of repeaters, radios can be smaller and their battery power supplies last longer. Best of all, one can communicate over longer distances, depending on the height of the repeater above average terrain. As mentioned earlier, police and fire radio systems make extensive use of repeater systems. You will often see their antenna systems positioned on hilltops, tall buildings or on radio towers.

A Repeater Helps Our Community Extends communications Helpful to motorists Useful in emergencies Community events Can provide telephone links A good backup if cell phone system fails A Ham Radio repeater will aid communications in our community in many ways. We will be able to communicate throughout our city and somewhat beyond. Motorists who need assistance can ask for help for themselves or others who may need help. Ham radio volunteers can use a repeater to assist at community events, providing a “no-cost” supply of volunteers to assist with first-aid, lost child or other health and safety activities. A repeater can be linked with a telephone line, providing access to 911 services and other numbers A repeater also provides a good backup should cellular phone systems fail or become overloaded

Community Services From Hams Severe weather monitoring and response Backup to your public safety agency communications Safety communications for parades, athletic events and large community events Halloween safety patrols and more! Ham radio operators use repeaters when they respond to weather emergencies and other natural disasters. Hams can be additional “eyes and ears” for your public safety agencies. In the Midwest, they are used extensively in storm tracking. On the east coast, many communities have hams involved in hurricane and winter weather response plans. In the west, they help through periods of wildfires, floods and earthquakes. Our community should be involved in planning for dealing with emergencies as others have done. Public safety agencies can use hams at evacuation shelters, to monitor flood water levels, to assist in traffic control and to augment their own overloaded communications systems. Hams are also available for use at community events where additional volunteers can be useful, such as marathons or 5 and 10 k foot races, Fourth of July events, community concerts and they can help your community put on a safety-oriented Halloween patrol.

A Communications Partnership City provides site Hams provide equipment and labor Hams will work with city departments before, during and after installation Opens the door to more cooperative efforts The Hams of the region need a good site for a repeater, which the city can provide. We will provide the necessary equipment and labor. We will work with any city departments that you designate as being important contact points for this project And this project can be a launch pad for additional cooperative projects involving the ham radio volunteers and the community

The Finer Points... Diminish liability concerns by designating hams as community volunteers Assign a city liaison to work with hams Integrate hams with your emergency preparedness plans In this day and age, liability is always a concern. We plan to have people involved in this project who know what they are doing. You can help diminish liability concerns by designating the amateur radio volunteers in this project as community volunteers. I’m sure the city’s legal counsel can expand on the protections afforded to volunteers on the federal, state and local levels. Incidentally, after the system is safely in place, the potential for liability related to its ongoing operation and maintenance should be greatly reduced. Certainly, there is risk in almost every endeavor; we will work with the city to minimize or eliminate risks at every opportunity. A “point of contact” with the city is desired so that we can communicate with one party who is familiar with the workings of your administration. We would also hope that this project would result in the city integrating the ham radio operators in the area into its emergency response plans, allowing this project to reach its full potential for synergy.

THANK YOU! The Amateur Radio volunteers of this community appreciate your interest and concern in a project that benefits everyone! We thank you for the opportunity to present this proposal and as the character Rick said in the movie “Casablanca” we hope it’s the beginning of a beautiful relationship! Are there any questions?