None of the situations given in this question are reasons for the FCC rules to not apply. RACES, FEMA and ARES operations are all governed by the FCC rules.

Last edited by k6yxh. Register to edit

Tags: arrl chapter 6 arrl module 15

An amateur radio net or ham net is an on-the-air gathering of amateur radio operators.

A formal, or directed net has a single net control station (NCS) that manages its operation for a given session. The NCS operator calls the net to order at its designated start time, periodically calls for participants to join, listens for them to answer (or check in) keeps track of the roster of stations for that particular net session, and generally orchestrates the operation of the net.

(More info on Wikipedia)

Last edited by hugh_mungus. Register to edit

Tags: arrl chapter 6 arrl module 15

Phone means voice. The phonetic alphabet is generally understood by operators in all countries, so using it enhances communication in identifying your station.

Last edited by ldwyze. Register to edit

Tags: operating procedures call signs arrl chapter 6 arrl module 15

RACES - Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (only active during periods of local, regional or national civil emergencies, such as hurricane Katrina.)

ARES - Amateur Radio Emergency Service (sponsored by ARRL)

ARRL - American Radio Relay League

Last edited by kd7bbc. Register to edit

Tags: emergency communication races arrl chapter 6 arrl module 15

Traffic refers to formal messages exchanged by net stations.

An amateur radio net or ham net is an on-the-air gathering of amateur radio operators. But there are different types of nets with different levels of formality and different purposes.

Traffic nets operate primarily to relay formal written messages.

(More info on Wikipedia)

Last edited by rjstone. Register to edit

Tags: arrl chapter 6 arrl module 15

During net operations there are commonly many stations participating and attempting to communicate. It is very important that the priority of your emergency be established immediately, so the first words of your transmission should convey that. "Priority" or "Emergency" should be stated immediately so that there is no confusion about your intent and need.

The term SOS does not actually make sense except in morse code and pressing the push to talk button multiple times is likely to simply be ignored as normal radio static or a malfunctioning radio. Similarly a pre-recorded emergency alert tone would probably be taken as an accidental transmission by someone. When in doubt, say it straight; in amateur radio we don't do secret codes.

Note: The closest thing to a "pre-recorded emergency alert tone" that is used is LiTZ which means Long Term Zero. This is not something that is used on an emergency net! It is an emergency repeater feature where if someone transmits a DTMF 0 tone for >3 seconds on a repeater's input frequency the repeater can provide instructions, phone/page the control operator of the repeater, or possibly phone emergency services. It is only used in an emergency when a radio operator can reach a repeater but nobody is currently listening. It is not used on an emergency net or when a human is responding to calls!

Last edited by rjstone. Register to edit

Tags: emergency communication operating procedures arrl chapter 6 arrl module 15

In an emergency, the Net Control operator is making a list of who has checked in, with the intention or at least the possibility of calling on them later. Until dismissed, it's expected that you remain on frequency.

Transmitting during an emergency, when you've already checked in but have not been addressed by Net Control is unnecessary and could interfere with another station trying to contact Net Control, or with Net Control trying to contact another station. It's better to listen and not transmit.

Moving off frequency and asking people to keep clear of the net is a strange idea, and the wrong answer.

Last edited by k6yxh. Register to edit

Tags: arrl chapter 6 arrl module 15

A station passing a message in an emergency has an expectation that it will be delivered, not weighed to see if it merits delivery or relay. So you're expected to deliver it.

You might think you know enough to clarify, abbreviate or otherwise change a message, but it's so risky that you should just not do it - pass the message exactly as received.

Emergency messages should always specify an originating party and the party to whom the message should be delivered. The choice about communicating messages to the news media for broadcast is generally not a good idea, unless that's the destination that was specified.

So the best answer is to pass the message exactly as received.

Last edited by raphaelrk. Register to edit

Tags: arrl chapter 6 arrl module 15

This is a bit of a trick question; emergency plans will never take into account transmitting out of band, since if you're planning it you can always plan to not need to transmit out of band.

The rule is this: Always do whatever it takes to keep people safe. If someone is going to die unless you transmit on a police (or other) frequency, transmit first and ask forgiveness later.

Just make sure that whatever action you're taking isn't interfering with something and causing more danger than you are trying to protect against!

Last edited by kd7bbc. Register to edit

Tags: arrl chapter 6 arrl module 15

The American Radio Relay League was originally created in order to relay messages across long distances. In order to do so safely and efficiently, the Amateur Radio Traffic Handling system was created. The first part of any message sent across this system is called the preamble.

The preamble contains information such as who the message is from, who the message is to, and information about the content of the message (specifically the number of words). This information is used to facilitate correctly routing the message through the Amateur Radio Traffic Handling System without losing any part of the message or sending it to the wrong destination.

Last edited by winterqt. Register to edit

Tags: formal traffic message emergency communication arrl chapter 6 arrl module 15

The best practice is to use plain English and not jargon. But in the case of formal message traffic, the word, "check" means the count of words in the body (text portion) of the message.

This is a way to make sure you didn't add or drop a word from the message. This is related to the best practice of passing the message exactly as it was received.

Let’s use this as an example message we want to send:

Great seeing you yesterday. Hope to get together again soon. 73

In a radiogram, periods are written as either the letter X (“initial x-ray”), or the word XRAY. Either way, this indicates an end of a sentence. Similarly, if your message was, “How are you?” the question mark would be written as QUERY to indicate a question.

Using this method, we will write the text of the message like this:

GREAT SEEING YOU YESTERDAY X

HOPE TO GET TOGETHER AGAIN

SOON 73

Notice how we did not place X between SOON and 73? When wishing someone 73 at the end of a message, we generally do not include an X as it’s automatically implied. The only exception would be to include it for clarity. For example, if the end of your message was “ON AUGUST 10 73” it could be confusing this way, so we would instead say “ON AUGUST 10 X 73” to help better separate the date from wishing someone 73.

Items like X and QUERY count as a word when filling in the check, so counting what we have above, there are 12 words, and we would write 12 in the check.

Last edited by kd7bbc. Register to edit

Tags: formal traffic message emergency communication arrl chapter 6 arrl module 15

According to the American Radio Relay League (ARRL),

The Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) consists of licensed amateurs who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment, with their local ARES leadership, for communications duty in the public service when disaster strikes.

By this statement, it's clear that ARES is not meant strictly for members of the military. Furthermore, because ARES assumes a membership of licensed amateurs, it is not intended for those interested in obtaining licenses.

Finally, ARES can indeed be a training program to help promote readiness certifications, but the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) certifies its own membership (FCC Part 97 section 407.)

Last edited by kd7bbc. Register to edit

Tags: arrl chapter 6 arrl module 15