ARRL First VP Chairs Global Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Conference

GAREC-2006 attendees flank ARRL First Vice President and conference chair Kay Craigie, N3KN (center in yellow blazer).

NEWINGTON, CT, Aug 15, 2006 -- ARRL First Vice President Kay Craigie, N3KN, represented the League at the Global Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Conference 2006 (GAREC-2006). She also was chosen to chair the event, held June 19-20 in Tampere, Finland, concurrently with the International Conference on Emergency Communications (ICEC 2006) and the International Telecommunication Union's (ITU) Working Group on Emergency Telecommunications (WGET). GAREC-2006 participants primarily followed up on items first raised during GAREC-2005. Representatives of than 20 countries were on hand, and Craigie said it was beneficial to have a chance to get to know amateurs from other countries who are involved in emergency communications.

"It is easy for American amateurs to assume that Amateur Radio emergency communications work in other countries is the same as what we are familiar with in the USA; however, for historical, cultural and regulatory reasons this is not necessarily the case," she said. "We have much to learn from one another, whether Amateur Radio in one's home country has a long history of emergency communications service or has begun this activity relatively recently."

Center-of-Activity Frequencies

Establishment of emergency communications center-of-activity frequencies was among the GAREC 2005 agenda items carried over to this year's gathering. Not to be confused with calling frequencies, center-of-activity frequencies provide common spots on various bands for operators in disaster areas to congregate -- after making initial contact -- to carry out necessary communications and pass emergency traffic.

Establishment of global center-of-activity frequencies was recommended for 15, 17 and 20 meters, with regional frequencies considered more appropriate on 40 and 75 meters. IARU Region 1 has adopted global and regional frequencies, although Craigie said IARU Region 2 and Region 3 have yet to take up the subject at what she called "competent conferences."

Emergency Communications Handbook

Further refinement of the International Amateur Radio Union Emergency Communications Handbook and a proposal to produce a brochure about Amateur Radio communication also came in for discussion. Craigie said that while the handbook project has made some progress, things have stalled recently. She cited the challenge of producing a book that is useful worldwide -- neither too generalized nor dominated by a few countries' practices. GAREC-2006 participants shared views on what the handbook should include as well as its purpose and audience.

Conferees concurred to support the efforts of the IARU Emergency Communications Handbook working group and to make copies of the publication available in their respective languages. International Coordinator for Emergency Communications Hans Zimmermann, F5VKP/HB9AQS, has spearheaded the handbook effort.

On the Horizon

One conference session was devoted to discussion of special and innovative emergency communication concepts. Mark Wood, G4HLZ, of the Cellular Emergency Alert Systems Association (CEASA) described how Amateur Radio emergency communication organizations could use the cellular broadcast public warning system to alert their members.

He also discussed how eQSO is being used in the UK. Craigie said that eQSO seems to be more like the Internet Radio Linking Project (IRLP) than EchoLink, which also came in for some discussion regarding its in emergency communication role. EchoLink is being used, Craigie pointed out, but its dependence on repeater infrastructure is a vulnerability. Participants also debated the various advantages and disadvantages of newer digital modes and networks.

Craigie said attendees appeared interested in maintaining the relationships established during the two GAREC events. "There was a general sense that holding a future conference in Region 2 or 3 might permit participation by representatives of more and/or different countries," she said.

Suitably Prepared or Suicidal?

GAREC-2005 Chair Seppo Sisatto, OH1VR (left), greets ARRL First Vice President Kay Craigie, N3KN, the 2006 chair.

Although Craigie only attended the opening and closing ICEC 2006 sessions, she said the program brochure reemphasized for her how important it is for Amateur Radio "to avoid being dazzled by our own press clippings into thinking that we are the big dog in emergency telecommunications."

"The point of the Tampere Convention is to remove regulatory impediments to the swift deployment of modern emergency telecommunications equipment and competent personnel," Craigie said, "especially to disaster zones in those parts of the world where communications infrastructure may not have been much to talk about before the disaster struck and where regulatory environments may be hostile."

In the US, Craigie pointed out, there's been a post-Katrina emphasis to speed up deployment of sophisticated communications systems after disasters, so that government and non-government organizations can get to work quickly. "As the emergency telecomm world as a whole speeds up its reaction time, we hams must be better organized, more capable and on the scene as quickly as possible after our help is requested," Craigie commented. "Given ham radio's dependency on emergency communications as our reason to exist in the US, it would be suicidal to assume that what we have always been able to do -- at the speed we have always been able to do it -- will be just fine to maintain our relevance into the indefinite future."

Craigie predicted there will always be a role for Amateur Radio in disasters. "The question is whether we will suitably prepare ourselves to play it," she concluded.

Additional materials, including a presentation by Craigie, are available on the GAREC-2006 Web site.

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