Amateur Radio

The City of Salem Emergency Management Amateur Radio callsign is WD9OEM.

     Amateur radio, also known as ‘HAM’ radio, is a hobby that is enjoyed by people in all parts of the world, and from all walks of life. Amateur radio operators are required to take and pass an examination to receive an FCC license to use certain parts of the radio frequency spectrum. Although amateur radio is primarily a hobby, there is also a more serious side of this hobby. The Federal Communications Commission defines Amateur Radio in 49 CFR Part 97.1 (a) …..a voluntary noncommercial communication service, particularly with respect to providing emergency communications.

      Amateur radio is very often the only means of communication following a disaster. It is a means of communication that requires absolutely no infrastructure such as is needed by landline telephone and computer equipment. Amateur radio can be set up nearly anywhere and in operation in a matter of minutes using a minimum amount of equipment. Basically all it takes to get on-the-air is a radio and a piece of wire.

     Most of the Amateur Radio activities here are weather related. When severe weather is forecast in our area we begin monitoring the activity from the surrounding area. The purpose for this is to obtain ground reports from the area being affected, and using this information to have an idea of what may be expected in Salem and the surrounding area.

     We are fortunate to have a network of trained weather spotters throughout the area who become very active in the reporting of ground observations to us at the EmComm center so that we may further report to the National Weather Service and to amateur radio operators in surrounding communities.

     On March 15, 2005 the City of Salem DOEM Amateur Radio operators along with operators throughout South Central Illinois participated in an annual drill with the National Weather Service in St. Charles, Mo. In a letter from James Kramper, Warning Coordination Meteorologist, to all area Amateur Radio Operators dated March 10, 2005, it states “Amateur radio has become a cornerstone of the NWS’s severe weather program. The communication it offers, and the participation in the severe weather spotter program, is virtually unsurpassed by any other group or organization”. This drill enables the amateur radio networks (nets) to test their severe weather procedures.  It also enables the NWS staff to determine which areas in their region have amateur radio weather coverage.

     On Saturday, October 22, 2005 we participated in an exercise known as the SET (Simulated Emergency Test) Exercise 2005. This particular exercise focused on the use of amateur radio as a means of backup communication for hospitals in the Region V area of southern Illinois. Amateur radio operators were encouraged to set up a station at a local hospital to test their local radio resources and make contact with other hospitals in the region. In a disaster, this may be the only means of communication that is available to hospitals.

     The Salem Department of Emergency Management Amateur Radio Operator,  Jimmy Hill, W9JDH has  experience in Amateur radio for several  years, and is constantly striving to keep up-to-date and improve our system. Practice and training are also essential to a well developed communications department. Currently we have available in our communications center radios that operate on HF, VHF, and UHF. We use Single Sideband and FM voice as well as CW (Morse code). The addition of digital communications has arrived.  We have the ability  to set up a portable station and have it on-the-air in the field within a matter of minutes. Several local Amateur Radio operators have the equipment and experience needed to support Radio Direction Finding, which is useful for locating lost hunters or downed aircraft that have two-way communications, or a beacon radio signal as part of their equipment. The recent improvements to our Command and Communications vehicle also will aid in our Amateur radio field operations.

     The recent completion of the Level  I Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Course sponsored by the ARRL has led to the appointment of our Communications Director, Jimmy Hill, W9JDH to the ARRL Field Organization appointment of Official Emergency Station. Jimmy is also affiliated with the Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN), and the National Radio Emergency Radio Network (NREN).

     Beginning May 10, 2006 we will be conducting an ARES Net immediately following the weekly CWA 2 meter net at 8:00 PM local time on the147.270 MHz repeater. The ARES Net will initially be held on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month.

     For more information on our Amateur Radio activities, e-mail: communications@salemdoem.us                            

City of Salem Department of Emergency Management Communications Room

CWA

     The Centralia Wireless Association recently celebrated it’s 75 th year of it’s chartered affiliation with the American Radio Relay League, the National Association for Amateur Radio. The club’s only remaining charter member, W9HAB, Raymond J. Millmaker, is still active on the air. Located on South Locust Street in Centralia, Il., in the Centralia Historical Museum, is a room on the second floor with an excellent display of Amateur Radio equipment from the early days of radio up to the present day equipment in use at this time. This is one of the finest displays in the state, and it is manned and cared for by volunteer members of the club. In addition to maintaining the historical display, the CWA operates and maintains two repeaters. The operating frequencies are 147.270 + and 442.200 + and use CTCSS tone 103.5 Hz. There is a weekly net held at 8:00 PM each Wednesday evening on the 147.270 repeater. The purpose of the net is to pass local traffic, inform members and friends of CWA activities, and to buy, sell, or swap amateur radio equipment. Another more important function of the net is to maintain a pool of experienced amateur radio operators who could act as the Net Control Station in the event of an emergency, which would require a ‘controlled’ method of passing messages, and handling emergency traffic.

     The Centralia Wireless Association meets on the first Monday of the month at 7:00 P.M. at the General Martin community building located at the corner of  East Commercial and North Broadway in Sandoval, Il. The club offers training and testing for all classes of Amateur Radio operator licenses, as well as good fellowship. The 60+ members of the CWA are always available to lend a helping hand to other Amateurs, whether it is helping set up a new station, installing a new antenna, or giving technical advice on the many aspects of Amateur Radio. For more information about the Centralia Wireless Association, including the times and days the Centralia Historical Museum operates, please e-mail w9cwa@yahoo.com.