Statement: April 6, 2010
By Jim Blaine, wd4jzo
Portable Operation
Why would I want to leave my comfortable operating chair and my warm cup of coffee to go out into the rain, or operate from a tent? This helps to train me as a radio operator. It tests my readiness, verifies that my equipment is operational, and exposes any weak points in my existing communications. It is also fun, rewarding, and challenging!
When country or community ask for emergency communications, we should all be ready to respond by putting our mobile and portable radio equipment into service; often using alternatives to commercial power. Amateurs should have some way to operate their station without using commercial AC power. Power lines are often knocked down during a natural disaster such as a hurricane, tornado, earthquake or ice storm.
First-response communications in an emergency involving a few people in a small area are called tactical communications. This type of communications is unformatted and hardly ever recorded. You must keep an accurate log of times and events, but no written messages are handled.
Tactical communications are urgent instructions or requests. Some examples are "send an ambulance", or "would some one please bring the bottled water to tent 2", or "the highway has been closed north because bridge is out". Tactical call signs, which describe a function, location, or agency, make tactical communications more efficient.
Tactical call signs remain the same when operators change shifts or locations. Amateurs must also identify their station operation with their FCC assigned call sign by identifying at the end of the operation and at intervals not exceeding ten minutes during the operation.
The above is the most basic type of emergency communications, and if we do not have portable equipment, know how to use tactical communications procedures, and know how to keep an event log, we should not respond. You should know tactical call sign use, this is very important when working with served agencies. Governments use tactical call signs most of the time in their normal communications.
Some say that CW is dying. With the resurgence in popularity of QRP CW I do not agree that CW is dying. Morse is special because it is the only digital mode that can be sent and received without a computer. It can operate with low power and is one mode that could be used in a pinch with a cobbled-up radio.
We need to provide classes for those wishing to learn this valuable and fun mode of operation.
- 73 -
Jim, WD4JZO
updated April 7, 2010