When Communications Go Down, Amateur Radio Operators will Step Up
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by
Anna Zenk
In the case of an undesirable event when communications could go down, it’s not only prudent but could also be life-saving to have a large-scale radio emergency communication system in place. This system is called an “‘amateur radio net’ or simply ‘ham net’, which is an ‘on-the-air’ gathering of amateur radio operators.”
After much planning, on Sat. May 13, 2023 ham operators from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 27 stakes (a stake is made up of about ten congregations) located in North Texas and areas of Oklahoma checked in to the net either on the 40m frequency band or by WinLink. According to winlink.org, WinLink is a “network of amateur radio and authorized government-licensed stations that provides worldwide radio email using radio pathways where the internet is not present.” Even if band conditions are good, there will be days the band does not work for voice. Because of this very real possibility, hams use WinLink email as a fallback communication method.
For many participants, this was the first time they were able to participate in a ham net on such a large scale. The event was the most attended practice for the group of Ham Radio Operators.
After the check-in, Elder Ray Butler, who is the Emergency Coordinator for The Church in the Dallas, Fort Worth, and Oklahoma area, thanked participants in an email. In the communication, he told the operators, “You have come a long way and your WinLink check-in now counts exactly as a voice check-in would and your WinLink email update would convey necessary information during an actual event.”
Elder Butler went on to say, “Today was a clear success with a couple of areas of focus and improvement leading up to our next test. I also feel that it is a tender mercy that the band cooperated as much as it did with the solar flares and other ionosphere activity threatening us this week—it was truly a blessing to be able to talk at all. This practice was an opportunity for each of us to assess our own stations and make improvements where needed.
Fundamentally, this is the reason we practice, to help us identify where we need to improve to be ready for the event we hope never comes.
This was also an opportunity to educate our church leaders as to the capabilities and challenges of amateur radio communication. And we had such a great showing of support from members of our Area Seventies (regional church leadership) and Stake leadership.
Today’s net, and the preparations leading up to it, clearly leave us better prepared to communicate without a cell phone or internet than we were four months ago. The flow today was similar to what we would use in an actual emergency, with Area Seventies calling for reports from Stake Presidents or their representatives.
This is an essential work we are doing to help ourselves, our communities, and our stakes to be prepared!”
According to reports from those involved, the event was a success!
If you would like to enroll in a free ham radio training course via Zoom, please contact the Hurst Stake Emergency Coordinator, Pat Autrey, by clicking here.
Anna Zenk is a professional graphic designer specializing in design for print. During her free time she works on personal design projects, blogs and enjoys bookbinding by hand.
