Local, County, and State Governments Proclaim Value of Amateur Radio

The Amateur Radio Service is of great value to communities around the nation. Through served agencies, the trained corps of technical and civic-minded operators provide a no-cost service to the public that has shown to be valuable before and When All Else Fails®.

The 2025 hurricane season has been forecast to be above normal by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). As we saw just last year in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, ham radio saves lives through volunteers who use their skills and equipment during emergencies by providing surface weather observations, relaying messages from shelters, and providing health and welfare information to concerned loved ones.

“While ARRL Field Day is a fun, social, occasion to get together and get on the air, it also serves as an opportunity to test equipment in a way that it would be needed in a time of crisis. The same people who come to visit your site under blue skies are the community members who would be served in an identical manner during and after an emergency”

— Sierra Harrop, W5DX - ARRL Public Relations and Outreach Manager

In recognition of the value of amateur radio, government officials at all levels have issued proclamations and citations across the country. On the ARRL amateur radio proclamations page, you can see the many official documents that have been sent to us at ARRL Headquarters.

“We all know how great the ham community is, but seeing all the proclamations come in around Field Day gives perspective to the efforts of radio amateurs. To have a governor or a councilmember recognize June as Amateur Radio Month truly honors the impact hams have on their community,”

— Sierra Harrop, W5DX - ARRL Public Relations and Outreach Manager

Indiana Emcomm Group in Debate Over Digital Switch

With emergency communications embracing digital modes more and more, operators increasingly find themselves navigating the tricky landscape of system access and compatibility. 

In April of this year, the Dubois County Office of Emergency Management in Indiana made the decision to migrate from analogue FM to C4FM digital for their 147.195 repeater during activations. The change was made to reduce noise during operation and increase the quality of the copy.

“Our new Fusion repeater system was thoroughly tested to confirm its superior performance when using C4FM.”

— Gary Fritz, WB9LIB

When the announcement was made to the Patoka Valley Amateur Radio Club, not all the club members were enthusiastic. Since some of them did not own a Fusion-compatible radio, this decision would exclude them from emergency operations with SKYWARN.

Fritz told AR Newsline that the change has brought about the desired results in message quality, as proven by recent SKYWARN activation during severe weather.

“We found that by using C4FM, combined with a reasonable reduction in repeater transmit power, our units are now able to check in crystal clear from locations that were previously impossible.”

— Gary Fritz, WB9LIB

A number of local amateurs remain unconvinced regarding the move to digital. Reuben Montgomery, KA9RCM, told Newsline that his main concern is centred primarily on the lack of access to emergency communications by hams without Fusion radios and by visitors who are passing through the area. With the variety of digital platforms, he also sees great difficulty in picking one mode to the exclusion of all others. Regarding participation, Fritz reported that a staff of trained EMA weather spotters comprise the vast majority of those participating in local SKYWARN nets, which are 100% focused on in-county reports when they are under a warning.

Fritz also said that the public and all amateur radio operators can continue to monitor net communications through audio streaming over Broadcastify.

Father's Day activity at the RSGB National Radio Centre

A special interactive spy event is taking place on Father’s Day, Sunday 15 June, at the RSGB National Radio Centre.

You’ll have the opportunity to become a spy hunter and, using your special gadget, will be tasked with finding hidden transmitters located around Bletchley Park. You’ll need to decode Morse signals and uncover the location of the secret spy base. Two time slots are available; however, spaces are limited to 12 groups for each.

Secure your place and treat your Dad, Grandad, or a father figure to a fascinating day out by going to the Bletchley Park website.

The activity is free to take part in; however, entry to Bletchley Park is required. Don’t forget that RSGB members get free access to the historic site as a membership benefit.

Download your voucher here - https://rsgb.org/main/myrsgb-2/bletchley-park-free-visitors-voucher/

Bletchley Park - https://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/event/fathersday/