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- Subpart E -- Providing Emergency Communications.
-
- S 97.401 Operation during a disaster.
-
- (a) When normal communication systems are overloaded,
- damaged or disrupted because a disaster has occurred, or is
- likely to occur, in an area where the amateur service is
- regulated by the FCC, an amateur station may make transmissions
- necessary to meet essential communication needs and facilitate
- relief actions.
-
- (b) When normal communication systems are overloaded,
- damaged or disrupted because a natural disaster has occurred, or
- is likely to occur, in an area where the amateur service is not
- regulated by the FCC, a station assisting in meeting essential
- communication needs and facilitating relief actions may do so
- only in accord with ITU Resolution No. 640 (Geneva, 1979). The 80
- m, 75 m, 40 m, 30 m, 20 m, 17 m, 15 m, 12 m, and 2 m bands may be
- used for these purposes.
-
- (c) When a disaster disrupts normal communication systems
- in a particular area, the FCC may declare a temporary state of
- communication emergency. The declaration will set forth any
- special conditions and special rules to be observed by stations
- during the communication emergency. A request for a declaration
- of a temporary state of emergency should be directed to the EIC
- in the area concerned.
-
- (d) A station in, or within 92.6 km of, Alaska may
- transmit emissions J3E and R3E on the channel at 5.1675 MHz for
- emergency communications. The channel must be shared with
- stations licensed in the Alaska-private fixed service. The
- transmitter power must not exceed 150 W.
-
- S 97.403 Safety of life and protection of property.
-
- No provision of these rules prevents the use by an
- amateur station of any means of radiocommunication at its
- disposal to provide essential communication needs in connection
- with the immediate safety of human life and immediate protection
- of property when normal communication systems are not available.
-
- S 97.405 Station in distress.
-
- (a) No provision of these rules prevents the use by an
- amateur station in distress of any means at its disposal to
- attract attention, make known its condition and location, and
- obtain assistance.
-
- (b) No provision of these rules prevents the use by a
- station, in the exceptional circumstances described in paragraph
- (a), of any means of radiocommunications at its disposal to
- assist a station in distress.
-
- S 97.407 Radio amateur civil emergency service.
-
-
- (a) No station may transmit in RACES unless it is an FCC-
- licensed primary, club, or military recreation station and it is
- certified by a civil defense organization as registered with that
- organization, or it is an FCC-licensed RACES station. No person
- may be the control operator of a RACES station, or may be the
- control operator of an amateur station transmitting in RACES
- unless that person holds a FCC-issued amateur operator license
- and is certified by a civil defense organization as enrolled in
- that organization.
-
- (b) The frequency bands and segments and emissions
- authorized to the control operator are available to stations
- transmitting communications in RACES on a shared basis with the
- amateur service. In the event of an emergency which necessitates
- the invoking of the President's War Emergency Powers under the
- provisions of Section 706 of the Communications Act of 1934, as
- amended, 47 U.S.C. S 606, RACES stations and amateur stations
- participating in RACES may only transmit on the following
- frequencies:
-
- (1) The 1800-1825 kHz,, 1975-2000kHz, 3.50-3.55 MHz,
- 3.93- 3.98 MHz, 3.984-4.000 MHz, 7.079-7.125 MHz, 7.245-7.255
- MHz, 10.10-10.15 MHz, 14.047-14.053 MHz, 14.22-14.23 MHz, 14.331-
- 14.350 MHz, 21.047-21.053 MHz, 21.228-21.267 MHz, 28.55-28.75
- MHz, 29.237-29.273 MHz, 29.45-29.65 MHz, 50.35-50.75 MHz, 52-54
- MHz, 144.50-145.71 MHz, 146-148 MHz, 2390-2450 MHz segments;
-
- (2) The 1.25 m, 70 cm and 23 cm bands; and
-
- (3) The channels at 3.997 MHz and 53.30 MHz may be used
- in emergency areas when required to make initial contact with a
- military unit and for communications with military stations on
- matters requiring coordination.
-
-
- (c) A RACES station may only communicate with:
-
- (1) Another RACES station;
-
- (2) An amateur station registered with a civil defense
- organization;
-
- (3) A United States Government station authorized by the
- responsible agency to communicate with RACES stations;
-
- (4) A station in a service regulated by the FCC whenever
- such communication is authorized by the FCC.
-
- (d) An amateur station registered with a civil defense
- organization may only communicate with:
-
- (1) A RACES station licensed to the civil defense
- organization with which the amateur station is registered;
-
- (2) The following stations upon authorization of the
- responsible civil defense official for the organization with
- which the amateur station is registered:
-
- (i) A RACES station licensed to another civil defense
- organization;
-
- (ii) An amateur station registered with the same or
- another civil defense organization;
-
- (iii) A United States Government station authorized by
- the responsible agency to communicate with RACES stations; and
-
- (iv) A station in a service regulated by the FCC whenever
- such communication is authorized by the FCC.
-
- (e) All communications transmitted in RACES must be
- specifically authorized by the civil defense organization for the
- area served. Only civil defense communications of the following
- types may be transmitted:
-
- (1) Messages concerning impending or actual conditions
- jeopardizing the public safety, or affecting the national defense
- or security during periods of local, regional, or national civil
- emergencies;
-
- (2) Messages directly concerning the immediate safety of
- life of individuals, the immediate protection of property,
- maintenance of law and order, alleviation of human suffering and
- need, and the combating of armed attack or sabotage;
-
- (3) Messages directly concerning the accumulation and
- dissemination of public information or instructions to the
- civilian population essential to the activities of the civil
- defense organization or other authorized governmental or relief
- agencies; and
-
- (4) Communications for RACES training drills and tests
- necessary to ensure the establishment and maintenance of orderly
- and efficient operation of the RACES as ordered by the
- responsible civil defense organization served. Such drills and
- tests may not exceed a total time of 1 hour per week. With the
- approval of the chief officer for emergency planning in the
- applicable State, Commonwealth, District or territory, however,
- such tests and drills may be conducted for a period not to exceed
- 72 hours no more than twice in any calendar year.
-
-