On March 30, 2010 feedback was integrated into this outline from Oregon ARES ECs, Oregon Emergency Managers, and amateur operators from across the country.
During 2020, the material was updated to synchronize it with the Federal AUXCOMM course and make it possible to deliver in a weekend.
This training and certification will involve sixteen (16) hours of classroom and/or online training including practical evaluation where the operator must demonstrate the specific learning competencies outlined for the course. This course will cover basic emergency communications topics and procedures for operating VHF/UHF voice only.
Students attending this course are expected to bring a hand held amateur radio with instruction book as well as proof of completion of IS-100, IS-200 and IS-700 FEMA courses. Students should have a working knowledge of their radio and be able to do basic programming of frequencies and other parameters covered in the course.
The following outline is representative of the material to be presented in the classroom.
Why we need standardized training
Scope of this course
Why is this course different from others - based on performance skills
The differences between emergency communications and regular communications
The differences between amateur radio and public safety radio
Your role as an Auxiliary Communicator (AUXC)
Frequency Selection
Simplex, Duplex
Selective call technologies, Tones
Purpose and benefit
Tone squelch types
When to use carrier or tone squelch
Typical simplex programming and operation
Typical repeater programming and operation
Frequency selection and memory channels
Organizing and pre-programming memory channels
Reading and using ICS-217 and ICS-205 forms
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
Served Agencies - Supporting their mission
County/City - Generally Emergency Management, may be Sheriff's Office
State - Generally State Office of Emergency Management
Federal
FEMA/DHS
Military
Private
Red Cross
SATERN
Hospitals and medical facilities
RACES - Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service
Description of RACES program per FCC
Example of implementation
Flat management structure, discrete control by local EM
ARES - Amateur Radio Emergency Service
Description of ARRL program
National Multi-layer Management Structure
Elected State Section Manager
Appointed State, District and County Emergency Coordinator
Managed service provided to the served agency
No national training or certification requirements
ACS - Auxiliary Communications Service
MARS - Military Affiliate Radio System
CAP - Civil Air Patrol
Private aircraft facilities and communications services
CERT - Community Emergency Response Team
REACT - Radio Emergency Associated Communications Teams
Citizen Band, FRS, GMRS, MURS
Responsibilities of staffing a position
Listening skills
Proper station identification
Tactical callsign use - should reflect physical location or action, still require legal callsign identification
Protocols and procedures - how to call other stations, signing off
Basic mic and radio operation - pause, 2" from face, talk across microphone
Prowords and phonetics - "Q" signals not for voice
ITU phonetic list
APCO phonetic list
Plain language - NIMS compliance means no codes
HIPAA and Personally Identifiable Information (PII) procedures
Portable/Handheld - limitations and advantages
Limited battery life
Limited power output and range
Non-standard charging and external power connectors
Limited external antenna possibilities
Extremely portable
Very low power output option for short-range extended life operation
Very low idle receive power consumption
Mobile - limitations and advantages
Requires more standby power
Requires vehicle
Very good range and power output capability
Better external antenna possibilities and placement
Ability to relocate the entire station to cover a desired area
Base station - limitations and advantages
Non-portable
More range: higher gain and antenna elevation
Commercial power source
Fixed installation ready to operate in the agency
Better for message passing, logging, and net control
Band selection
VHF/UHF ideal for local communications
VHF can be up to 9dB better than UHF for the same path
VHF will work better in mixed terrain
70 cm is less crowded
If net control is on one band, can operate very close without interference on a different band
Typically use 2-meters (VHF) and 70-centimeters (UHF)
Other options include 6-meters (50MHz VHF), 1.25-meters (220MHz VHF)
Headsets
DC power and batteries
Power requirements
Power supply types and characteristics
Battery types, charging and floating
Connectors
Andersons (current ARES recommendation)
Ring terminals
Cigarette power plugs
Molex plugs
Perfect interoperability in a pinch: stripped wire
Wire size and voltage drop
Fusing - safety aspects, spares
Antenna types and selection
Handheld
OEM rubber duck
Aftermarket high-gain whip
Roll-up wire antennas
Mobile
Magnetic mount (needs a ground plane)
Fixed mount
Portable
Mast, Tripod, Coax
Antenna with a ground plane
Guying supplies
Types of antennas and selection criteria
Omni - radiates in all directions
Directional - yagi or quad squeezes signal in one direction
Gain antenna patterns - no free lunch, signal re-directed
Polarization and avoiding losses
Amateurs are often assigned to monitor or man non-amateur radios
Public Safety Systems
Traditional Analog VHF/UHF/800
Trunked Systems
Digital P25
ROIP
Telephone, Cellular, Fax, Email, Messaging, Paging
Satellite phone
MURS, FRS and GMRS options
Marine Radio Service
USCG oceans and inland water ways
VHF based system
Interoperability channels
Purpose and bands
NIFOG
Priority communications
GETS, WPS and TSP
FirstNet, others
National Communications System (NCS)
SHARES
Emergency Warning Systems
NAWAS 'hardened' wireline network
Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS)
EAS broadcast alerting, WEA wireless alerting
NOAA weather alerting
NEIC - earthquake warning center
Tsunami Warning System
Ways to identify a location
Overview of coordinate system formats
Latitude/Longitude
Decimal Degrees - D.DDD
D M'S"
D M.MM"
UTM, MGRS, USNG
PLSS
Map Datums, which way is north?
GPS receivers
Coordinate conversions
Map types
Street maps, USGS Topo, FAA aircraft and nautical charts
Provides a standardized scalable structure for emergency response management
Overview of ICS
Chain of command, unity of command
Requires plain language; affects typical amateur radio "jargon" use
Incident and communications unit staff
NIMS Procedures and forms
ICS-205 Radio Frequency Plan
ICS-213 General Message Form
ICS-214 Activity Log
ICS-217 Communications Resource Availability Worksheet
ICS-309 Communications Log
Resource Typing
AUXCOMM Resource Typing Example
Safety
Family and personal
Notification
Awareness, "Feeling the earthquake"
Phone tree
Radio Voice nets
Commercial services
Agency policies and procedures
Activation
Assignment, location, time, equipment needs
Response
Go safely, hazardous environments
Arrive ready, be a team player
Go kit
Who am I and where am I?
Radios and Equipment
Hydration, nutrition, sanitation
PPE, clothing, office supplies
Demobilization
Weather
Terminology
What to report
Estimating observed weather parameters
Taking precautions for extreme conditions
SKYWARN weather spotting program
How to report
Situational Awareness
Knowing the situation around you at all times
Sharing your field situation with served agency
Communications Basics
Plain Language
Tactical callsigns
How to call
Message handling
Rhythm, Speed, Volume, Pitch (RSVP)
Operating a net
Keeping a log
Your role as a communicator
Formal vs. Tactical messages
Proper use of prowords and phrases
NIMS-Compliant ICS-213 Message Handling
Methods for handling on voice channels
Prowords and phrases
Classroom Exercise
Troubleshooting Techniques
Eliminate problem components, test everything
Troubleshooting tools
Multimeter, SWR meter, antenna analyzer, dummy load, spares
Common equipment failure modes
Programming, power, antennas and feedlines
Troubleshooting scenarios
Situational Awareness
Message integrity and privacy
Do not share content
Do not alter message content
Determine best transport if material is sensitive, advise originator if another method is appropriate
Participation in EOC/ECC/ICP or dispatch environments
Will require background check
Potential to see data not meant for your eyes
Must respect environment and process
Personal performance within the EOC/ECC/ICP or dispatch environments
Adding to the chaos with radio noise or yelling into the microphone
Cleanliness
Be aware of sexual harassment
Proper identification and credentialing
Respect authority
Disaster Psychology
At the end of the course there will be a comprehensive 40 question multiple choice test. Students must pass with a 75% or higher score.
At the end of each session, there is an exercise to demonstrate the following skills:
Given the details of a simulated repeater (another radio) correctly configure your own handheld for proper frequency, tone, and offset to open the squelch and transmit your callsign
Using a hand held radio, exchange a signal report with your instructor using correct phonetics for both callsigns
Using a hand held radio, demonstrate techniques for improving communications by:
Adjusting squelch level to overcome noise
Enabling tone squelch for transmit and receive
Set standard and odd repeater shifts
Adjusting antenna position
Adjusting power level
Demonstrate programming a radio according to a completed ICS-205
Complete an ICS-214 Activity Log
Complete an ICS-213RR Resource Request form
Work with NIFOG information
Identify geographic features based on coordinates provided
Identify multiple causes to a provided troubleshooting scenario
Complete an ICS-205 Radio Communications Plan
Participate in a simulated traffic net exercise
Demonstrate accurately completing an ICS-213 message form
Transmit contents of ICS-213 via net
Receive ICS-213 transmitted by another student