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SAFE Ark Two Newsletter
Special Radio Edition
Part Two of Three
September 20th, 2013
This special edition of the Newsletter is the second in a special three part series being devoted to the subject of the radio.
The radio is very important to the SAFE Reconstruction concept.
In the first part, of the three part series, there was described what having radio capability would do for you.
This second part of the series will talk about the plan to set up and
operate the SAFE Ham Net itself and the third and final part of the
series will examine the equipment plan itself.
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Building the SAFE EMS Ham Network
The greatest challenge facing SAFE is to build its EMS (Emergency
Messaging System) Network. It is a Ham Network in only the most
elemental definition.
A ham network is usually one of licensed ham radio operators. Ham
operators have various levels of licenses which permit them to do
certain things and restrict them from others.
The Best Method
The SAFE EMS is based upon a method that is by law restricted to the
very highest level of hams. The reason for the restriction is not
because of its difficulty, because it is actually the easiest to use for
the exceptional accuracy that it provides, but rather it is restricted
to advanced hams because it is considered a reward for their having
achieved that level.
The Legal Problem
When I wrote the manual for the SAFE EMS system I quoted a source that
provided an interpretation of the FCC law that supported use of this ham
capacity by anyone in the public in time of dire emergency. The
statement and that interpretation still remains on Wikipedia, at the
time of this writing, but in lengthy discussion with the individual
considered the foremost authority on the subject, within the FCC, I have
now learned that it is NOW interpreted differently by them, if there
ever did exist the more liberal interpretation. As a side note, may I
mention that it took me many hours, stretched over several days, to find
a path through to this individual. There is no standard path, in
reality No Actual Path, for doing so.
Anyway, the present interpretation is that this extended privilege, in
time of dire emergency, applies only to licensed ham operators of all
levels. Two opposite forces appear at work here. Greater restriction on
the one hand combined with on the other hand a substantial easing of
requirements of what is required to become a ham at the lowest level, so
as to be eligible to use the facility in time of dire emergency.
A Newer Legal Problem
However, the same authoritative individual in the FCC pointed out to me a
NEW factor, and that is Executive Orders have been issued by the
President of the United States stating that ALL ham activity may be
forbidden in the event of such a national emergency as we are
visualizing.
We have demonstrated here the inconsistent contradictory paradoxical
point of view expressed by the government regarding nuclear war.
The Government's Plan to Protect Us
On the one hand we are assured that it is nothing we need to
worry ourselves about and that for this reason they have discontinued
the civil defense services of training and equipping civilian radiation
monitors and providing and stocking shelters. Any person suggesting such
a need is ridiculed when they contact a government agency.
On the other hand the government continues to build more
accurate nuclear weapons and more efficient ways of delivering them, and
at this moment is dispersing them more broadly and announcing new
policies regarding 'first usage' - while making extensive plans for COG
(Continuity of Government), stockpiling immense stores of food,
equipment and ammunition for control of the civilian population, and
issuing Executive Orders regarding what should be done in case of such
an event.
The Quandry for SAFE
This does create a quandary for an organization such as SAFE. In effect
we are told that we cannot prepare for an event such as we visualize and
no matter if we did, if the event were to occur that we would not be
allowed to use our radio facilities in any case.
Legal to have the SAFE EMS Equipment
Nevertheless, we have found a COMPLETELY Legal solution to the
problem of preparing ahead of time. Of course any and all may go out and
get the lowest level ham license. That is not a terribly difficult
thing to do, but we recognize that for the number of people that we want
to be equipped, it is not something that they will do.
Government May Forbid Use of ALL Ham Equipment
No matter whether you have the equipment, and know how to use it, there
still exists the theoretical situation that in time of nuclear WW3, the
US Federal Government (or other authorities) may forbid you to use it.
Whether in that time of universal catastrophe they would actually have
the capability to prevent such use, and what your personal response
might be to such directives, in the unlikely case that you would hear
them at that time, is a decision that you will have to make.
The specifics regarding the hardware as to what makes it legal and as to
how it will operate is a matter that we shall cover in the third and
last part of this series. For now, the subject is what we have to do to
organize the SAFE Net.
Ham Community Support
First, I wish to disabuse a common notion among preppers that we can
rely upon the ham community. It is an exceptional individual who is a
prepper and a ham. More likely a prepper who has become a ham, than a
ham that has become a prepper.
In talking with several ham clubs, the representatives of probably fifty
companies that manufacture or distribute ham equipment, the
aforementioned government agencies, and a variety of other sources, I
found not one individual who was sympathetic to our cause, while
encountering numbers who were adamantly opposed.
Two recent examples: One individual who had a circuit that we were
interested in told me frankly that he thought our cause was completely
'nuts' and did not want me to contact him again, and just yesterday when
I posted a request on one of the largest and best known ham boards, for
other hams to join us, it was removed without explanation, something
that other members of the board said that they had never seen happen
before, and in my requesting an explanation from the coordinator of the
board, as to the reason why - I did not even receive a response.
The preppers that are hams come to us from our own organization or other
prepper organizations. We can expect nothing from the ham community. In
fact there is often vocal opposition to the effect that we are muddying
up their hobby.
All the above was in explanation of why we are planning to do what we
are planning to do in the way that we are planning to do it.
Nature of the SAFE EMS Ham Network
The nature of our radio system is that it is designed to give reliable
coverage within three to four hundred miles. That is a circle six or
seven hundred miles in diameter. Still a large area but not the kind of
intercontinental skip that hams like to brag about.
Because of the limited size of the communication circle we need to group
our communications nodes around state organizations. Therefore, it is
necessary that Christopher, our US National Coordinator, strengthen our
state organizations so that each one has a strong State TEAM Leader and
two active assistants. One of these assistants may be the ham
coordinator for that state. All the ham coordinators will also work with
Carlton, who is the SAFE US National Ham Coordinator.
For the SAFE EMS to work, we need many SAFE hams (not necessarily
licensed hams) in each state. If there were only 50 in each state, that
would still be 2500. This is our greatest problem, finding that many
preppers that are interested and willing to participate. We face a
two-fold paradox. First, that not that many people are interested in
these relatively quiet times and second, that if times become more
intense due to circumstances in the economy, or whatever, this may not
permit them to achieve their (and our) goals.
For the moment we shall ignore the paradox and continue to try to build
and strengthen the state organizations. Assuming that we are successful,
and that circumstances permit, we hope to organize meetings in each
state, where the participants will learn to assemble and operate their
equipment. More details about that in the third and last part of this
series.
The Planned SAFE EMS Ham Network Meetings
But, more particularly, it is our intention that at these meetings the
participants will learn the Net operating procedures, will set up TRIADs
and learn the procedures for setting up LERNs after some universal
catastrophe. Having copies of "The Paper" which is available as a pdf press master or having read and understood about LERNs ahead of time in the book "Society AFTER Doomsday" will be a great asset.
One of the reasons for having the meetings is, that in order to remain
legal, there are a number of things that the participants must learn,
and which we must do with them, directly.
It is legal for anyone to own a receive only radio. There are some
transmitters, such as CB, or "walkie talkies" that anyone can own. Other
equipment is like owning a car, which even a child can do, although
they cannot drive it, because they are not licensed.
All of our organizational concept is based upon a speculation that at
some point there will be great numbers interested in participating. We
have no indication as yet that will occur, and are simply moving forward
in a task which we hope is the Will of God. If it is not, our lack of
success will make no difference, but if it is, we must prepare now
because unless we are ready for an influx of interest, there will be no
opportunity to service it.
SAFE EMS Ham Network is open to ALL Hams
With all that I have said about Hams, we are very desirous of having
prepper hams join our net. Any ham with a full blown ham rig needs no
special equipment, with the possible exception of a locally acquired
special $10 antenna, to fully participate. These hams would/will be very
important to the core of our Ham Net. Unfortunately, if we, or you, go
out to try to recruit other hams who are not preppers, you will most
likely find them disruptive to what we are trying to accomplish.
In the third and last part of this radio series, which I hope to send out next, we will discuss the radio equipment itself.
Peace and love,
Bruce
DawnSayer@webpal.org
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