Amateur Radio
For better or worse, emergency planning has become an important part of our society. Each of us is being asked to develop the abilities to help ourselves and others in a disaster. Would you bet your life that the phones and Internet will still be working? Would you bet the lives of others? Even if they still function, phones and email based systems can be overwhelmed in a crisis, while critical calls are often blocked.
The includes members with ham radio licenses who will be communicating with the York County Emergency Operations Center during emergency situations.
Our radio operators have a basic knowledge of radio technology and operating principles, and have passed an examination for a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) license to operate on radio frequencies known as the "Amateur Bands."
We belong to the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), which is a national, voluntary organization of FCC licensed hams. ARES has provided emergency communications services for everything from shipwrecks to the disaster of 9/11. It is a specialized field requiring training and federal licensing. Each radio station operator is independent but we can still talk to each other.
Your family probably has already benefited from ARES!
- ARES' Skywarn program provides critical ground observations to the National Weather Service in storms.
- The National Traffic Service has provided long distance emergency communication and free radiograms for families for decades.
- The Red Cross uses ARES to provide emergency communications in a disaster. So do the Salvation Army, Office of Emergency Management (OEM), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and hundreds of county and municipal governments.
Ham radio works:
- When the telephone land lines are down.
- When the fax machine doesn't work.
- When the internet is off-line or jammed.
- When the phone “trunk line” is jammed.
- When the cell phone is dead.
Are you interested in joining the Neighborhood Emergency Preparedness Committee
as a ham radio operator? If so, please contact us at
The cost is minimal. Basic study materials for passing the FCC test and getting your initial license usually cost less than $40. You may study on your own or attend one of the classes that are held periodically throughout the Hampton Roads area. Taking part in one of these classes is the best way to go, but there are also other methods if your personal schedule is too hectic.
Note: Much of the information on this page is taken from www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio