Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma

Amateur Radio Club assisted in fire emergency

FALLBROOK — In the midst of a devastating fire, Fallbrook and the surrounding area thrived and will continue to do so.

Most people have heard of amateur radio. Many people regard it as a “toy” and an obsolete mode of communications; however, it works when all other communications fail. “Amateur” is somewhat of a misnomer because the ranks of the organization are made up of people far removed from being amateurs.

In the Fallbrook Amateur Radio Club, there are engineers, teachers, accountants, a doctor, a dentist, a professional chef, an airline captain, a retired State Fire Marshal and many other professional and technical people. Each has worked to learn technical radio skills and has passed an examination as required by the Federal Communications Commission to earn a license to operate as an amateur.

Why is amateur radio important to all who live in this community? First of all, during an emergency such as we’ve just had, some media does not provide very much information about what is happening in our area. This is disturbing when you’ve been displaced from your home and have no idea whether your home is safe or not and have no means to obtain that information.

Amateur Radio Station N6FQ was called into service at approximately 9 a.m. Monday, October 22, by North County Fire Protection District (NCFPD) Battalion Chief Don Stevens.

N6FQ shares space with NCFPD’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at any time there is an activation of the EOC and N6FQ’s services are needed. Four radio operators responded to that call and manned N6FQ for the next 48 hours continuously.

Early Monday morning two other radio operators were dispatched to Fallbrook Hospital and stayed with that evacuation until the hospital and long-term care facility were completely evacuated.

Two other radio operators were dispatched to Fallbrook High School, which was designated as an emergency shelter until everyone was evacuated. These operators left their assigned sites after all evacuees had been removed and they then evacuated their own families.

N6FQ continued to operate until approximately 5 p.m. Friday, October 26. Amateurs do not receive any compensation for their time, nor do they expect such.

During the Rice Canyon Fire, N6FQ was co-located with the CAL FIRE and NCFPD Incident Control Post. They shared all news, announcements, bulletins, fire progress, closure information and related issues with N6FQ.

Unfortunately, the listening public was somewhat limited because many people had no means to listen to what was happening except through other radio operators located outside the Fallbrook area.

There is a simple solution to expanding the listening public. All amateur radio transmissions are available to anyone listening. You do not have to hold a license to listen. The “airways” in the US are basically open to everyone and can be monitored via a radio receiver.

We suggest that residents of our area purchase and use scanners to keep abreast of happenings, especially in an emergency such as we’ve just had. The Village News has carried at least two articles in the past advocating this mode of obtaining information. Give serious consideration about purchasing a scanner to aid in providing your family with another safety tool.

Everyone is encouraged to listen to this repeater, especially during any kind of emergency. The frequency to monitor is either 146.175 Mhz or 445.600 Mhz. Both frequencies simulcast so the same information is broadcast on both at the same time.

The transmissions are Frequency Modulated (FM) and both frequencies, along with many others, are readily available on most scanners. Scanners may be purchased from almost any electronic store.

The Fallbrook Amateur Radio Club at times provides free classes for persons interested in obtaining amateur licenses. For further information go to http://www.fallbrookarc.org.

 

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