Introduction to Our Emergency Communications System and Radio Equipment

1. Introduction to Our Emergency Communications System and Radio Equipment Compare Book Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 Section 2.1

2. Why Are We Asking For Your Help? • Our Purpose – Assist with Priesthood Leader Communications needed to serve each other during disasters • We can’t ask God to give complete disaster plans and need alerts to leaders when we take no thought • Disasters often disrupt regular communications • Phone Systems very dependent on switching and relay stations + physical lines • Our selective loss during wind and winter storms 2007 • Many people use cordless phones – don’t work without power • 90% of St. Louis Stakes lost phone contact during Ameren Outages • Have at least one old fashion direct jack wall phone

3. Other Systems • Cell Phones • Bunkers have duplicate equipment, cooling, generators and back-up batteries • Towers are not duplicate – very limited range need a lot for a network • Use Cable Lines for tower linkages • Very limited capacity • Back-up Systems Such as Satellite Phones and very expensive – need regular maintenance – usually only in a few places • Also do poorly under humid conditions (Katrina 101)

4. What We Have Going For Us • Priesthood leaders regularly deal with peoples physical and spiritual problems • They are not trained and then forget because they don’t use • Amateur Radio • Equipment widely dispersed among members • Used for hobby or practice so we know it works • Does not depend on complex networks • Radio to radio (simplex) • Its hard to “get us all”

5. What We Are About • We are about communications – not amateur radio • If a phone line works then use it • Family First • Check your families needs ahead of communication • Don’t go in debt to be a radio operator

6. What Do We Ask? • Get an Amateur (Ham) Radio License • Pay a $14 fee to take a test • Get 26 out of 35 questions on a multiple choice exam • Study (prayer is not cheating – just don’t do an Oliver Cowdry) • (your license is good for 10 years with free renewals for the rest of your life) • Get a radio set-up (mobiles suggested) • In your budget and works are most important traits • Participate in weekly practice nets / help in annual emergency drills • Seek additional emergency training as your time and circumstances allow

7. How We Are Organized SLAP-N St. Louis Bishops Storehouse – Chris Pixton Stake Organizations

8. How to Pass A Test • All Questions are from a standard pool that is available for study • Questions are 4 choice multiple choice or true and false • They can change which answer is A, B, C, or D, but they cannot change the words • Ways to attack • Get a copy of the question pool and highlight the question and the text of the answer • Took me about 3 – 4 hours reading carefully as I went • Use internet web sites to take practice tests • Come to class – listen – ask questions • Prayer is legal

9. How Do I Get A Copy of the Question Pool? • Get an electronic file from the instructor • Print it out and highlight • Do it all on screen and save your printing and copying money • Libraries often have public computer terminals • Buy a Book which has the question pool at the back • We have them at $23 each but we do not require you to buy one • They are good references but we understand money limits

10. There Are 10 Subject Areas • #1 FCC rules and licenses 4 questions • #2 Radio Operator Duties 4 questions • #3 Radio Operating Practices 4 questions • #4 Radio Electronics (a geek unit) 5 questions • #5 Setting up and running radio equipment 4 questions • #6 How Radios Code Signals (a geek unit) 3 questions • #7 Radio Contests and Satellite contacts 2 questions • #8 Emergency Communications 3 questions • #9 How Radio Waves Travel (a geek unit) 3 questions • #10 Safety with Electricity and Radio Waves 3 questions

11. Pool Lets You See How Many Questions in Each Area • Area 4 has 4 Questions on the test • Questions labeled 4A01, 4A02, 4A03 etc. • 4B01, 4B02 etc. • One of the 4A questions, one of the 4B and one of the 4C and one of the 4D questions will appear • Some subject areas may not click for you as well as others • You don’t need a perfect score – be willing to miss a few questions if a particular subject just won’t click for you

12. Using the Book and Our Presentations • Book Chapters do not match the question pool sections • Book does tell you which questions to look at after reading • My slides also give question answers • The Text that answers a test pool question is in bold red • (Right After that is small finer print red text that gives the question number that was just answered) • The Question Pool also tells you the answer • T4C05 (A) • When you see the A it means that the text below for choice A is the right answer • Remember to underline the text of the answer – just because it was A in the pool doesn’t mean the text will be under A on the test

13. Radio Services • Amateur or Ham Radio • FCC divies up different parts of the “radio spectrum” for different purposes • Broadcast TV • Broadcast FM Radio Service • Some Radio Services are for Citizen use – most powerful needs a license • Amateur Radio Service is issued a license (T1D01) • Don’t need a license for CB radio or a little Family radio service radio from Walmart (of course only going to get about ½ mile to 4 miles)

14. Equipment for Amateur Radio • Radio waves travel through air – invisible wave or electricity and magnetic fields (electromagnetic radiation) • To code your voice into radio waves and then send it you need a Transmitter (T4C02) • T4C02 “What is used to convert sounds from your voice into radio signals” • A. Transmitter • B. Receiver • C. Speaker • D. Amplifier • Question will have (A) written by it to tell you the correct answer is A = transmitter

15. More Equipment • To convert radio waves back into sound you need a Receiver (T4C01) • Today we usually pack both a transmitter and a receiver into one box and call it a Transceiver (T4C03) • Talk into a microphone – microphone will connect to a transmitter (T5A01) • Trick talk across the mike so you don’t sound breathy • Receivers create sound using a speaker • If the room is noisy may want to use Headphones (T5A04)

16. To Power a Radio • Most Radios are designed for battery power • Same as a car battery (because radios are intended to go in cars a lot of the time) • Household wall outlet electricity has a lot more punch than a car battery • To convert wall outlet power to be like battery power you use a Power Supply (T4C04)

17. How to Increase Radio Range • Tim Taylor Solution – More Power • To increase the power of your radio you use an Amplifier (T4C05) • Put the Antenna on higher point • I’m not sure about a 30 foot antenna tower on my car. • A Repeater (T5C01) • Put a receiver part way between and have it read a signal and then retransmit it • Called “Duplex” • Especially useful for increasing range or cars or HTs