2024 04 08
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Contingency
Emergency
P.A.C.E. has long been used by military communications planners to designate the order in which you would go through different communications methods should one not be available or compromised. In has become a mainstream term in the preparedness world and now even the DHS Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Administration (CISA) is bringing it into the mainstream of planning for public safety communications (Leveraging The Pace Plan Into The Emergency Communications Ecosystem).
Your PACE plan is not a frequency plan, it is a systems plan. The systems are methods that you have available to you, and all those within your group you need to maintain comms with. This could be such things as cell phones (obvious, but more on this below), GMRS radios and repeaters, MURS, HAM radios and repeaters or HAM HF (requires a higher license and more equipment, or satellite (more interest in this since the recent large scale outage of a major cell phone provider). Read this article on some basic methods for your family communications plan. I also have a number of articles on each of these different “systems” under the communications heading.
Having different systems and capabilities is part of having a resilient plan, and communications resiliency is probably one of the most important capabilities that you can have. In fact the government has a number of contingent communications capabilities and many are underused because, like everyone else, we have become so reliant on what we use day-to-day, and we forget to practice with the other systems. You also need to understand the capabilities and limits of each system you choose.
RADIOS
Radios general fall into two main categories:
- direct radio to radio, without the use of repeaters or other infrastructure (often called “simplex”) – these can be your handheld or mobile with the common VHF & UHF (2-meter & 70cm) frequencies or a mobile or base with HF
- radio that use a repeater that ‘repeats’ your transmission – these can extend the range to 30-100 miles depending on the location of the repeater, power and surrounding terrain
Repeaters can have backup power, either a generator or solar power and sometime both.
Repeaters can also be linked, through the internet, to other repeaters anywhere in the world. There are 2 that work with analog radio (IRLP and Echolink) and then there are those that use digital radios (Fusion, D-STAR, DMR etc.). For more information on these different linking capabilities see this article.
The use of radios is going to depend on how far you need to reach on a “normal” day or under some contingent need.
Planning for the use of radios includes:
- mapping out what/how far you can reach simplex or direct radio-to-radio
- what repeaters and other systems you can reach
- the type of radio (handheld or mobile) you have, or can afford
- your antennas (handheld, mobile/mag mount, fixed on a higher pole, etc.)
- the license requirements and availability of any frequencies you want to use
Another consideration with radios is what method(s) do you want to use, i.e., voice or some digital mode. This is going to depend on who and how far you want to communicate. For example, most tactical comms are going to be by voice. Tactical comms are those around your area, quick situational updates or instructions, etc. For more in-depth or longer distance comms you might want to consider some digital methods.
Digital Comms
There are many digital modes used in ham radio, all developed by hams. Some are designed to make a quick contact, mostly for competitions, others are more practical for our applications and fall into two categories: keyboard to keyboard chat and messaging including email.
One of the most common programs that incorporates many of the different digital modes in Fldigi and it has several companion programs; Flrig (for controlling your radio) Flmsg (a mail type program that includes some standard forms used in emergencies) and more. Within Fldigi you will find programs like Contesta, MT63, Olivia and THOR which are commonly used.
Unless your radio has a built-in sound card you will need something like Signalink which acts as the interface between radio and laptop. Signalink options include cables and a module for almost every radio on the market.
Winlink is an email application that is popular within emergency communications (EMCOMM) in many areas. Initially developed for sailors to get email it proved its capabilities during Hurricane Katrina. Until recently one disadvantage was its use of Pactor modems, which are quite expensive. Recently VARA, a software modem, was developed for use with Winlink, and other programs. You can use without a license, which operates at about 10% of its full capacity, a license is $65. If one person has the licenses the speed between both is at the full rate.
VarAC is a digital chat program that works with VARA. It has an inbuilt mail program as well as a chat mode. It has a beacon mode so you can see who is ‘out there’ and what bands are open. It also has a FM version for use on 2-meters and 70cm for more local comms.
The government, at all levels, utilize comms on a daily basis, usually VHF or UHF and more commonly trunked radio systems. These are tactical comms. At the state and federal levels HF voice and digital comms are used for backup comms. Winlink, VARA, and other digital modes are used.
CELL PHONES
During an emergency local cell towers can be overloaded with people trying to make calls, or stream video. Sometimes a text message will get through, even if delayed.
Other options with a cell phone include a radio-type app called Zello. This is a one-to-many app and you can set your own groups up for friends and family.
If you are a first responder, emergency manager or similar you can get FirstNet. This is a service established only for responders and has exclusive use of band 14 in the cellular range. Responders can also get issued Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS) cards which provide priority access when using landlines. Wireless Priority Service (WPS) is also available with gives priority access when cell circuits are busy.
SATELLITE
There are three general types of satellite capability; voice just like a cell phone, text and radio. The radio option is expensive and you have to have matched units, its not like a radio where you can change the channel, it has to be programmed. As will cell phone satellite phones are one to one and the charge is per minute on top of the unit cost and a monthly fee.
The Garmin inReach mini is an affordable capability. There is a low monthly fee which for about 10 messages. The consideration is whether you are texting a terrestrial device that might be in the impact area i.e., no local cell service, someone outside of the impact area or another inReach device.
Final Thoughts
Some thought and planning needs to go into your PACE plan so that all your eggs are not in one basket. Utilization of different types of systems makes for redundant capabilities which in crease your chances of maintaining communications with your friends and families during and after an emergency. It is important to TEST all these capabilities BEFORE an emergency as well.