Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services
( RACES )
RACES is a special part of the
amateur radio community with dedicated licensed volunteers who
provide essential radio communications in support of state and
local government agencies during times of emergency or disaster. RACES was created
by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) subsequent to FCC
Rules and Regulations, Part 97, Subpart E, Section 407.
To be eligible
to become a RACES member one must meet the following
requirements:
-
Be a United States citizen who is 18 years of age or older.
-
Live within 5 miles of Kane County.
-
Possess a valid FCC amateur radio license.
-
Complete an OEM Application for Volunteer Membership.
(Application for membership)
-
Submit to a finger print background check.
-
Complete the volunteer orientation.
KC9OEM Repeater
System
The Kane County
Office of Emergency Management supports the KC9OEM 2m repeater
which operates at 100W on 145.47 MHz
with a 103.5 PL and a -600 KHz offset. The 6.7dB antenna resides
west of St. Charles, Illinois and is approximately 200 feet
above a ground elevation of 877 feet.
KC9OEM is an
open repeater system and all licensed amateur radio operators
are invited to use the repeater during normal
operations. The 2m repeater will go into emergency
operations mode whenever it is needed to support the mission of
the Kane County Office of Emergency Management. During emergency
operations a radio net will be established by a qualified net control
operator from Kane County RACES,
or by a member of Kane County ARES®. One of the most
common uses of the KC9OEM repeater in emergency operations is
for Skywarn operations during severe weather events.
Weekly Net
The Kane
County Office of Emergency Management and Kane County ARES®
host the Kane County Emergency Net each Wednesday evening at
1830 hrs. (6:30 PM CT) on the 2m KC9OEM repeater. The purpose of
this net is to verify radio equipment is functional to maintain
contact with supporting amateur radio operators, and pass
current news and information. All licensed amateurs are invited
to check into the net.
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