Marantz 5220 Manuel d'utilisateur télécharger pdf (Page 85)

CB Scene

Ray Newhall

YOUR STATION READY FOR

AN EMERGENCY?

MUCH has

been

written

about

the

public safety potential of the

many

CB radio stations spread across

the

country.

Equally publicized

is how

CB'ers

have responded to

past

large

and small

-scale

disasters.

But

well -

executed assist does

not "just hap-

pen."

It is

planned

advance and

practiced

over and over until both

equipment and

operators

are ready to

handle

the

emergency

when it

occurs.

Hundreds

of CB clubs

have

or-

ganized emergency communications

systems, and

many

the more

suc-

cessful

organizations

have

expanded

nationwide

scope.

REACT, ALERT,

and REST Marine

are

typical

these

emergency

networks. However, in

spite

these

admirable efforts,

many

CB'ers

are

still

not

equipped

to handle

emergency communications.

Are

you?

What's an Emergency? The FCC

defines

an emergency

that deserves

channel

priority

as one

which, "in-

volves

... the immediate

safety of

life

. ..

the immediate

protection of

property."

Only

when

a situation

meets these requirements

can

the

band be cleared for priority traffic or

the international

distress signals

(MAYDAY for voice

transmissions) be

used. Then

operating

restrictions

can

be abandoned if

necessary

initiate

and direct

rescue

operations.

How-

ever, misuse

priority

or distress

procedures

can

result in very heavy

fines, imprisonment,

or both

-not

mention

widespread

confusion!

Less

grave situations

do not qualify

for priority

or distress

traffic,

but

they

may

be conducted on

the

emergency

channel 9, or any

the

other

21 "free"

class

channels. Channel 11 should

be avoided, if possible,

it is

set aside

for

contact

( "call and switch

trans-

missions

only.

But

any event, as

soon as contact

is made

on either

channel 9 or 11,

you

should

move to

another one

to keep these calling

channels open.

Being Prepared. Public

safety

communications

facilities

should

have reliable

equipment,

local maps

and a list

needed phone

numbers,

telephone, and

most

of all

trained and

dedicated

operators.

Every CB'er

aware

equipment

requirements

-a good

transceiver

and a high -performance

antenna.

The

rig

should be checked

regularly

make

sure

it's in

top shape and

certain

that

all channels are on

fre-

quency.

Preventive

maintenance

schedules

should be

followed. To

make

transceiver

truly useful for

emergency, it should be

provided

with

a power source independent

the

commercial power lines. For mobile

units, which

are powered by the

car

battery

or alternator, there's

prob-

lem.

But base

stations are a different

story. Obviously, if a real disaster

oc-

curs which knocks

out the power

lines,

you

won't

be able

much

with

a dead base transceiver.

Many transceivers,

especially those

the

"base

/mobile"

variety,

will ac-

cept 12 volts

dc as well as 117 volts ac.

With such

equipment,

fully-

charged

automotive

storage batteries will

pro-

vide

the back -up

power

you might

need.

But the

batteries

must

charged.

A trickle

charger perma-

nently

attached

the power line will

keep the

battery

topped

up.

A relay

can

be used for automatic,

instantaneous

switching when the ac

117

VAC.

TRICKLE

BATTERY

CHARGER

-VOLT

AUTO

BATTERY

line fails

as shown in the

diagram. For

extended operations, more than

one

battery might

required. If needed,

the

additional batteries can be simply

placed in parallel with the primary bat-

tery. But

be sure

observe standard

safety procedures

for handling

and

charging

lead -acid

storage batteries.

For

ac -only

base transceivers, a

battery/ac

inverter

combination or

emergency

generator

will

needed.

Although not

required,

auxiliary

equipment

will be

useful. This in-

cludes a

vhf /FM scanner with local

Public Service channels and (if you

live near the

shore)

vhf /FM marine

channels 2, 16,

and

22. A tape recorder

and a phone patch

might also prove

handy,

but

I hardly

ever

use

my patch

unless the band

unusually

quiet.

This

equipment should

also

have a

back

-up power

source.

Other

items that

should

included

are:

Pencils, notepads and a

logbook.

Land -line phone

within easy

reach.

City street

listing and maps

your

monitoring area.

Telephone numbers

for

all

local

public safety

agencies.

Training Yourself. As I

mentioned

earlier, all

this

equipment

is of

little

value

unless the operator

properly

trained

and can

use

efficiently.

emergency communications,

effec-

tiveness is

essential.

The

guidelines

for

emergency

traffic

handling

can

summed up

in the

"Four

C's."

Calm.

No matter what the

emergency, a calm,

professional

attitude

will help

cool

the situation

and

instill

confidence.

Remember

that the

person

reporting

the

emergency

is likely to

be excited,

and

might

even be abusive or

irra-

tional

in his

anxiety.

Courteous.

Persons

seeking

assistance

sometimes expect

the

l*--41

G-6

(irrrrif

to Hs('

rrifh

trirklC

battery charger.

TRANSCE

VER

MARCH

1976

1 2 ... 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 ... 109 110

Commentaires sur ces manuels

Pas de commentaire

Marantz 5220 Manuel d'utilisateur Page 85

Commentaires sur ces manuels

Produits connexes et manuels pour Lecteurs de cassettes Marantz 5220