QRZ! Ham Radio 6/QRZ Ham Radio Callsign Database - Volume 6.iso/pc/files/races/racesbul.200

Text File | 1994-11-13 | 1.7 KB | 33 lines

BID: $RACESBUL.200

TO:    ALL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCIES/OFFICES VIA THE ARS
INFO:  ALL RACES OPERATORS IN CA (ALLCA: OFFICIAL)
       ALL AMATEURS U.S.         (@ USA: INFORMATION)
FROM:  CA STATE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY SERVICES (W6HIR @ WA6NWE.CA)
       2800 Meadowview Rd., Sacramento, CA  95832  [phone]
RACESBUL.200                                DATE:  Dec. 16, 1991
SUBJECT: GOVERNMENT-OWNED HAM EQUIPMENT
   Question:  Can a state or local government own and provide a
repeater for hams?  If so, how is it licensed?
   Answer:  Countless state, county, and city governments provide
voice repeaters, packet nodes, base stations, portables and other
Amateur Radio equipment for their Radio Amateur Civil Emergency
Service people.  Nothing says a ham has to own the equipment he
or she operates.  Thank goodness!  Those governments have liter-
ally put their money where their mouth is.  They value the high
level of professional communications services provided by their
hams and prove it by providing quality equipment.  It is fully
operational alongside their police, fire, local government, and
other radios.  Governments are often willing to pay more for
commercial grade public safety type radios so that they may be
maintained by their own technicians in their government radio
vaults and elsewhere.  It does not require a ham to maintain a
ham radio.  A government-owned radio is licensed to any agreeable
ham.  At one time local governments could license their RACES
radios under a block of special callsigns reserved for RACES
stations.  They are no longer available but several callsigns are
still active by virtue of timely license renewal actions.  -- KH6GBX

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