"When All Else Fails... Amateur Radio," the ARRL's slogan calling attention to the fail-safe nature of the Amateur Radio Service, has never been more true for more of us than it is today.

Purists, especially those old enough to remember the 1962 novel or the 1964 movie by that title, may quibble as to whether anything can be truly "Fail-Safe." But consider this. A skilled Amateur Radio operator with a power source, an HF transceiver and a piece of wire will be able to communicate with someone from virtually any place on the surface of the planet -- if not right away because of an ionospheric disturbance, then within a matter of hours. While equipment failure or the loss of a skilled operator may put a given station off the air, there are enough of us in enough different places that the Amateur Radio Service will survive anything short of an unimaginable global calamity.

The "all else" mentioned in the slogan are all of the sophisticated telecommunications systems that we rely on every day. Most of the time they are, indeed, reliable -- so much so that we miss them all the more when they are not available. Because they have become so much a part of our lives, it's easy to forget that ubiquitous cellphones and email are very recent developments. It's also easy to forget that what makes them work is an incredibly complex, insanely expensive infrastructure. There is so much of it that it, too, will mostly survive anything we can imagine. But if the piece that fails is between us and the rest of the infrastructure, our personal communicator -- unlike our Amateur Radio transceiver -- becomes useless.

To be useful, however, the transceiver needs another component: a skilled operator.

In 2007 there are more amateurs than ever before who are licensed by the FCC to use
the HF bands. Passing the FCC exam is an important step, but it takes more than a license to be able to turn that piece of equipment into a versatile, reliable communications tool. It takes know-how. It takes an understanding of radio propagation. It takes practical experience hooking up equipment and operating using a variety of modes. It takes participation in nets and other on-air activities. Fortunately, acquiring that know-how can be fun -- a lot more fun than studying for an exam!

Emergency communications is the theme of this month's QST. From power sources to antennas, we hope this issue will help you add to your skill set and "tool kit" to make you even more valuable to your family and your community. You will find articles on the early history of Amateur Radio emergency communications (did you know that it predated even the founding of the ARRL?), recent developments in the Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS) program, and what it's like to be an active emergency communications volunteer. There are a couple of articles on how to improve the availability and reliability of power sources when commercial mains are out of service and another on a practical portable antenna. (Speaking of antennas, you will also find a wealth of relevant articles in last month's issue.) There is a comprehensive report on D-STAR, an approach to digital voice and data that is gaining adherents across the country.

As you peruse the issue, don't overlook the offerings of our advertisers. Their innovative products are a large part of the reason why we can claim to have greater emergency communications capabilities than ever before. High-performance transceivers are smaller and lighter than ever, and the aftermarket is rich with enhancements. Mobile and portable antennas are more versatile and efficient. If you want to go somewhere without leaving your ham station behind, in most cases you can take it with you!

Thus far we have talked more about how to communicate than what or for whom we communicate. It's good to be able to keep in touch with family members and friends, and for many that's reason enough to earn a license and develop the necessary capabilities and skills. Great satisfaction (as well as justification for our access to the radio spectrum) also comes from being of service to the wider community, either directly or by supplying communications to the variety of governmental and non-governmental agencies that respond to natural disasters and other emergencies. Serving them requires that we understand their needs and speak their language, which in turn requires training. We're moving in a positive direction, but there is more to be done.

As we work to understand and to meet today's emergency communications needs we also must think about the future. As Harold Kramer, WJ1B, points out in his article on page 38, the traditional role of the Amateur Radio communicator no longer matches what the emergency management official is looking for. Replacing their missing telephone is no longer enough. To do their jobs, they also need email and possibly Web access. In the future, what they're likely to want is for their own iPhone (or equivalent) to work -- in other words, for that missing piece of infrastructure that we mentioned earlier to be restored. Filling that need is within our capabilities as radio amateurs, but it may take us in new directions and into new partnerships. Let's be open to the possibilities, and alert to the opportunities.

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