You just never know when your emergency communications skills are going to be needed. Field Day is just past, maybe it's time to brush off some of the mental rust off of our emergency communications skills as well as that push-up mast that's been out in the weeds since last year!

Ward Silver, N0AX, (aka "The Prince of Puzzler Prestidigitation") authors--among numerous other things--the Amateur Radio Crossword Puzzler, which appears twice a month on the ARRL Web site. He can be reached by e-mail at n0ax@arrl.net or by surface mail at Aetherworks Publishing, 22916 107th Ave NW, Vashon, WA, 98070.

Across

1. Country-wide system of traffic handling
4. Initial medical assistance
9. Old Man (CW)
10. Station that listens (abbr.)
11. Prosign for End of Message
14. ARRL emergency organization
15. Organized methods or procedures
17. Local amateur emergency leader (abbr.)
18. Event
24. Organization that provides shelter (two words)
26. Connected together with communications
28. Windows(tm), Linux(tm), Unix (abbr.)
29. Federal emergency organization
31. PAC--- and AM--- protocols (abbr.)
33. When to train for a disaster
34. Required to operate radios
35. Measure or exercise
36. The center of operations in an emergency
37. Invisible light (abbr.)
38. Visual news medium
40. The two types of fields (abbr.)
42. Phonetic for "A"
43. Digital data mode
45. Morning hours
47. Determined in advance
48. Phone distress signal

49. Unit of current

Down

2. Opposite of from
3. Miniature RF connector type
4. Ham's favorite day
5. CW distress signal
6. Leisure items (not our radios)
7. Boy Scouts do good ones
8. Amplifier (abbr.)
12. Civil Defense amateur organization
13. Practice
16. Professional nursing designation
19. Direct the operation of
20. Complete
21. Flow of information
22. Net Control Station
23. Audio signal
25. Set up in or out of these
27. Two newest emergency Field Day categories
30. Directed communications
32. Operator (abbr.)
33. Signal that the channel is needed
35. Rehearses for
38. United group
39. Data rate
41. Assist
44. Where injured people are taken
46. Small unit of current
47. Afternoon hours