Amateur radio's 60-meter (5 MHz) allocation is
secondary to federal government operations on the band, which provides the opportunity for a
unique emergency communications exercise. For a week in October - under way as this is posted - hams
are conducting an interoperability drill on 60 meters with federal partners. According
to the ARRL Letter, Operation
"Black Swan 18" couples amateur radio emergency communicators with
the Ohio Military Reserve and Air Force MARS, using the federal government's
SHARES (Shared Resources High-Frequency Radio) program. The interoperability exercise
required (and received) the approval of FEMA's spectrum manager.
News and information of interest to ham radio operators from CQ Amateur Radio magazine, the world's leading independent ham radio magazine.
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
"Black Swan 18" Tests 60-Meter Interoperability
Amateur radio's 60-meter (5 MHz) allocation is
secondary to federal government operations on the band, which provides the opportunity for a
unique emergency communications exercise. For a week in October - under way as this is posted - hams
are conducting an interoperability drill on 60 meters with federal partners. According
to the ARRL Letter, Operation
"Black Swan 18" couples amateur radio emergency communicators with
the Ohio Military Reserve and Air Force MARS, using the federal government's
SHARES (Shared Resources High-Frequency Radio) program. The interoperability exercise
required (and received) the approval of FEMA's spectrum manager.