We've received tremendous input from a variety of sources.  Thank you for putting your energy and brainpower to work to help evolve this emergency-communication concept!

This scrolling page will help keep you up to date on significant incoming comments & suggestions, as well as evolving guidelines.   Please also visit our Discussion Forums for lively brainstorming -- and to directly contribute your ideas on this project.  To get there, simply click on the following link:  Discussion Forums.

◊  ANNOUNCEMENT --  June 17th Connecticut drill results are now posted for your review.    For general information, please click here.   For more technical information and results regarding the Experimental (Regional) Phase of Connecticut Drill (data collected from our "Hartford-area receiving station"), please click here.    Additional data and results regarding the drill will be published as they are compiled.

◊  ANNOUNCEMENT --  Would you like to conduct a National SOS drill in your city or state, but don't have the radio equipment to do so?   We'll loan you -- free of charge -- much of the gear we used in for our Connecticut drill on June 17th.  We call it a "Drill in the Box".    For more information, please click here.

◊  ANNOUNCEMENT --  Virginia RACES, Incorporated has kindly provided a link to their presentation of how to use FRS radios more effectively in emergencies.  They developed the presentation for non-commercial, educational, and government to assist in emergency management, CERT, Neighborhood Watch, and other nonprofit groups.  We thank Virginia RACES for allowing us to link to this very fine material.  The title of the downloadable PDF document is:  "Portable Radio Fundamentals.  How to use a portable, handheld radio effectively in an emergency."  The URL is:  http://www.varaces.org/races-basic/VACORPS2-WayFund.pdf

Feedback and input:

◊  UPDATE --  We've had many requests to volunteer, create and run local drills, etc.  Thank you so much for your energy and enthusiasm!   The National SOS program is evolving on an almost-daily basis -- faster than we can update our Web site.   For the very latest information, we recommend that you click here to visit our discussion forums and click here to sign up for free mailing list. 

◊  UPDATE --  As the National SOS program is neighborhood oriented, we wholeheartedly endorse the "Neighborhood Emergency Radio Communication Service" protocols as established by EMCOM and its founding partner, Eric Forsman.   Mr. Forsman is a world renowned systems designer with over 30 years experience designing, developing and integrating advanced, state-of-the-art systems. His experience in emergency management spans not only natural disasters, but extensive training in nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC), and terrorism based incidents.  We strongly encourage you to visit Mr. Forsman's site at:  http://emcomus.org/commwp.html

◊  UPDATE --  The "DC Emergency Radio Network" -- DCERN -- www.dcradio.org -- has officially merged with the National SOS Radio Network!   Welcome all DCERN members!  The founder of DCERN, Bill Adler, will be working together with the founder of NationalSOS, Eric Knight, to continue to evolve this very important emergency-communication system.  Bill's site has a tremendous volume of operational ideas and protocols.  The site's superb content and thinking will eventually be merged with our online system here.  In the meantime, we encourage everyone to visit the DCERN Web site:  www.dcradio.org.  Stay tuned for more details.

◊  UPDATE --  There's been some concern regarding FRS (Family Radio Service) Channel 1 also being a GMRS frequency.  It is important that users of multi-channel FRS / GMRS radios (such as those typically found at department stores and in catalogs) make sure that the output power of Channel 1 is 500 milliwatts or less.  Some radios automatically toggle down to that power level.  Read the device's instruction manual for details.  If the device does not toggle down to 500 milliwatts (or if you cannot do so manually), then you are required by law to get a GMRS license (which is $85 for a five-year term).   See below for links to licensing information.

◊  UPDATE --  To confirm that "no license is required" for FRS / GMRS combo units if they are operated on Channel 1 and do not exceed 500 milliwatts, Eric Knight / KB1EHE has spoken to multiple representatives at the FCC.  The FCC encourages other people, with the same question, to contact them directly.

◊  UPDATE --  The following are pertinent links regarding FRS, GMRS, and licensing:

Link to the FCC's FRS Web page:  http://wireless.fcc.gov/services/personal/family/

Link to the FCC's GMRS Web page (which includes information on FRS / GMRS Dual Service Radios):  http://wireless.fcc.gov/services/personal/generalmobile/

Link to FCC Licensing Form 605:  http://www.fcc.gov/Forms/Form605/605main.pdf

Link to FCC "Fee Requirements for Form 605:  http://www.fcc.gov/Forms/Form1070/1070y.pdf

◊  UPDATE --  The "NationalSOS" concept is primarily a neighborhood-oriented, emergency communication system.   However, we encourage people with radio systems to >>MONITOR<<  FRS Channel 1 (which is 462.5625 MHz).   This includes ham radio operators, GMRS users, scanner operators, other FRS radio owners, etc.   Emergency messages that are heard could be relayed to appropriate rescue / emergency personnel by means that are legal for the message recipient (cell phones, landlines, transceivers, etc.).   It's important to note that ham radio operators are not licensed to transmit on this frequency -- or any FRS / GMRS frequency -- during non emergencies.

◊  UPDATE --  Amateur radio operators can operate on any FRS / GMRS frequency (or any frequency at the operator's disposal) during an emergency.

The following links will take you to the letter that was issued by the FCC on August 31, 2005 in regards to "Emergency Communications Declarations in the Amateur Radio Service":  http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/katrina/AmateurEmergencyCommunicationsDeclaration.doc
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/katrina/AmateurEmergencyCommunicationsDeclaration.pdf

The following is verbatim from FCC regulations:

Subpart E--Providing Emergency Communications

§97.401 Operation during a disaster.

(a) When normal communication systems are overloaded, damaged, or disrupted because a disaster has occurred, or is likely to occur, in an area where the amateur service is regulated by the FCC, an amateur station may make transmissions necessary to meet essential communication needs and facilitate relief actions.

(b) When normal communication systems are overloaded, damaged, or disrupted because a natural disaster has occurred, or is likely to occur, in an area where the amateur service is not regulated by the FCC, a station assisting in meeting essential communication needs and facilitating relief actions may do so only in accord with ITU Resolution No. 640 (Geneva, 1979). The 80 m, 75 m, 40 m, 30 m, 20 m, 17 m, 15 m, 12 m, and 2 m bands may be used for these purposes.

(c) When a disaster disrupts normal communication systems in a particular area, the FCC may declare a temporary state of communication emergency. The declaration will set forth any special conditions and special rules to be observed by stations during the communication emergency. A request for a declaration of a temporary state of emergency should be directed to the EIC in the area concerned.

(d) A station in, or within 92.6 km of, Alaska may transmit emissions J3E and R3E on the channel at 5.1675 MHz for emergency communications. The channel must be shared with stations licensed in the Alaska-private fixed service. The transmitter power must not exceed 150 W.

§97.403 Safety of life and protection of property.

No provision of these rules prevents the use by an amateur station of any means of radiocommunication at its disposal to provide essential communication needs in connection with the immediate safety of human life and immediate protection of property when normal communication systems are not available.

§97.405 Station in distress.

(a) No provision of these rules prevents the use by an amateur station in distress of any means at its disposal to attract attention, make known its condition and location, and obtain assistance.

(b) No provision of these rules prevents the use by a station, in the exceptional circumstances described in paragraph (a), of any means of radiocommunications at its disposal to assist a station in distress.

◊  UPDATE --  Licensed GMRS users can provide critical services in the quilt of emergency communications.  As they are licensed to operate on FRS frequencies, they can quickly establish two-way communications with citizenry under all circumstances (emergency, non-emergency, drills, etc.).  

◊  UPDATE --  Great credit should be given to REACT (Radio Emergency Associated Communications Teams) for suggesting the use of FRS Channel 1 during emergency situations.   REACT began this initiative in 2000:   http://www.reactintl.org/nuz/pr20000616a.htm   Eric Knight / KB1EHE has had positive discussions the executive leadership of REACT, with the hope of creating a synergistic program amongst all parties.

◊  UPDATE --  Excellent overview of Amateur "Ham" radio:   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amateur_radio

◊  UPDATE --  Excellent overview of Family Radio Service (FRS):  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_Radio_Service

◊  UPDATE --  Excellent overview of General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS):  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GMRS

◊  UPDATE --  FCC Part 97 Rules -- General and encompassing RACES (Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service):   http://www.races.net/fcc.html

◊  UPDATE --  The entire FCC Rules and Regulations of Part 97 -- Amateur Radio Service:  http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/news/part97/

◊  UPDATE --  How many licensed amateur "ham" radio operators are there?  Eric Knight / KB1EHE called the FCC to inquire.  The FCC staff said their database indicates there are "approximately  780,000 current ARS (Amateur Radio Service / ham) license holders”.   Eric Knight / KB1EHE also ran a search using the FCC's online "Universal Licensing System" (ULS) database.  Including only ACTIVE amateur radio licenses, the database query indicated 734,495.   Here's a link to the search tool: http://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/UlsSearch/searchAdvanced.jsp.  For conservative reference, the  number listed on this Web site is 700,000.

◊  UPDATE --  How many licensed GRMS radio operators are there?  Eric Knight / KB1EHE inquired with the FCC (on the same phone calls that he received the ham data), but the representatives did not have a number that was easily accessible.   Eric then used the same ULS search tool as above, again selecting ACTIVE licenses as the search parameter.  The result:  72,110.

◊  UPDATE --  How many FRS / GRMS combo radios exist in the marketplace?  This is a difficult question to answer.  An article in Outdoor magazine's April 2004 issue indicated that there are "12.2 million FRS / GMRS units being sold annually".   http://outside.away.com/outside/news/200404/walkie_talkie.html   Some anecdotal estimates put the number of FRS / GMRS units are between 50 - 100 million, but it is difficult to more accurately quantify.  (If anyone has a credible data source for this number, please send it via the contact information at:  www.nationalsos.com/contact.html).