[BC] Emergency Traffic /was/ Studio? We don't need no stinkin' studio!

[Phil Alexander]

On 8 Sep 2006 at 12:36, Tom Bosscher wrote:

>  But these two &^%$ retentive hams said that hams can never 
> be used to pass commercial traffic, including hospitals. 

True emergency (distress) traffic is not commercial traffic. Any 
traffic having to do with imminent danger to human life is, by 
definition distress traffic. As distress traffic it can be passed 
by any capable station, and that includes amateur radio, business
radio, Part 15 walkie-talkie or any means available. When it is
being transmitted, it has ABSOLUTE priority over all other 
traffic, IIRC as a matter of law. However, the message should be
clearly identified as distress traffic by clearly speaking
"MAYDAY" three times in the message preface. Then, there is no
question of its status under law. Or, so I learned all those years 
ago when I took element 1 of my Third Phone test at the old U.S. 
Court House in Chicago.

I'd venture to say the worst any ham would get for passing 
distress traffic is a commendation for a job well done.

Trivia question of the day - does anyone remember the FCC's
room number in the old U.S. Court House in Chicago?

Trivia question #2 - what are the two lower urgency priorities 
and what are the code words associated with them, below the 
distress message category?


---------------------------------------------
Phil Alexander, CSRE, AMD
Broadcast Engineering Services and Technology 
(a Div. of Advanced Parts Corporation) 
Ph. (317) 335-2065   FAX (317) 335-9037





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