MAXWELL AFB, Ala. — When thousands of Amateur Radio operators converge on the ARRL 2005 National Convention this week at the annual Dayton Hamvention, they’ll find Civil Air Patrol to be a major presence.

The Hamvention is an annual event sponsored by the Dayton Amateur Radio Association, in cooperation with the ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio in the USA.

During the conference, CAP will be educating thousands of ham radio hobbyists about the communications opportunities available to civilian volunteers through Civil Air Patrol. Local CAP members will be on hand to discuss the organization's programs, and the CAP Wisconsin Wing will display its new 35-foot state-of-the-art Mobile Command Center, which was custom-built for CAP by Winnebago Corporation using a Homeland Security grant.

In conjunction with the Hamvention, CAP's national commander will sign a formal Memorandum of Agreement with Jim Haynie, W5JBP, president of the ARRL, to help leaders of both organizations better use and integrate their resources in exercises and emergencies.

"Civil Air Patrol has one of the largest unified communications networks in the nation," said Lt. Col. Maurice Thomas, CAP, who is also an avid ham radio hobbyist, N3ADV. "Federal, state and local agencies call on CAP members every day for communications support in search and rescue missions and disaster relief. CAP needs 'implementers' for its communications technology, and the highly skilled ham radio operators throughout the nation are a natural resource."

Thomas says CAP will have a display at Booth 154-155 in the Ballarena Exhibit Hall in the Hara Arena complex. There, CAP representatives will be on hand to discuss the various opportunities available to ham radio operators in CAP.

Conference attendees also will be able to tour the Wisconsin Wing's new Mobile Command Center in the flea market area.

On May 20, CAP's national commander, Maj. Gen. Dwight Wheless, will join Haynie for the official signing of the CAP-ARRL agreement at the "ARRL Goes to Washington for You" Forum at 10:15 in Room 2 at Hara Arena.

"Radio hobbyists are called 'amateurs' only because they're not paid for their work," Wheless said. "In truth, many of these hobbyists are highly skilled and knowledgeable about the latest in communications technology. Through CAP, they can use those skills to serve their communities, establishing and maintaining radio communications for emergency services, disaster relief, search and rescue, and aerial imaging."

According to media and public relations manager Allen Pitts, W1AGP, 2.5 million people throughout the world are ham radio operators. Some 675,000 of those live in the United States. ARRL, with more than 150,000 members, is the nation's leading advocate for ham radio.

Pitts says volunteerism is a tradition for ham radio operators. "We look forward to educating our members about CAP, and CAP members about ARRL," Pitts said. "It's the love of learning, not money, that drives the ham community. From Morse code to high-speed digital algorithms, a wire up in a tree to their own satellite communications systems, hams love to make it happen. The slogan, 'when all else fails - ham radio!' is more than just words. They know ham radio commun-ications worked again and again when other systems failed. One way or another, hams get their messages through."

CAP maintains a dedicated nationwide HF and VHF network on Federal Government frequencies. "We operate over 550 VHF repeaters spread across the country as well as HF, tactical VHF/UHF, data and commercial satellite applications" said Malcolm Kyser, CAP National Headquarters chief of communications and also an active ham radio operator, KG4G.

"The CAP network is a 24/7 emergency services resource, which we rely upon to support an almost unlimited variety of missions. The technicians who operate and maintain this system provide a vital
resource for saving lives throughout the nation."

Communications plays a major role in all of CAP's operations, including homeland security, damage assessment, search and rescue, and disaster relief. Radio communications was key in CAP's impact assessment missions during last year's hurricanes in Florida, ice storms in Arkansas and New York, and floods in Missouri.

"In many emergency situations, the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES), and other amateur radio emergency groups have found themselves working side by side with CAP members," Pitts said. "This formal agreement between our two groups acknowledges the reality that in a disaster, we all work for the common good."

The American Radio League was founded in 1914 and has more than 150,000 members. Pitts describes ARRL as a "microcosm" of the Amateur Radio community, not only reflecting a commitment to the many enthusiastic hams, but also providing leadership as the official voice of Amateur Radio, whether in dealings with the Federal Communications Commission, the World Administrative Radio Conference, the International Amateur Radio Union, or with the general public.

Amateur Radio operators have informal and formal groups to coordinate communication during emergencies. At the local level, hams may participate in local emergency organizations, or organize local "traffic nets" using VHF and UHF. At the state level, hams are often involved with state emergency management operations. In addition, hams operate at the national level through ARES, which is coordinated through the ARRL and its field volunteers, and through RACES, coordinated through the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Many national organizations have formal agreements with ARES and other Amateur Radio groups, including the Department of Homeland Security, Citizen Corps, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Communications System, the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, the
National Weather Service, and the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials.

Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with almost 60,000 members nationwide. CAP performs 95 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue
missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and counterdrug missions at the request of federal, state and local
agencies. The members take a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to the almost 25,000 young people currently participating in CAP cadet programs. CAP has been performing missions for America for more than 60 years.

On the Web: Civil Air Patrol at www.cap.gov; ARRL at www.arrl.org