California Blood Bank Society's
Amateur Radio Net
Information on the CBBS Amateur Radio Net
December, 1997
The California Blood Bank Society's Amateur Radio Net helps "blood banks communicate and coordinate shipments of blood and blood products during emergencies and disasters" when normal means of communications often prove inadequate. The CBBS ARN helped provide vital communications during the Northridge earthquake. It participates in government-sponsored emergency drills. It is expanding its membership to assure communications between all CBBS blood banks during disasters.
FCC-licensed Amateur Radio operators who belong to the CBBS net operate at the request of the "Disaster Plan Contact" at their local CBBS- member blood bank. That contact person is responsible for providing their team leader with overall direction. George Murphy of the Sacramento Blood Center is Chairman of the CBBS Disaster Response Committee.
Each blood bank uses Amateur Radio volunteers so as to best suit its own needs. Some rely on local ARRL-affiliated radio clubs to provide and organize volunteers. The CBBS ARN has groups of one to six volunteers for each of the eight CBBS blood banks it supports. The Net also maintains a liaison with three other medical-related Amateur Radio emergency communications groups: the California Amateur Radio Emergency Service (CARES), the Hospital Disaster Support Communications System (HDSCS), and the Bay Area Hospital Net (BAHN).
According to the CBBS Disaster Response Plan, the Sacramento and Bakersfield blood banks will operate the North and South Area Emergency Operations Centers during disasters. Those AEOC's "will have antennas and equipment in place to operate on at least the 40 meter and 75 meter bands (HF). Each [CBBS] blood bank should have antennas for HF and 2 meters (VHF) in place for their location's operation ...".
The CBBS Net is recruiting Amateur Radio operators who belong to an ARES group (or a similar organization), or an ARRL-affiliated club, who can operate HF, VHF or packet radio, and who live in or near the following cities: San Jose, Los Angeles, Oakland, Santa Rosa , San Bernardino, Fresno, Rancho Mirage, Escondido, Stockton, Bakersfield, San Francisco , Merced, Monterey, Eureka, Burlingame, Sacramento, Chico, San Diego , Palo Alto, Santa Barbara, Reno, Ventura, and Santa Ana.
The CBBS Net meets at 6:00 PM on the first Wednesday of every month, on these frequencies: November - April: 3.880 MHz, or 3.885 MHz, and up, if 3.880 MHz is busy. May - October: 7.245 MHz, or 7.250 MHz, and up, if 7.245 MHz is busy. For the Northern California stations there is also a brief 2-meter check-in right after the HF net (starting at c 6:20-30 PM) on 147.195 MHz (+), PL 123.0. Visitors are welcome to check in after the regular roll calls.
Please contact Jim Rich at JWRich9@aol.com for more information about the CBBS ARN, and how you can support your local CBBS blood bank.
Links to other CBBS ARN pages:
CBBS ARN Activation Procedures
CBBS Disaster Response Coordinators
Links to related useful web sites: