The Channon Emergency CB Radio Network 

Actions so far:

During the 2022 flood and landscape collapse we learnt it’s near impossible to organise without communications. It’s fundamental to resilience!

Our Emergency CB Radio network is off to a great start, with 65 participants round The Channon, Terania valley, Koonorigan, Wallace Road, Tuntable Creek valley and northern Keerrong valley. Many have hand-held CB Radios or are currently acquiring one.

We’re receiving expert help from Greg Hall, and John Miller from the Summerland Amateur Radio Club. On 18th June 2022 we conducted a workshop Community Safety During Floods and Fires where we learnt about CB Radio and simple ways to power your comms devices during blackouts. There’s no point having comms devices if you lack the means of powering them!. Open this link to read Greg Hall’s information sheet on Resilient Portable Power Systems and watch the video.

Next steps:   

Installation of a base station in the village with a good aerial, including a solar power-back up system.

• Further tests of coverage. We encourage people to organise tests for people with radios in your location. Get used to calling each other. Other tests will be organised centrally from The Channon Hub base station.
• Increasing knowledge of CB and which channels you can and can’t use. Please read Greg’s helpful info sheet Citizen Band radio starter.
• Developing a protocol for how we will use this network during emergencies..
• Sharing a Radio Directory for those in our network (like a telephone book) – the more we know each other and where we are on the landscape, the better this will work. This directory will only be shared between network members.

Convenors:
Annie Kia – 
Martha Beasley – 0401 514 641  
Jim Selwood –