EMC081 The ACS and the ARES 1/2 
To:   Emergency Communications Units - Information Bulletin
To:   Emergency Management Agencies via Internet and Radio
By:   Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS) of the
      California Governor's Office of Emergency Services  

EMC081 The ACS and the ARES 1/2    For release 5/26/97

Is the ACS, Auxiliary Communications Service, in competition with the
ARRL Amateur Emergency Radio Service, ARES, as some have alleged?

No, they are NOT in competition. They do have different approaches to
a common interest, community service through emergency communications. 
Depending on one's own interests, a person may prefer to serve in one
or another of them; or both. 

The difference is illustrated thusly:

  (a) the license requirement differs:
      the ARES requires an amateur license, The ACS does not:
      1.  ARRL EC Manual FSD-9  (187) section 4.1, paragraph 3: 
      "Every licensed amateur is eligible to be an ARES member. 
      Those without an amateur license are not eligible".
      The ACS does NOT require an Amateur Radio service license.

      2. Historically the ARES is a service for licensees who want
      to operate their radios in times of emergency. The ACS views
      the situation differently, and does more than just provide 
      radio operators. An ACS unit can include Civil Air Patrol
      communicators, computer systems specialists, broadcast and
      television system personnel, satellite and microwave engineers,
      to name just a few of its participants. Yet, most of those in
      the ACS are, or often become, Amateur licensees as they
      discover the fraternity of Amateur Radio. 

  (b) the relationship differs:
      1. the ACS is an arm of local government. It serves as unpaid
      staff of that government in an on-going in-agency relationship.
      This relationship is considerably beyond that of a RACES unit
      that only expects to be utilized after an emergency occurs, or
      one that limits its participation to the Amateur frequencies.
      2. the ARES is an arm of an outside private group. It may or
      may not have the same goals as does the government. It does
      not have the on-going unpaid-staff relationship with government.
      However,exceptional ARES units may achieve an on-going role 
      with local government. Also, where local ARES leaders have the
      will to do so, they could function in the ACS mode.

  (c) the function differs:
      The ARES function is to supply radio operators for use via
      Amateur Radio. The ACS function is to fulfill communications
      related needs within government. That includes the use of
      Amateur Radio, but that is not the entire purpose, or the
      limiting factor for the unit.

Continues next bulletin

ACS Web page: http://acs.oes.ca.gov  (Do NOT add www. before acs)
FTP archive:ftp.ucsd.edu/hamradio/packet/tcpip/incoming for new
bulletins and ftp.ucsd.edu/hamradio/races for earlier bulletins
EOM EMC081