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a good idea to place the guestbook or message forum itself on a password protected page.

If you are skilled at web-page design you can probably design your own guest book and password protected page. If like many of us however you are a bit challenged in the programming and scripting area you can download pre-scripted tools for your page from places such as Brave Net at: http://www.bravenet.com. Another option if you are considering a message forum is to create a Yahoo Group at: http://groups.yahoo.com/.

YOUR FAMILY RADIO NETWORK

Without question the most effective means of emergency communications is for everyone to have an Amateur (HAM) radio license and appropriate radios to communicate between all members of the group. For anyone interested in HAM Radio the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) (http://www.arrl.org) offers an excellent introduction to getting started and earning your HAM Radio license. I encourage anyone who is serious about being able to communicate during an emergency to earn his or her HAM Radio license. And as an added benefit the basic test is easy and HAM Radio is a lot of fun.

Not everyone however will want to obtain a radio license. This leaves the three unlicensed radio services: Citizens Band (CB), Family Radio Service (FRS), and Multi-Use Radio Service (MURS). One might also consider the General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) which while requiring a station license does not require operators to pass any sort of test. GMRS shares some frequencies with FRS, as well as providing additional frequencies and greater authorized power and the option of using external antennas and repeaters.

Each of these radio services / systems provides for communication in a range from about one-half mile up to about ten to fifteen miles, depending on terrain and propagation of the radio signals. During an emergency these personal radios are ideal to keep track of members of your group, coordinate movement by vehicle (convoys), or summon assistance.

On a daily basis these radios can be handy for finding the kids at the local shopping mall, keeping the group together on a road-trip, preventing lost members of a hunting or camping trip, and just keeping everyone in touch.

Everyone in my immediate family carries a GMRS radio (yes we are licensed) whenever we are away from home. The convenience of having immediate contact with everyone in the family during a day's outing cannot be overstated, and should an emergency occur this communication can be a life saver.

If

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