The Importance of Amateur Radio

We've come to rely on commercial telephone companies and, most of the time, our ability to communicate isn't hindered. But when a catastrophic event occurs that affects an entire community, police and fire communications may also go down. A community-wide communication failure may result in loss of life because calls to rescuers are not possible. Fortunately, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, floods and terrorist attacks like 9/11 are not common but, when such events happen and all other communication modes fail, there is one communication mode that always works . . . amateur radio.

Why does amateur radio work when commercial and government systems don't?

Amateur radio systems do not rely on commercial communications systems. Each amateur has their radio, antenna and power supply and is able to communicate with other amateurs within seconds of a community-wide communications failure.

How do I join the Bloomington Communcations Group?

If you are a licensed amateur radio operator and are interested in joining the Bloomington Communications Group, please complete the form on the contact page; include your call sign in the comment field. All BCG members undergo a background check by the Bloomington Police Department.

Member Login

Private Site Access

You are about to enter to the Bloomington Communications Group private site. Your login and password should not be given to anyone. The information on this page is the property of the Bloomington Communications Group and is considered private and confidential. It may not be shared with individuals, groups or agencies without written permission.

Please click here to login.

New Member Access

Please complete the form on the contact page after you have received your Police Department volunteer badge. Please enter your full name in the name field and your call sign and desired password in the comment field. Your password will be case sensitive; your user name will be lowercase. Your password will be e-mailed to the e-mail address you specify in the form.

Password Retrieval

If you forget your password and need to have it sent to you, please complete the form on the contact page. Please type your full name in the Name field and include your call sign in the comment field. Request that your password to be sent to you. Your password will be e-mailed to the e-mail address you specified when you requested access.