The Wilderness Protocol was first published in the February 1994 edition of QST. This protocol has been expanded upon over the years but the sentiment is still the same. The protocol is also a good resource for stations operating on battery or backup power during an emergency.
The Wilderness Protocol
The Wilderness Protocol says that a station will monitor the two-meter calling frequency (146.520 MHz) at the top of the hour, every three hours, starting at 7:00 AM, for five minutes. Later modifications include monitoring all VHF/UHF calling frequencies (52.525, 146.520, 223.500, 446.000, and 1294.500 MHz) as one can and, if power is available, monitoring at the top of every hour. Stations with ample power should even monitor the calling frequencies constantly.
Local modification of the Wilderness Protocol
Stations on limited backup power should monitor the primary operations frequency at least the top of every hour. If a directed net is ongoing, the net control station should be notified that you are following the modified Wilderness Protocol so their expectations will be set appropriately. Monitoring the calling frequencies would be a great service to add to your operating position as well.
