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Gammeter received permission from the Federal Communications Commission to oversee several radio frequencies to transmit and receive communications. Along with the right to use the airwaves, Gammeter, like all amateur radio operators, also promised to use his status to network communications for disaster relief agencies during times of crisis.

In recent years, the Red Cross, Salvation Army and Frederick Memorial Hospital have called on Gammeter when they have lost communication services during hurricanes, tornadoes or flooding, and even following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Gammeter said.

After Sept. 11, the Red Cross, which is based in Walkersville, scrambled to set up a back-up communications center fearing its Falls Church, Va., location would fail after the Pentagon was hit.

Gammeter and other amateur radio operators wheeled in equipment, connected cell phone communications and laptops, and secured land networks and a truck satellite system.

In the last two years, Gammeter has improved his standing as a Red Cross communications volunteer by enrolling in training courses to operate one of nine satellite vehicles used nationwide. The closest vehicle is stationed in Manassas, Va., he said.

In mid-April, Gammeter and a partner were called to help when heavy flooding in Fairfield, N.J., forced several residents from their homes and the Red Cross needed to set up an emergency support center at a library.

Gammeter hustled to set up a computer system and rev up the truck’s small satellite dish so Red Cross workers at the library could communicate with headquarters.

‘‘The Red Cross wanted to get into an affected area as quickly as possible and set up communications and open cases for people who have been affected by the flood,” Gammeter said. ‘‘We get in quickly and efficiently, and set up wherever they want.”

Red Cross executive director Leah Crace said Gammeter’s specialized knowledge is crucial to the laptop-based system the organization launched two years ago. Only a few volunteers in the area share his skills, she added.

‘‘Those trucks truly are critical to us,” Crace said. ‘‘You have to understand communication and have that mindset. Eric volunteered for several years through [amateur] radio. Now, he’s becoming more and more important to us.”

The New Jersey deployment required a three-week commitment, he said, and qualifies him for another course to train in manning the emergency communications response vehicle.

Gammeter, now retired from several jobs in communications and living with his wife, Barbara, in Eaglehead at Lake Linganore, said the transition from radioing for a hobby to providing disaster relief communications came naturally.

As a driver of the emergency communications response vehicle, Gammeter has taken a bevy of courses in driving in rough conditions, and is ready to respond within four hours to a call for disaster support.

The emergency communications response vehicle is a self-sufficient unit that generates power for internal radios and air-conditioning, and provides power to a temporary disaster operation for short periods of time.

When he arrives at the site, Gammeter determines how communication and power needs may be met and provides those services. He works with both the local chapter and emergency management to ensure communication between locations is smooth.

Gammeter has been affiliated with the Frederick County Red Cross for more than 10 years through his membership in the Amateur Radio Emergency Services group.

‘‘Communications are at the heart of all projects, problems and resolutions,” Gammeter said. ‘‘It’s rewarding to be able to provide that.”