The ARES E-Letter
Published by the American Radio Relay League
********************************************
September 8, 2010
Editor: Rick Palm, K1CE
==> THE VIEW FROM FLAGLER COUNTY
Hurricane Earl: On Monday morning, August 30, I listened to the opening
of the Hurricane Watch Net on 14.325 MHz, with
Dan Weisenburger, KW4T, performing superbly as net control station, in
response to the storm's brush with the Virgin Islands. The National
Hurricane Center station WX4NHC
was activated and monitored the net.
Long time friend and Virgin Islands Section Manager John Ellis, NP2B,
on the north side of St. Croix, reported a barometric pressure of 29.66
mb, and maximum sustained winds of 33 mph. His Internet connection,
cell phone service, and commercial power were out. At mid-week, Ellis
reported that they were fortunate: no major damage. The island
community was turning its attention to new cells starting their march
across the Atlantic off the coast of Africa.
As I write this on Friday morning, September 3, Hurricane Earl is off
the coast of Cape Hatteras, and I'm listening for reports on the HWN. I
also listened to the EchoLink "WX-Talk "
Conference Room, an efficient operation, to say the least. The crew at
WX4NHC also monitors CWOP , APRS
and MADIS automated
weather stations in the affected areas, as well as the EchoLink
service. Surface reports using WX4NHC's Online Hurricane Report form
are also monitored.
The VoIP Hurricane Net was also supporting
WX4NHC with surface reports. Stations can connect to the net via the
EchoLink conference node 7203.
More from ARRL HQ on Hurricane Earl here
.
Report: Massachusetts ARES Prepares as a Now-Weakened Hurricane Earl
Approaches
_____
I also checked into the Florida Hurricane Net
on the D-STAR platform Monday
night at 2100 local time, which had a robust turnout of check-ins from
across the southeastern portion of the country in the spirit of mutual
support. The digital voice quality is superb! The net is run with a
high degree of professionalism.
The purpose of the net is to provide training to ARES members in the
three Florida ARRL Sections and hurricane emergency communications in
Florida for served agencies. Any Amateur Radio emcomm operator or
organization is welcome on the net, however. In addition to hurricanes,
the net will be activated by any major emergency to support our served
agencies and the Florida State Emergency Operations Center
.
Note the check-in protocol: The net takes check-ins using the "Quick
Key Format." The operator transmits his/her call sign by keying the
radio or Dongle for one second only when the frequency is clear. Net
Control will then acknowledge all check-ins seen. Quick and efficient!
______
And finally, no news to anybody is that this month marks the fifth
anniversary of the catastrophe of Hurricane Katrina. For a look back at
the Amateur Radio response as it was unfolding then, see the special
edition of this newsletter released this month five years ago here
.
_____
In This Issue:
IN THIS ISSUE
- The View from Flagler County
- Learning through Practicing: GAREC-2010 Convenes Next Month
- Pakistani Amateurs Team Up to Provide Communications, Relief Support
for Flood Victims
- Nomination Being Sought for the 2010 George Hart Distinguished
Service Award
- ARES 75th Anniversary Updates
- Illinois Nuclear Power Plant Exercise: Lessons Learned
- Letters
-
- 2010 ARRL Simulated Emergency Test Guidelines and Links to Reporting
Forms
- EmComm East, September 18: Plan to Attend Now!
- Communications Academy Lite - Seattle, Washington, October 2: Focus
on New Hams
- K1CE For a Final
_____
==> LEARNING THROUGH PRACTICING: GAREC-2010 CONVENES NEXT MONTH
"Learning through practicing" is the theme of GAREC-2010, to be held
October 11 and 12, 2010, in Curacao. GAREC is the global Amateur Radio
emergency communications
conference, a popular annual confab that is supported by the ARRL and
IARU through all three ITU Regions
.
This year's conference is an opportunity for emergency communicators to
discuss recent events, cooperation with professional partners and
technical solutions to problems. An actual emcomm exercise will also be
conducted during the conference to explore how information sharing
across borders can be improved.
The opening ceremony will feature a representative of the Curacao
government; patron Dr. Hamadoun Touré, HB9EHT, Secretary-General of the
ITU ; Hans Blondeel
Timmerman, PB2T, President of IARU Region 1; and a representative of
the GAREC Organizing Committee. Activity reports will be heard from
Region 1 representative Greg Mossop, G0DUB; Region 2 representative
Michael Corey, W5MPC; and Jay Oka, JA1TRC, of Region 3.
Jean-Robert Gaillard, HH2JR, will present "Earthquakes and Amateur
Radio: Haiti." The conferees will also hear from Professor Arnaldo Coro
Antich, CO2KK, veteran Region 2 emcomm expert. A program on "ITU - IARU
Cooperation" will be presented by Dr. Cosmas Zavazava, (ITU-D
), chaired by GAREC-2010
coordinator Dr. Seppo Sisättö, OH1VR. A tabletop exercise will be
conducted by Mossop.
A panel discussion on "Forwarding Received Emcomm Messages" will be
conducted by Dr. Zavazava, Corey, and Joop Verdoes, PA1JOV, chaired by
Timmerman. Technical solutions for emcomm problems will be presented in
the form of examples from multiple organizations, by Dr. Sisatto.
A program "How to Organize an EmComm Exercise" will include examples
from Finland, Netherlands, and South Africa, chaired by W5MPC. And
finally, "The Future Role of the Amateur Radio Service in EmComms" will
be an open discussion for all conference participants.
Click here for complete conference information.
Coincidentally, Curacao will be celebrating its independence on October
10. An ICOM IC-7600 will be operated at the conference site.
The GAREC mission: To get Amateur Radio operators to be better prepared
for emergency communications and create practices for national and
international levels. GAREC is a forum for exchanging information and
experiences among all Amateur Radio operators and groups that are
interested in emergency communications. Its Vision: To have regular
world wide cooperation and understanding between governmental
authorities and the Amateur Radio Service and community. -- Dr. Seppo
Sisättö, OH1VR , Chairman of the Organizing
Committee, GAREC-2010
==> PAKISTANI AMATEURS TEAM UP TO PROVIDE COMMUNICATIONS, RELIEF
SUPPORT FOR FLOOD VICTIMS
According to the Pakistan Amateur Radio Society (PARS) -- that
country's IARU Member-Society -- radio amateurs in Pakistan have teamed
up with the Islamabad Jeep Club and Pakistan Academy of Family
Physicians to provide relief activities in those areas of Pakistan
devastated by floods. The groups will supply food, tents and medical
support to the northern flood affected areas of Nowshera, Charsadda and
central Sargodha districts. "The cellular services are down and so is
the landline," the PARS Web site reports. "Last week, the joint team
carried out a survey in the north and the center of the country, and to
its dismay, the situation isn't promising. Restoration of cellular
services and landlines could take months." On August 21, hams reached
the town of Dharkhanawala, looking to set up communications, but had to
turn back because the equipment had not arrived; however, teams were
able to distribute food in Dharkhanawala and Chauki Darab. Read more
here
.
- ARRL Letter
==> NOMINATION BEING SOUGHT FOR THE 2010 GEORGE HART DISTINGUISHED
SERVICE AWARD
At its July 2009 meeting, the ARRL Board of Directors established the
George Hart Distinguished Service Award to be given to an ARRL member
whose service to the League's Field Organization is of the most
exemplary nature. The Distinguished Service Award is named in honor of
George Hart, W1NJM. Hart was a long-time Communications Manager at ARRL
Headquarters and chief developer of the National Traffic System (NTS).
Upon learning that the ARRL Board of Directors had established this
award named after him, Hart called his namesake award "a great honor."
Selection criteria include:
- Operating record with the National Traffic System; or
- Participation within the Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®); or
- Station appointments and/or leadership positions held within the ARRL
Field Organization.
Nominations for the George Hart Distinguished Service Award shall be
accepted from anyone and shall be submitted to the Membership and
Volunteer Programs Manager at ARRL Headquarters by November 1.
Nominations should document as thoroughly as possible the nominee's
lifetime activities and achievements within the ARRL Field
Organization. It is expected that nominated candidates will have 15 or
more years of distinguished service. The Programs and Services
Committee will serve as the Review Committee, with the Board of
Directors making the final determination at its Annual Meeting in
January. Recipients will be given an engraved plaque and cover letter,
and will be profiled in QST.
Nominations for the George Hart Distinguished Service Award, including
any related supporting material and letters of recommendation, may be
e-mailed to ARRL Headquarters to the attention of ARRL Membership and
Volunteer Programs Manager Dave Patton, NN1N , or to
ARRL Field and Public Service Team Supervisor Steve Ewald, WV1X
. Nominations and supporting materials must be received
no later than November 1, 2010 to be considered.
==> ARES 75TH ANNIVERSARY UPDATES
ARES® is celebrating its 75th anniversary from September through
December 2010. ARRL's ARES program has provided emergency
communications for agencies such as the American Red Cross, Salvation
Army, countless Emergency Operations Centers and others in the worst of
times. In events from ice storms to Hurricane Katrina, when normal
communications systems were down or overloaded, the Amateur Radio
operators of the ARES programs responded to requests for communications
aid.
Over the years the equipment has changed, but the decentralized
communications nets that ARES can create to blanket regions without the
need for other infrastructure remain critical in emergency planning.
Recognition of this capability has led to renewed formal agreements
with DHS, FEMA, NOAA and other federal agencies. With over 20,000 of
the country's 680,000+ Amateur Radio operators involved in ARES--all of
them truly "amateur" and providing their time, services, knowledge and
equipment totally uncompensated--they are more than worthy of
recognition for their 75 years of community services in the worst of
times.
You can find more information about ARES at:
http://www.arrl.org/public-service
Information about the anniversary is at:
http://www.arrl.org/ares-anniversary
Click here for more
information on celebration plans and resources. -- Allen Pitts, W1AGP,
ARRL Public Relations Manager
==> ILLINOIS NUCLEAR POWER PLANT EXERCISE: LESSONS LEARNED
On July 28, 2010, at the request of the LaSalle County (Illinois) EMA
Director, hams provided backup communications between the County
Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and the township EOCs within the
emergency planning zone during the Biennial FEMA-Graded Exercise at the
LaSalle County Nuclear Station. Served agencies included the LaSalle
County EOC at Ottawa, Township EOCs at Marseilles and Seneca, and the
Illinois Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross at Peru. Amateur
groups providing the support included the Starved Rock Radio Club,
LaSalle County Amateur Radio Emergency Services, and LaSalle County
Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service.
The exercise is conducted every two years. Nuclear Accident Reporting
System (NARS) messages were handled using 2 meter voice: the LaSalle
County EOC conducted roll call, and transmitted the NARS messages.
An observer from the Department of Homeland Security complimented the
hams for "impressive communication skills." The observer noted how we
enforced accurate message handling. The mentoring of newer hams was
also recognized by the DHS observer as a "Strength."
Lessons Learned
1. Continued practice of sending NARS messages via voice is needed.
2. Once communications is established, backup simplex and other
repeater communications should be tested and verified for lowest output
power needed for reliable communications.
3. The EOC needs to identify all stations calling and determine if they
may be from another served agency.
4. Better antennas are needed for some locations.
5. Operators need to bring go-bags with radios with battery and power
supply (as backup).
6. Power Pole connectors are needed at all sites for standardization
and efficiency.
7. The EOC needs to issue each net station a tactical call. -- Joe
Tokarz, KB9EZZ , EC/OES, La Salle County, Illinois
==> LETTERS
Personal Disaster Planning
In re the Ralph Phillips, KE5HDF, letter in the last issue
, Phillips stated he has
chosen to store less water because he has a swimming pool and stocked
up on cheese cloth and pool shock instead.
Unless Ralph is on very high ground, this idea may be problematic. In
the event of even a moderate flood his pool water could be contaminated
with raw sewage, gasoline, oil and lord knows what else. And cheese
cloth may be good for getting the lumps out of paint, but I would not
exactly consider it a drinking water filter.
I am also uncomfortable with his intended use of pool shock. Where
there are well-established formulas for safely using chlorine bleach to
disinfect water, my Google search for a safe formula using pool shock
was less than fruitful. And depending on the brand, various brands of
pool shock also contain other chemicals that may do a human much more
harm than good, even at low percentages per gallon.
I admire Ralph's thinking out of the box, but I strongly suggest he
take the pool shock he intends to use and get a qualified medical
opinion on its use for this purpose. And if it can be safely used, the
correct high and low amounts per gallon to be used for
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* Origin: The home of the Emergcom echo (1:116/901)
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