The ARES E-Letter

Published by the American Radio Relay League
********************************************

September 19, 2012

Editor: Rick Palm, K1CE 

==> HURRICANE ISAAC PROMPTS DISASTER RESPONSE

Seven years to the day that Hurricane Katrina smashed into New Orleans,
Hurricane Isaac came calling. But instead of making landfall right at
New Orleans like Katrina (a Category 3 storm) did on August 28, 2005,
Isaac veered slightly to the west of the city. Through it all, hams at
WX4NHC  -- the Amateur Radio station at the
National Hurricane Center (NHC ) in Miami,
Florida -- and those supporting the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN
) and the VoIP Hurricane Net
, along with various nets within the ARRL's
Delta Division, relayed reports to their served agencies on Isaac's
progress and the damage the storm created in its wake. More here
.
-- ARRL HQ

The VoIP Hurricane Net  running on the
*WX_TALK* EchoLink conference node 7203/IRLP 9219 was active over a two
day period from Tuesday, August 28, through Wednesday, August 29, as
Hurricane Isaac pounded the US Northern Gulf Coast with high winds,
extremely heavy rainfall, significant storm surge and river and stream
flooding. The VoIP Hurricane Net operated for more than 25 hours
continuously during the US coast landfall. More here
.
-- ARRL HQ

ARES® EC's, DEC's, and SEC's: Don't forget to report activity related
to Hurricane Isaac. -- Mike Corey, KI1U, ARRL HQ Emergency Preparedness
Manager

Mississippi Responds

[The following report came from ARRL Mississippi Section Manager
Malcolm Keown, W5XX]. Mississippi has managed to escape the hurricane
bullet for three years in a row, but our luck ran out this year. Isaac
came ashore on August 28 leaving substantial damage to the power grids
in south Mississippi and southeast Louisiana as well as long term
flooding. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) reports
that the most damage was experienced in Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, and
Pearl River counties with 44 more counties north of the Coast being
impacted.

The ARES/RACES response was well organized with station KM5EMA on from
MEMA, the Delta ARES Emergency Net handling tactical traffic, and the
Mississippi Emergency Net handling health/welfare traffic. Thanks to
Jim Rapp, WS7EOC, Richard Webb, NF5B, and Douglass Sullivan-Gonzalez,
K5DSG, respectively, for managing these operations. In addition, James
Ready, N5LRQ activated the two-meter link from Jackson to the Coast,
and several SKYWARN nets were activated. Operation from county EOCs was
reported from Forrest, Greene, Hancock, Harrison, Hinds, Jackson,
Lauderdale, Pearl River, Stone, and Warren counties. Others may have
been activated but have not been reported as of this writing.

NF5B reported that the Delta Emergency Net operated continuously for 46
hours. Many thanks go to net control stations who manned one or more
two hour shifts. Net Manager K5DSG reported that the Mississippi
Emergency Net operated for 30 hours.

A widespread communications emergency did not develop and there was not
much resulting traffic; however, this was an excellent opportunity to
test our readiness for catastrophic events in that we had not had an
exercise of this magnitude since 2008. Many thanks the DEC's, EC's,
AEC's, and ARES members who activated stations as part of the ARES
response to Isaac.

William Musa, K5YG, advised from the Ocean Springs EOC that the Ocean
Springs Command Center asked that an emergency message be passed to
authorities in Louisiana regarding two adults and one child that were
trapped in an attic as a result of attempting to escape flood waters.
This message was passed on the Delta Emergency Net to the Louisiana
State EOC. Later in the day word was received that the three people had
been rescued along with 15 others rescued as a result of the message
originating from the Ocean Springs EOC.

From the September 2012 issue of the MCARA Splatter, Harry Samuelson,
KB9ZR, reported that the Harrison County EOC was activated on August
28. In response, Harrison County EC Jeff Smith, N9OKV, activated ARES
to man the EOC station W5SGL. The ARES team was divided into three
shifts to ensure 24 hour coverage. W5SGL operators monitored the HF
Nets as well as the local Emergency Net on the Biloxi 146.73 MHz
repeater. Many area hams checked into this net and monitored, ready to
respond. These hams provided the EOC team with information as to
conditions in their respective areas. W5SGL was secured on August 30,
2012.

There were over 106 check-ins on two-meters, one emergency message was
sent, 136 routine RMS messages sent, and numerous bulletins passed
during the activation period. The EOC team used RMS Express for the
first time, passing information to MEMA in Jackson, the SHARES
Coordinator at DHS in Washington, DC, and ARRL Mississippi Section
Manager W5XX via the Internet, VHF, and HF channels. Much was learned
about EOC operations/procedures by everyone. EC N9OKV was very pleased
with the ARES activation and thanked his team for their support.

In Hancock County, the EOC was manned by Thom Kelly, KF7SEB, and Jeff
Urbaniak, KF5JTK, the entire time of the event lasting approximately 50
hours. The traffic passed was minimal, mostly local reports of roads
flooded. The Hancock County EOC was not located in a permanent location
using a building that could be penetrated by RF and the team was unable
to find an available opening to run coax for an outside antenna and was
forced to use Echolink during the first 36 hours of the operation.
After the Internet went down, KF7SEB resumed operations from his
vehicle until the MEMA link to Jackson was lost. KF7SEB noted that the
activation went as well as could be expected considering the activation
was on very short notice and trying to operate from a non-radio
friendly structure. He looks forward to working on a solution for
future events including plans to have a cross band repeater or a full
mobile repeater.

From Forrest County, EC Sam Williams, N5SP, reported that he and Lex
Mason, KD5XG, DEC Larry Morgan, AG5Z, and Roderick Balam, KF5BLR, went
to the EOC prior to the arrival of Isaac to inspect and determine the
operational status of the Amateur Radio equipment. It was determined
that additional equipment was needed to interface the HF radio to the
amplifier. A phone call was made to MFJ and with their assistance an
order was placed. Upon arrival, the equipment was installed, which
solved the problems. The EOC activated at 1700 on August 28, with
Emergency Management District Forrest County ARC station KC5WFM being
activated at the same time. The emergency nets were monitored and
checked into numerous times.

Jasper County EC Albert McDonald, WV1Q, reported that the South Central
SKYWARN net and Jasper County ARES Emergency Net were activated due to
Isaac affecting the region. Jasper County had power outages countywide
and low land flooding in several areas. In addition, there was flooding
on Highway 528 in Heidelberg with many roadway blockages from falling
trees and heavy rains. And from Central Mississippi SKYWARN, Linda
Goodman, KE5PYM, reported that WX5JAN was on the air for 60 hours from
the Jackson National Weather Service office.

See also the Section Web Site at www.arrlmiss.org
. - W5XX

ARRL Delta Division Director Issued Commendation

As expected, Hurricane Isaac made landfall in the early morning of
August 28 in Louisiana, south of New Orleans as a Category One storm.
The Greater New Orleans area and adjacent parishes along with the
Mississippi Gulf Coast counties continued to be buffeted by winds and
torrential rainfall, causing power outages and flooding. ARES/RACES
members were on the Delta Emergency Net and from local and State EOC's
and shelters in the affected region. I wish to commend all our Delta
Division amateurs involved in these operations for their
professionalism and their on the air demeanor.

As Isaac moved north through Louisiana and into Arkansas we expected
heavy rains, high winds and tornadoes. EOC's were activated in front of
the storm through Friday. Power outages posed a potentially big problem
in drought stricken areas of Arkansas since the trees were already
stressed and the high winds would cause a greater number of trees or
larger limbs to fall on power lines.

The ARRL Delta Division MOU is still in effect and net control
operators were called to fill shifts into the weekend, depending on the
extent and duration of the localities' storm event effects. Section
leadership coordinated this effort: Section Managers, Section Emergency
Coordinators and local Emergency Coordinators kept ARES members and
RACES operators up to date as to ARES and net requirements. ARES
members were called upon to work through the chain of command during
this incident. -- ARRL Delta Division Director David A. Norris, K5UZ,
k5uz@arrl.org

In This Issue:

IN THIS ISSUE

- Hurricane Isaac Prompts Disaster Response
- Wisconsin ARES/RACES' Busy Summer
- Reading List: When GPS Leads to SOS
- Letters: Internet-based Systems' Fallibility
- Letters: At Ground Zero
- Letters: Mesh Networks in the USVI
- Letters: Mental Health Risks
- Behind the Circle - Tim Holland, KK5H, EC, Madison County, Alabama
- Neighborhood HamWatch in Central Florida
- ARES QSO Party Concept Feedback
- From ARRL HQ: Lessons Learned from Isaac
- K1CE For a Final

==> WISCONSIN ARES/RACES' BUSY SUMMER

Two Wisconsin ARES/RACES teams in opposite corners of the state had
major incidents to deal with this past summer. Milwaukee County
ARES/RACES stood up three times, deploying their communications van for
the tragic shooting incident in Oak Creek on Sunday, August 5, 2012.
And in another corner of the state, the Douglas County ARES/RACES team
assisted with communications for their neighbors in Duluth and
surrounding counties in Minnesota and northern Wisconsin during the
severe flooding in the June 17 to 20 period.

The Milwaukee County ARES/RACES 
communications van staged once and deployed twice in support of public
safety agencies for the tragic shooting incident in Oak Creek that sad
Sunday. The team owns and operates the van with equipment that is able
to link different public safety radio networks together by employing a
Raytheon ACU-1000

network cross-connecting device. This force multiplier allows police,
fire, and other emergency services with radio systems using different
technologies to communicate with each other. That Sunday, the team was
alerted on MABAS  (Mutual Aid Box Alarm
System) with instructions to stage the van, ready to deploy, at the
Greenfield Fire Department. Even though most ARES members from
Milwaukee and Waukesha County were in Whitewater providing
communications support for the MS150 Bike Ride, the team was able to
respond with two hams -- James Langer, WI9FF, and David Lofy, KC9TGE --
who were able to get to the van, and get it prepped and ready to roll
in just 30 minutes from the time of the initial request from Emergency
Management.

On Tuesday, August 7, Milwaukee ARES/RACES received a call from
Emergency Management requesting the van roll to Oak Creek to assist
with communications support for the community's National Night Out and
Prayer Vigil being held for the victims of Sunday's shootings. The
mission again was to patch radios together for public safety agencies

coming in from Madison, Dane, Racine and other surrounding counties.
WI9FF and Phillip Rebensburg, KC9CI, staffed the van and reported to
the Oak Creek Police station. High profile officials were coming to
attend the Prayer Vigil, including the Governor, a U.S. Senator and
Representative to Congress. Brian Jansen, KC9GMW, a Milwaukee County
AEC, and lead COML for the State, assisted in setting up a
communications plan and the ARES van remained on standby at the Oak
Creek Police Station through the entire event.

A memorial event was held on Friday, August 10, and again ARES/RACES
was involved with van and communications support. The Milwaukee group's
van provides tremendous service for multiple public safety agencies and
recognition of that fact came by the calls made during this tragedy of
violence.

Superior/Duluth Flooding

In June, Superior, Wisconsin and Duluth, Minnesota roads and bridges
were washed out, and five feet of standing water was left in low-lying
areas. Water rescues were effected, entire neighborhoods were
evacuated, highways were cut off, and Internet and cell service was
gone on the North Shore of Minnesota. Members of the Douglas County
ARES/RACES  team
went to work. Douglas Nelson, AA0AW, and Garry Hooghkirk, KD0DHB,
organized an effort to staff the Douglas County EOC, provided mutual
aid across the border to the St. Louis County EOC and the National
Weather Service's Duluth office. It took many hours to get the Lake
County, Minnesota EOC open, due to road closures. This team worked with
many local radio amateurs to collect information on road closures and
damage reports from throughout the area. They also provided the only
link to the outside world for Lake and Cook counties in Minnesota,
established contacts with Life Flight services for the Grand Marais
Hospital, handled traffic for doctor exchanges on the North Shore and
provided support for Emergency Management in the region. Upon receiving
the news of service restoration for the North Shore, the crews at the
EOCs stood down. Many of the members of the Douglas County, Wisconsin
ARES/RACES team live right across the border in and around Duluth. The
cooperation across state lines is tremendous on both sides of the
border.

Here  is a link
that shows the infrastructure damage to the Duluth/Superior area
including a major fiber optic cable conduit break affecting
communications. Many thanks for the fine efforts of these dedicated
Wisconsin ARES/RACES teams from two opposite corners of the state. -
Skip Sharpe, W9REL, Chief Radio Officer, RACES, State of Wisconsin;
Paul Gruettner, WB9ODQ, Emergency Coordinator, Milwaukee County
ARES/RACES; Dave Miller, W0NWO, Emergency Coordinator, Douglas County
ARES/RACES; Gary Sorensen, W9ULK, Section Emergency Coordinator,
Wisconsin ARES/RACES 

==> READING LIST: WHEN GPS LEADS TO SOS

This New York Times article doesn't mention ham radio as such, but it
presents a scenario we may face in the future: When GPS Leads to SOS
.
-- Mike Harla, N2MHO, EC, Cumberland County, New Jersey

Here's another NY Times article that will lend some perspective on
spectrum needs versus technology advancement and efficiency as applied
to the cellular, broadband services, but is applicable to all radio
spectrum use. I learned a lot from this piece: Carriers Warn of Crisis
in Mobile Spectrum  - As data usage multiplies
on mobile devices, carriers say they need more spectrum, but scientists
and engineers say newer technologies can improve efficiency. - K1CE

Another recommendation for your reading pleasure and/or induction of
cognitive dissonance: Space Weather: What Emergency Managers Need to
Know

by Elaine Pittman on March 26, 2012, in Emergency Management
newsletter. -- K1CE

==> LETTERS: INTERNET-BASED SYSTEMS' FALLIBILITY

As a regular reader of the ARES E-Letter, I've watched the newsletter
consistently espouse the use of D-STAR for disaster response and
emergency communications services. One of the ARRL's catchy slogans,
which is really more than just a slogan as it rings true is: "When all
else fails, Amateur Radio."

Here in the mid-peninsula area south of San Francisco, we regularly
train using simplex among hams, relaying as needed, to ensure all
exercise participants get the messages. Among other things, these
exercises encourage us to put up more effective antennas to ensure we
can communicate across our cities on simplex and not rely on the
numerous local repeaters.

I have nothing against D-STAR, IRLP, EchoLink, or repeaters. They can
be very useful systems when they are available. My concern is the
emphasis on relying on the availability of the Internet for emergency
communications. I would like to suggest that any emergency exercise
that uses the Internet to pass traffic, also include direct ham-to-ham
communication to pass traffic. Furthermore, the ARES E-Letter should
encourage this direct communication so that we will truly be prepared
for an emergency when/if the Internet is not available: "When all else
fails, Amateur Radio." -- Rich Stiebel, W6APZ, Palo Alto, California,
CERT, ARES/RACES, w6apz@sbcglobal.net [Stiebel sent this follow-up
note: Our last Monday night ARES/RACES net was called "Rubber Ducky
Night." Everyone checking in was asked to use their hand-held with
either the stock rubber ducky, or an after-market antenna that mounted
on their hand-held, i.e., an antenna that one could walk around with on
the radio to simulate what communications would be like if our homes'
outside antennas were knocked down. Yes, the net took a bit longer with
people relaying messages for those who could not be heard by the entire
net, but it was good practice." - Ed.]

==> LETTERS: AT GROUND ZERO

I want to thank you for the article in September 2012 QST about Bob
Hejl's, W2IK, service at Ground Zero on 9/11. Thanks to Bob for sharing
this with the members. It really shows not only the value of Amateur
Radio communications, but also depicts the dedication and caring that
so many of us in the service share. Many of us lost relatives, friends
and acquaintances that tragic day. No one will really ever know how
many heroes there were. The article was very enjoyable. Again, thank
you both. -- Mark Rappaport, W2EAG, Retired Firefighter, New York,
nccwman@aol.com

==> LETTERS: MESH NETWORKS IN THE USVI

Mesh was brought to the US Virgin Islands about six months ago by Peter
Sinkowski, KP2US, and the networking has spread like wildfire. KP2US
purchased many units, flashed them and sold complete "starter kits" at
cost. It's grown from there with our own reflector facilitating dialog.

There are presently about three dozen nodes in the USVI, and more are
coming on-line quickly. We found a source for "rootennas" (outdoor
router-antenna combinations) and are in the process of building up
those for permanent deployment in strategic locations, i.e., attended
locations with backup power, particularly at radio amateurs' home
sites. We also have a cheap mesh go-kit design using kitty litter/food
plastic containers.

Inter-island mesh links are high on the agenda. Installation of a
10-mile link between St. Thomas and St. John is slated for the near
future. Commercial 2.4 WiFi signals have been copied across the 40-plus
mile St. Thomas to St. Croix link and the design of a 2-way link is
underway.

A demonstration of mesh network capability was given to the local EMA,
VI National Guard, TSA, E-911 and VI PD. It was well received and we
are moving toward designing systems to provide backup voice/data /video
communications at key locations: the EOC, E-911, shelters, points of
distribution, airports, and ports.

System design is greatly enhanced with the path profiling utility on
Google Earth. While it is not an absolute predictor of reliability, it
saves a ton of field time checking path reliability. - Fred Kleber,
NP2X, K9VV, ARRL Virgin Islands Section Manager

==> LETTERS: MENTAL HEALTH RISKS

I'd like to congratulate you on an excellent Public Service column in
July 2012 QST. I believe it is very important for those involved or
contemplating involvement in emergency communications to understand the
risks to their mental health as a result of what they may experience.

Although one may experience a traumatic event that causes nightmares
and/or depression during ARES events, it is also possible to trigger
PTSD of traumatic events of many years or decades past. My personal
experience and one apparently common to many Vietnam veterans, was PTSD
triggered by the events of 9/11. After more than thirty years home and
with a successful career in telecommunications and RF applications
development for State Farm Mutual, PTSD and depression happened to me
post 9/11.

Prior to 9/11, I enjoyed the challenge of developing disaster recovery
communications procedures for State Farm and being involved with MARS,
FEMA, and ARES communications. It took several years of psychiatry and
medication post 9/11 to recover. Now, while I will support the local
emergency communicators as a technical resource, I can no longer be a
communicator or be on-site for training or actual events.

Thank you for addressing the issue of the mental health risks as an
ARES volunteer. I wish you better times and relief from PTSD. -- CSM(r)
Gary L. Huber, AB9M, Bloomington, Illinois

Your short article in July QST was both touching and compelling. Thank
you for presenting a sensitive topic so eloquently. -- Curt Wilbur,
K7CU, Immediate Past President, Utah DX Association; CQ Magazine Awards
Checkpoint

==> BEHIND THE CIRCLE - TIM HOLLAND, KK5H, EC, MADISON COUNTY, ALABAMA

Tim L. Holland, KK5H, is the EC for Madison County, Alabama who took
time away from his vacation recently to visit your editor K1CE at the
hospital in Daytona Beach, Florida, where he works. Holland was
appointed an AEC and Net Manager in 2008, responsible for providing
training to his team. (It was the team's dedication to training and
participation in ARRL SETs that paid off when it was deployed for the
infamous tornado outbreak in April 2007). Holland was appointed EC this
past summer. He said "I am proud of our ARES team for having a
respected working relationship with the county EMA. We have open access
to the EOC for meetings and exercises." Holland has many county hams
and seven AECs to assist him with his active ARES team.

==> NEIGHBORHOOD HAMWATCH IN CENTRAL FLORIDA

A new program in central Florida helps neighbors and communities in
times of need, with minimal extra effort, right from our own homes: The
Neighborhood HamWatch. NHW is not an organization. There are no tests
to take nor structured organization to follow. It is rather a simple
service program where every ham has the opportunity to use his/her
license and radio skills right where they live to support their
neighbors during times of an extended power outage or isolation in a
disaster or incident. All an NHW operator needs is his or her radio and
an emergency backup battery or generator power supply.

Neighbors could be physically isolated due to downed trees, wires,
flooded rivers or unsafe roadways. Community life is disrupted, a
situation that can last for days or weeks. Residents are under stress
from electrical and communication blackout and personal isolation.
Media reception is disrupted, telephone and cell phone circuits are
overloaded or down and the sense of community is shaken. During these
periods of isolation, fear and rumors fill the gap created by a lack of
official information and the inability to contact someone outside of
the affected area.

This is the scenario where Neighborhood HamWatch operators activate
using their preplanned simplex (with repeater backup) radio relay
network to break through the barrier of silence. They can establish
two-way communications to alert ARES officials at the EOC, keep local
authorities up to date, and reconnect neighbors with friends or
relatives outside the affected area with health and welfare traffic. In
the program, you're a ham, you're a licensed radio communicator and you
know what to do: Know the NHW net frequency, check in, observe your
surroundings and gather and report neighborhood messages and
conditions, needs and requests. -- Norman Lauterette, WA4HYJ,
Casselberry, Florida

==> ARES QSO PARTY CONCEPT FEEDBACK

I agree with you regarding it being time to consider the drafting and
development of an ARES QSO Party. In order to promote on-the-air
practice of skills of message handling and efficiency and the
networking of local, district and Section ARES groups across the
country it would need to have local, regional and national components.

While digital communications is a growing component of emergency and
disaster response communications, I would not advocate that this QSO
Party include a digital component. I feel we spend a lot of time
tweaking newer technology but often neglect the "shining light" of
Amateur communications, the down and dirty direct, point to point
communications that forms the foundation of our ability to communicate
when others cannot: Simple, direct and effective, not dependent on
anything but our power source, our radio and our skills at getting a
signal out and a message delivered. - James Burrough, N5DTT, Bellaire,
Texas [Burrough also added this as support for his position:
http://www.arrl.org/news/the-amateur-amateur-some-aggravation-required
-- ed.]

I was chuckling about replying, "It's called Sweepstakes" but then the
thought occurred to me that maybe a hybrid would make more sense and
not require a completely new contest. Here's a suggestion: start with
Sweepstakes. That's a nation-wide HF contest and not really within
scope for most ARES teams - they are local/regional. So tack on local
communications by using the Sweepstakes info to generate traffic the
ARES members then exchange locally, similarly to WAE QTC. Prototype QSO
party: (1) Operate Sweepstakes Phone using standard rules. All QSOs
must be made according to Sweepstakes rules and a Sweepstakes log MUST
be submitted in standard format; (2) Complete 5 Sweepstakes QSOs, then
change to local VHF/UHF simplex frequency (no repeaters) designated by
SEC/DEC and pass received SS QSO information to local station. Local
station could be another QSO party participant or designated QTC
handler station(s); (3) Score is SS score + Local QTC total; (4) Local
teams verify SS QSO information by comparing QTC log against submitted
SS log. No additional HQ processing or resources required, combines HF
operating with VHF/UHF message passing. Local teams can optimize
however they feel it is appropriate for them. Time periods can be
limited or open-ended. -- Ward Silver, N0AX, St. Charles, Missouri
[Silver, while living on Vashon Island, Washington, worked closely with
community leaders and the Vashon-Maury Island Radio Club (W7VMI) to
provide effective emergency communications. Working together, the fire
district, CERT, and radio club members created one of the best local
communications systems in the state of Washington. He is currently a
member of the St. Charles (Missouri) Amateur Radio Club (WB0HSI) and
active in the ARES Rapid Response Team (RRT). Silver is the 2008 Dayton
Hamvention Amateur of the Year and prolific QST writer and book author.
-- Ed.]

Regarding your call for ideas for an ARES QSO Party: Don't limit the
Party to a traditional HF only contest -- it should be more like Field
Day. Although allowing use of repeaters would be desired from an "all
ports in a storm" approach, one person could monopolize a repeater.
However, allowing ARES repeaters to announce local non-repeater VHF/UHF
frequencies being used by ARES QSO party members once an hour would
seem prudent. It would also give some attention to this event. If the
logistics of this recommendation are too onerous, require anyone who
would use VHF/UHF to pre-register with the ARES group. By doing so,
they could have input to the ARES group and the ARES group could
publish the frequencies used during the VHF/UHF part of the ARES QSO
Party.

Although Morse code is an important emergency capability mode, care
should be taken to allow voice-only ARES members to be able to win.
This is traditionally accomplished by keeping awards segregated by
mode. If this isn't possible, ensure adequate voice-only awards.

Give a nod to all the different kinds of ways that emergency people
provide service. Have the exchange include "years of emergency
service." Also, have the contest exchange include all the roles
(titles) served over those years. Have the contest entry include all
the agencies served as well. Include RACES. -- Randy Wing, N0LD, Butler
County, Kansas

==> FROM ARRL HQ: LESSONS LEARNED FROM ISAAC

As we all know every event has lessons to teach us, whether the event
be big or small. Isaac, while not packing the punch of Katrina or Ike,
still had a tremendous impact on the Gulf coast. In the aftermath
lessons emerged for your staff at HQ.

As we've seen in the past, a Major Disaster Emergency Coordinator
(MDEC) would have been a huge asset. Hurricanes have a tendency to
remind us of this since the operational level rises from the local
level to the section level as state assets come into play and typically
involve many sections (Isaac involved 13 and Irene in 2011 involved 19
sections). The idea of an MDEC is not new and more information can be
found on the ARRL website
.
Having that go between during multi-section events would be a great
tool in the toolbox.

We have also seen the value of contest stations during an emergency.
When net control stations were needed during Isaac, contesters
volunteered their skills and stations to serve. When planning, be sure
to reach out to the contest community. These top of the line stations
and operators with sharp skills can and want to assist.

And finally, the methods we use to get information from the field could
use some improvement. Our primary method for
<<< concluded in next message >>>


---
 * Origin: The home of the Emergcom echo (1:116/901)