The ARES E-Letter
Published by the American Radio Relay League
********************************************
December 1, 2010
Editor: Rick Palm, K1CE
==> THE VIEW FROM FLAGLER COUNTY
After-action reports on the Bike MS
-150 ARESŪ
communications effort held in October here in northeastern Florida have
been released. East Coast District DEC Mike Lee, WB6RTH, said "Crown
District DEC Doug Carter, N4FPS, and I cannot stress enough the success
that was achieved by all. This was the first inter-district event in
the Daytona Beach-Jacksonville area, and it worked as a seamless group
of volunteers with a common mission, common training and an outstanding
result. In the words of the event organizers, 'this was the best
participation from Amateur Radio by far.'"
Planning is already underway for next year's event. Lee: "We expect
that even more responsibility will be given to radio amateurs in 2011."
Lee said they will "do it bigger and better next year" and that he
looks "forward to serving with all participants again, starting from
the preparations and planning - all the way through game day."
Across the country, MS-150 support efforts by amateurs reached a new
high water mark in 2010, and there's no reason to believe that it will
not continue to rise in 2011. Here is the report from the MS-150 event
so that others might gain some insight as they plan their own event
participation for next year: 2010 SET Report East Coast - Crown-1
.
More information and photos here .
Congratulations to the northeastern Florida ARES MS-150 communicators
on a job well done.
____________
I just received the following note: "I recently subscribed to the ARES
E-letter, but I think I may have subscribed to something that does not
pertain to me. I noticed that the beginning of the publication always
starts with "The View from Flagler County." I have never heard of that
county and I cannot figure out why it is so important that it dominates
a newsletter that (I thought) was dedicated to ARES, not a particular
county. What am I missing?" -- Scott Plude
Scott, the goal of this column is to provide readers with a slice of
life, kind of like a reality show, of our ARES program here in Flagler
County, Florida, which is located between historic St. Augustine and
famous Daytona Beach on the upper east coast of the state. I suspect
that we go through many of the trials and tribulations that most ARES
groups experience across the country. Many may identify with us here in
what I feel is a typical county ARES program. We suffer the same
personality and club dysfunctions, which are part and parcel of all
human and organizational behavior, but also share the triumphs and
rewards of doing a job well for the public benefit. We have our ups and
downs. Other groups may learn from our mistakes and our victories, or
at the very least, enjoy an all-knowing chuckle when they see the same
thing that happens to them happening to us.
____________
In This Issue:
IN THIS ISSUE
- The View from Flagler County
- SKYWARN Recognition Day This Saturday, December 4
- Veteran Florida EC AA4BN -- SK
- Georgia SSB Net Celebrates 50 Years - Tonight!
- ARES/RACES and the Texas Rapid Response Task Force
- RSGB Signs Agreement with RAYNET in the UK
- Letters
- International Humanitarian Award Nominations Open
- EmComm Level One (EC-001) Being Revised
- K1CE For a Final
____________
==> SKYWARN RECOGNITION DAY THIS SATURDAY, DECEMBER 4
The 12th Annual SKYWARN Recognition Day (SRD
) Special Event will take
place this Saturday, December 4, 2010. SRD is co-sponsored by the ARRL
and the National Weather Service (NWS ) as a
way to recognize the commitment made by Amateur Radio operators in
helping to keep their communities safe. According to SRD Coordinator
David Floyd, N5DBZ, Amateur Radio operators can visit their local
participating NWS office
, working
as a team to contact other hams across the world throughout the 24 hour
event.
In 1999, Meteorologist-in-Charge of the Goodland, Kansas NWS office
Scott Mentzer, N0QE, worked with then ARRL Field Services Manager Rick
Palm, K1CE, to find a way to recognize the valuable contributions storm
spotters make to the National Weather Service. "Since many of those
storm spotters were also hams," Floyd told the ARRL, "it seemed like a
natural fit for the recognition to be centered on Amateur Radio."
With the approval of NWS headquarters and a commitment to participate
from many local NWS offices across the country, the first National
Weather Service Special Event took place on November 27, 1999. "At the
end of the event, almost 16,000 QSOs were logged, with contacts made to
all 50 states and 63 countries," Floyd recounted.
Floyd said that feedback from that first event was "overwhelmingly
positive" from both the NWS staff and the local ham clubs: "Many local
club members who came to that first event had never visited an NWS
office before. When they came for the special event, they learned the
value of their reports and how they were used in conjunction with
existing technology." And so began an annual tradition.
In 2001, the name of the event was changed to SKYWARN Recognition Day,
a name Floyd said better conveyed what the day was all about: "Each
year since the inception of SRD, the number of NWS offices
participating with local ham clubs has increased; more than 100 offices
sign up each year to take part.
Station call signs have also changed over the years. Floyd said that
some NWS offices and clubs apply for a special event call sign, "such
as W3B in Brownsville or N0Y in Aberdeen, South Dakota. Other call
signs hint at office location, including WX9GRB in Green Bay and WX4NHC
at the National Hurricane Center. Still others represent more of the
big picture, as in KC0SKY in Pleasant Hill, Missouri."
Floyd has seen a greater use of digital communications in addition to
CW, RTTY and packet radio: "Each year, more and more contacts are being
made using EchoLink, Winlink and the use of e-mail reflectors." In
keeping with the NWS setting, stations are asked to include a weather
report of their location
in their
exchange.
2010 SKYWARN Recognition Day will be held on December 4 from 0000
UTC-2400 UTC. Even if you make just one QSO to an NWS office, you are
eligible to receive a certificate. Just submit a list of the station(s)
you worked (along with a self-addressed stamped envelope) to SKYWARN
Recognition Day, 920 Armory Rd, Goodland, KS 67735. Many NWS offices
also send out special QSL cards for this event. If you haven't yet
joined in the fun of SKYWARN Recognition Day, make 2010 your year to do
so!
[Storm Spotting and Amateur Radio is a resource for Amateur Radio
operators seeking more information about severe weather reporting and
SKYWARN. Storm Spotting and Amateur Radio is available from ARRL
publication dealers and
from the ARRL Online Store
- ARRL
Letter
==> VETERAN FLORIDA EC AA4BN -- SK
James P. "Jimmy" Sparks, AA4BN of Clewiston, Florida, became a silent
key on November 6. He was 85. The ARES Emergency Coordinator for Hendry
County, Florida for 43 years, he was also RACES Radio Officer for the
county. Sparks was honored by his peers at the Melbourne Hamfest upon
his 40th anniversary of service as Hendry County EC. He was a former
Navy radio telegraph operator during the Second World War and following
the war was involved in radio communications for the Navy during
nuclear weapons testing in the South Pacific. Sparks
received special commendations from Admiral William Halsey for his
radio communications expertise, as well as medals for his service in
the Pacific Theater during the war.
Sparks was a member of the ARRL for over 40 years, and also served on
the Emergency Service Council for Hendry County. His most recent
efforts were in the establishment of communications to and from Haiti
to coordinate earthquake relief efforts. A memorial service was
conducted by Rev. Samuel S. Thomas, W3ALE, of Clewiston who was also
Jim's Assistant Emergency Coordinator. -- Thanks, Jeff Beals, WA4AW,
ARRL Southeastern Division Vice Director
==> GEORGIA SSB NET CELEBRATES 50 YEARS - TONIGHT!
Fifty years ago when most voice amateur transmissions were conducted by
amplitude modulation (AM), a small group of Georgia hams began to use a
new mode of transmission called Single Sideband Suppressed Carrier, now
called SSB, or Single Sideband. On December 1, 1960, the Georgia Single
Sideband Net started its first session with 27 amateurs checking in. In
celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the net, a special session will
be called tonight with the original roll call list. Several of the
original members are still around, and they will be welcomed into the
net. Many Silent Keys have passed but they will also be called in honor
and respect for their contribution to the net, and to Amateur Radio.
The Georgia Single Sideband Net will be called into this special
session tonight at 6 PM (EST), Wednesday, December 1, on the frequency
3975 kHz. -- Charles Pennington, K4GK, Section Traffic Manager;
Director, Georgia Single Sideband Association
==> ARES/RACES AND THE TEXAS RAPID RESPONSE TASK FORCE
In 2006, Texas Executive Order RP57
created mobile
rapid response task force teams and placed the Texas Department of
Public Safety (TDPS) in charge of command, control and communications.
There are now three light teams and one heavy team. Dallas, Waco and
Austin are the light team staging areas while the heavy team stages in
San Antonio. Each team takes its name from its staging location.
The Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) created a
Communications Coordinating Group (CCG) as part of the statewide
response plan. Under this group, Amateur Radio "Communicators" have
been given a role in the response plan. The teams will each have
Amateur Radio Communicators from the Military Auxiliary Radio Service,
State RACES and local ARES/RACES groups. Each group has an assignment
in the response plan.
The Communications Coordinating Group
The CCG operates from Austin and coordinates the communications needs
of the task forces. There are Amateur Radio coordinators assigned to
work in the CCG to direct the response of the Amateur Radio
Communicators required by the task force. There is a coordinator for
each element of the Amateur Radio response. MARS, State RACES and
ARES/RACES each have a coordinator. The ARES/RACES element is
coordinated by the ARES Emergency Coordinator.
The RRTF Dallas and RRTF Waco are comprised of personnel and equipment
from around North and West Texas Regions, Texas Military Forces,
Department of Public Safety, major telecommunications providers and
FEMA. These are professionals from a variety of disciplines. All phases
of task force operations are guided by ICS and NIMS protocols.
Task Force Amateur Radio Communicators are fully equipped and capable
of providing support required for the mission task at hand. Each
amateur is self sufficient for the first 36+ hours and has the tools
and equipment to support the various modes needed in support of the
task force. MARS operators are embedded and support the Texas State
Military Forces; Texas State RACES supports the State Operating Center
(SOC) and Disaster District Offices; and ARES/RACES supports the task
force, local government and served agencies in the affected area as
well as backing each other. The ARES/RACES element is comprised of
radio amateurs from local ARES and RACES groups and operate as a united
ARES element. In addition, the TF Amateur Radio Communicator may be
required to use new equipment and modes, assist other agencies, and
take additional training and upgrade their medical profile.
For a typical hurricane scenario, the State Emergency Operations Center
will activate the Task Force based on intelligence concerning a
potential disaster or incident. A typical planned activation is as
follows:
- Between 120 and 72 hours before landfall Pre-Deployment activities
begin.
- At 48 hours before landfall deploy to staging area.
- Self supporting for 36 hours.
- At 24 hours before landfall deploy convoy operations.
- Arrive at impact area.
- Operations Activity (Duration is incident dependent).
The Amateur Radio Communicator intake form can be found at: Task Force
EmCom Responder Form
.
A list of frequently Asked Questions can be found here: Dallas - RRTF
F.A.Q.
The TF Communicator Documents can be found here: Task Force Documents
-- permission for publication from John Galvin, N5TIM ,
who reports that the above information is for the North Texas Section
team. In the South Texas Section Jim Russell, NQ5L is the lead and for
the CCG, Glen Reid, K5FX is the overall coordinator.
==> RSGB SIGNS AGREEMENT WITH RAYNET IN THE UK
The Radio Society of Great Britain is the IARU Region 1 member-society.
The RSGB recently signed a "parity of esteem" agreement
with The Radio Amateurs' Emergency Network (RAYNET), the UK's emcomm
group. RAYNET is a national voluntary communications service provided
for the community by licensed radio amateurs. Formed in 1953 following
severe coastal flooding, it now has 2,000 members who provide
communication assistance for hundreds of events each year. From its Web
site: RAYNET offers a unique range of emergency communication services
to user services. Coupled with members' endless resourcefulness, RAYNET
is regarded as a professional support organization by both the
statutory and volunteer emergency service organizations.
Their Web site exists to promote the work of RAYNET in the UK, provide
information for prospective users of RAYNET's services, act as a link
with the membership and provide support at all levels. See more on
RAYNET here . - RSGB, RAYNET sources
==> LETTERS
Flagler County's FEMV
Concerning last month's "View from Flagler County," here in Portage
County, Ohio, our RACES operation fits the same bill as the FEMV. Three
years ago our EMA director asked me to start the RACES program. It took
a lot of work, including working through an interim EMA director,
getting a plan approved by the county commissioners, and then getting
the program running under the newly
<<< concluded in next message >>>
---
* Origin: The home of the Emergcom echo (1:116/901)
|
