The ARES E-Letter

August 26, 2008

Rick Palm, K1CE, Editor http://www.qrz.com/database?callsign=K1CE,

ARES reports, other related contributions, editorial questions or comments: <k1ce@arrl.net>;;

+ The View from Flagler County

As this is written (Tuesday morning, August 19), Tropical Storm Fay is starting its tour of the Florida peninsula, our ARES team is on alert, the SKYWARN net is active, and our operators are deployed to the county EOC. We had an emergency meeting last night of the Flagler Emergency Communications Association (FECA), which serves as the platform for ARES here. We are not expecting a major event, but the potential for tornado activity is concerning as we will be in the right upper quadrant of the storm if the projected track turns to reality.

Our new Section Manager Paul Eakin, KJ4G, has been at the State EOC in Tallahassee since yesterday, releasing his sitreps to Northern Florida DECs.

A special session of the Southern Florida ARES net convened on 3940 kHz Sunday night, and demonstrated statewide communication capability with fine inter-Sectional teamwork. Our Northern Florida ARES Net will start on 3950 kHz this morning at 0900 EDT, and Eakin will provide an update to check-ins. He will have additional announcements on the Florida Midday Net on 7242 kHz, and similarly on the Northern Florida Traffic Net on 3950 kHz tonight.

Gateway stations will be manned to meet the needs of communications for local, city/county EM agencies should they lose communications with the State EOC. The well-known "Tracker System" developed during Hurricane Katrina has been revised and is now called the "Constellation System." It has been streamlined for efficiency:

Requests for deployment of ARES operators will be made the same way, and the issuance of numbering will flow out from the EOC via the Northern Florida ARES staff to all hams who are deployed outside of their normal jurisdictions.

Wednesday evening, August 20 -- I've just finished boarding up my house and now I'm sitting at the computer tapping out this update, monitoring the Northern Florida emergency net frequency 3950 kHz, and the local VHF ARES repeater. Outside, it's pelting rain, and my anemometer shows 16 mph wind speeds, which seems low given that the trees are rocking and rolling out there. As of now, the projection is for Tropical Storm Fay to gain strength over open water, turn back to the coast, and make landfall right here in Flagler county. (Thanks to all who have sent e-mails of concern). We're shacked up here in the house, but I've volunteered to go to the EOC, if necessary. Power is still up, but it's only a matter of time. Batteries and candles are on hand, the NOAA Weather Radio is on.

Now Playing in Florida Theaters: "The Thing That Wouldn't Leave,"

Starring T.S. Fay. Friday morning, August 22 -- It's pouring outside, with whipping winds and debris in the yard and road. I filled sand bags last night at the local depot, and will place them at the entrances to our home this morning. So far, we have been more fortunate than our neighbors to the south who are undergoing evacuations and water in their homes. Shelters throughout east-central Florida are open, and ARES is assisting with communications. The Crown District ARES around Jacksonville is looking for mutual aid, and SM Paul Eakin, KJ4G, is coordinating this effort. Currently, storm Fay is centered over Gainesville, but we are experiencing the rain bands and winds of the northeast quadrant. Like the Energizer Bunny, our SKYWARN/ARES Net is still running . . . and running.

In This Issue:

+ The View from Flagler County

+ September is National Preparedness Month Minnesota County Fair

+ Evacuated Thanks to ARES Spots ARRL Represented at FEMA Region IV,

+ Regional Emergency

Communications

Coordination Working Group Meetings

+ State of Connecticut Recognizes Operator

+ LETTERS: Care Needed When Speaking to Public

+ LETTERS: What is a Ham?

+ TIPS: PocketMod

+ Frequency Planning for ARES

+ ARRL Continuing Education Course Registration: Emergency Communications Level 1

+ OEM Hosts Connecticut City Day Special Event Station ARRL Simulated

+ Emergency Test October 4-5 K1CE For a Final

+ September is National Preparedness Month

Sign up your ARES group now for National Preparedness Month. Groups and individuals can register to become members by visiting <http://www.ready.gov>, and clicking on the National Preparedness Month banner.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said that more than 1,200 national, regional, state and local businesses and organizations have pledged their support and joined the 2008 National Preparedness Month Coalition. Sponsored by the department's Ready Campaign, National Preparedness Month helps to raise awareness and promote action by Americans, businesses, and communities on emergency preparedness.

The Ready Campaign and Citizen Corps <http://www.citizencorps.gov> are specifically encouraging individuals across the nation to take important preparedness steps. These steps include: getting an emergency supply kit, making a family emergency plan, being informed about the different emergencies that may affect them, as well as taking the necessary steps to get trained and become engaged in community preparedness and response efforts.

Allen G. Pitts, W1AGP, ARRL Media and PR Manager stated: "Linking up with the Ready.gov people and participating in September's National Preparedness Month is an easy win. All you have to do is sign up.

Most ARES groups are already engaged in activities that fit into their structure, so why not get credit for your actions? Of course if you do something more with this opportunity, so much the better. Go to <http://www.ready.gov>, and click on the National Preparedness Month banner."

+ Minnesota County Fair Evacuated Thanks to ARES Spots On August 13, 3:30 PM, severe weather moved into southwest Minnesota from the north starting in Marshall. Coincidentally, the Murray County ARES team had a booth at the Murray County Fair with a mobile radio for 2 meter and HF exhibits.

As the severe weather moved in, Dan Anderson, KD0ASX, District 5 EC, called a SKYWARN net on the Slayton repeater and served as net control. Five trained ARES members in the field reported in. As the storms moved south at a fast pace, the net was moved to the Worthington repeater, which is located on the Minnesota/Iowa border.

This effected warnings for the operators in Iowa.  The Murray County Sheriff and the County Fair board, along with 30 other people were at our booth at the fair listening to our SKYWARN observers. Based on their reports, the Sheriff evacuated the county fair. The Murray County Medical Center in Slayton was also listening to the reports, and prepared the hospital and its patients accordingly. (Three trained hospital staff are Amateur Radio operators).

During a rough day with two tornado warnings, the ARES/SKYWARN team was able to provide fast weather reports to the region and warned many people. Murray County EC Kevin Haney, KC0YKX, thanked his perators, including Dan Anderson, KD0ASX, Arl Weinrebe, KD0BJW, Desirae Weinrebe, KD0DWB, Rick Hansen, KD0BJY, and the Murray County ARES team. -- Kevin Haney, KC0YKX, NREMT-B, Murray County, Minnesota EC <http://www.MurrayCountyARES.org>, <http://www.LakesAreaCitizenCorps.org>

+ ARRL Represented at FEMA Region IV, Regional EmergencyCommunications Coordination Working Group Meetings  The ARRL Southeastern Division leadership represented ARRL and Amateur Radio in the FEMA Region IV, Regional Emergency Communications Coordination (RECC) Working Group meetings near Atlanta, Georgia. Georgia Section Manager, Susan Swiderski, AF4FO, OOC Michael Swiderski, K4HBI, and Southeastern Division Director Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, were in attendance at the all-important July 30 communications meetings.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, FEMA's Region IV territory includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Region IV is FEMA's largest geographic region, with the most common challenges being tornados, hurricanes and other storms that can cause flooding and    flash-flooding.

SM Swiderski gave a talk on MARS; OOC Swiderski discussed SHARES; and Sarratt talked about ARRL, ARES, Amateur Radio and the value of these assets to FEMA. Sarratt said, "We are proud to be a part of FEMA's RECC. This will help to enhance FEMA and ARRL's working partnership. It is very beneficial to meet many of the communications leadership of FEMA and other agencies in the Region. These meetings fostered coordination and learning about each other, which are critical elements before the next disaster strikes. I was also very happy to meet several Amateur Radio operators attending the meeting in their professional capacities. -- Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, Director, ARRL Southeastern Division

+ State of Connecticut Recognizes Operator

Derby, Connecticut, June 28 -- The Connecticut State General Assembly recognized Kevin W. Cellini, N1KGM, with an Official Citation for leadership and commitment to Emergency Management communications.

During her visit to the Derby Office of Emergency Management-sponsored 2008 Field Day site, State Representative Linda M. Gentile and Derby Emergency Management Director Vincent Vizzo resented the citation.

Cellini is the Chief Communications Officer for both the Region 1 Connecticut Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (DEMHS) and the Derby Office of Emergency Management. He is the Trustee for the CT Region 1 OEM Amateur Radio station KC1EOC. Cellini is the founder and manager of the Connecticut Regional Test Center, located in Trumbull. Since its inception in 1992, he has overseen the icensing of more than 2500 Amateur Radio operators. He is a founding member of the Greater Bridgeport ARC.

Cellini is an owner of the 441.700 MHz repeater system, a key link in the State of Connecticut Emergency Amateur Radio Communications Network. He is the Secretary of the Emergency Disaster Planning Committee and a member of the Grant Writing Board for the State of Connecticut ESF-11 Committee. He has received numerous FEMA ISC Certifications, as well as being an American Red Cross Disaster Response Team member. Cellini is also certified in the Management and Planning module of the National Center for Biomedical Research and Training Academy of Counter-Terrorism Computer Aided Management of Emergency Operations (CAMEO) software suite, which utilizes the latest computer techniques to model disaster site management. He was a participant in the 2008 Hurricane Disaster Council held at Savin Rock Conference Center, West Haven. At the request of the Director of the Region 1 DEMHS EOC, Cellini and other key GBARC members organized and delivered an Amateur Radio Technician course, which successfully licensed nine Police, Fire, Animal Control, State Animal Response Team (SART), and Citizens Emergency Response Team (CERT) First Responders.

+ LETTERS: Care Needed When Speaking to Public

While it doesn't seem to be a problem in true ARES situations, too many times in training exercises or public displays of Amateur Radio, the "spokesman" quoted in the media reports apparently has a death wish for ham radio.

As a member of the national ARRL PR Committee, I see far too many reports of people saying that ham radio is "dying out," is a "graying" hobby, we are "losing licensees," etc. The facts simply do  not bear this out. Amateur Radio is as vibrant and living as the ham who is doing the talking. As a community, we are adding more licenses each year than are not being renewed, and this du ring the absolute bottom of the sunspot cycle.

Jeff Reinhart, AA6JR, coined the phrase, "Every ham is a PIO," since every ham MAY be approached during an exercise. It is vital that everyone understand the licensing situation and be aware of what they

say can and will be used in the paper or on TV.

The League's PR Committee is very aware of the situation and works hard to stay on top of the situations as they pop up, but if everyone would just use the knowledge that we are still growing and learning and serving, this misinformation would dwindle or stop.

I commend the ARES people who have, so far, kept this from being a topic of discussion. It is unfortunate that others have such a negative view of our wonderful hobby/service.

Any hobby is like a garden: You must tend it to keep the weeds away and let it grow. We are the stewards of Amateur Radio and must look out of the seed bed. -- Jim McDonald, KB9LEI, ARRL PR Committee, Muncie, Indiana Public Information Officer. When All Else Fails...Amateur Radio. Please visit: <http://www.emergency-radio.org>

+ LETTERS: What is a Ham?

I saw an interesting poster at the recent Duke City Hamfest. It was an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper on which was printed the following:

"Echolink is a nail in the coffin of amateur radio!" Juxtapose that with Bob Bruninga's fascinating article in the September, 2008 QST, entitled Maximizing the Mobile Motorist Mission. As he talks about all the things we can do with an APRS enabled radio (Yup, I sold most of my VHF gear and will be buying a Kenwood 710 this week), the aggregation of wired and wireless communications to facilitate amateur communications is breathtaking.

These two divergent opinions exemplify the debate about what our hobby is and should be. There are self-described purists who still believe that we should withhold operating privileges from those who can't demonstrate Morse proficiency. They share our precious bandwidth with people who can communicate internationally on a hand held via IRLP.

With Fay bearing down on my kids in Florida, I'm listening to the hurricane net on 14.325 (nothing heard), watching the Ham generated spotting information pop up in real time on my WXSpots application and listening to Amateur manned EOCs talk to the NHC on the WX_TALK conference room on Echolink. Licensed Amateurs are donating their time, talent and treasure via all of these applications. And as the technological arts continue to evolve, Hams will likely be at the forefront, even as the radio-only crowd contends that anything that doesn't involve an RF carrier isn't Amateur Radio.

So here's my definition of a Ham:

We are Communications Solutions Specialists who serve the public good by deploying robust, survivable telecommunications systems in time of need. What does this mean? It means that when disaster strikes, Amateurs are among the first on the scene to set up emergency FM repeaters, long range low band (and satellite) communications systems and wireless broadband networks to seamlessly interconnect emergency services personnel and impacted citizens with the critical resources they need to ensure health and welfare. We are the common communication mechanism that can interconnect diverse emergency services organizations. We can provide expertise on everything from prorogation to CAT-5 and we have a McGyver can-do spirit that keeps the information flow going, no matter what.

In almost all disaster situations, the traditional communications and utility infrastructure is compromised. Hams have the technology and the expertise to quickly deploy applications that can re-connect effected areas with the telecom grid. It may start with FM and HF, but our HSMM laptops can relay email, pictures, video, data and voice communications even more effectively, using interfaces that are familiar and easy to operate. As WB4APR reminds us, we have our own unique text messaging infrastructure that can mirror the button punching we do on our cell phones. With an IGate, those messages seamlessly move from our spectrum to the light speed fiber optic networks that are the backbone of the Internet.

When Dennis Dura, K2DCD spoke to our hamfest banquet, The ARRL's Emergency Preparedness and Response Manager cautioned us that the frequencies we use are worth billions to a government who likes to sell our resources to the highest bidder. The foundation of our small foothold in this space, he said, is Amateur Radio's unparalleled record of community service.

This is the story we need to keep telling over and over. Just as spark evolved to modulated carrier, Amateur Communications in the 21st century must inevitably become an ever expanding suite of wired and wireless applications, aggregated to best serve the public interest, convenience and necessity. Our hobby has room for everyone and this definition should not stop you from banging the Vibroplex, if that's your passion. But we should change our mindset of who we are, from Amateur Radio to Amateur Telecom.

Hams have been connected with every technological innovation from CW to the Internet. We will invariably be at the forefront as the paradigms of amateur telecommunications continue to shift. This is the magic that attracts new blood to the hobby. And it can be the secret sauce preserves and expands the five pillars that are the foundation of the American Radio Relay League: Public service, advocacy, education, fellowship (membership) and technology. Just as our neighbors call us first for advice on how to set up the security on their Internet routers, they can also depend on us to be there with radios, routers, antennae, solar panels, batteries and brainpower, "when all else fails". Scott Westerman, W9WSW

+ TIPS: PocketMod

Absolutely brilliant tool! Pocketmod takes up to 8 full size pages, turns them into a single sheet of paper, which folds into a pocket sized booklet. <http://www.pocketmod.com> -- Jerry Reimer, KK5CA

Frequency Planning for ARES

With your ARES/RACES members having their radios programmed alike, you can count on everyone--even newcomers--to be able to get on a particular repeater or simplex frequency in a hurry. Net control can then direct operators to tune to a particular channel number or name, just like the public safety agencies do, rather than announcing a frequency, perhaps repeated two or three times, along with an offset and a PL tone. As a net control, I find names much easier to remember than frequency pairs.

We have a large number of inexperienced hams. In order to standardize their radios and make operation easier for everyone, I developed a frequency plan for my county's ARES group. The document, titled "The San Joaquin County ARES VHF Frequency Plan," includes 58 channels of  which 15 channels are mission critical. The other channels include 18 regional frequencies and all two-meter simplex frequencies.

Channels 21-35 include three wide-coverage repeaters, designated ARES 1, 2, and 3. These are followed by 146.520 MHz, designated "CALL." There are five simplex channels, SJS1-5, the initials standing for San Joaquin Simplex. REDX is the designation for 147.420 MHz, the informal Red Cross simplex frequency. Local club repeaters round out the group. These 15 channels cover all the frequencies we are likely to use during a local emergency. I selected them after asking the clubs, talking to served agencies, and finding quiet simplex channels through computerized monitoring. Each frequency is assigned a channel number and name, never more than five characters in length, a limitation necessary for alphanumeric displays.

ARES1, for example, is the primary ARES repeater for my county. LODI1 is the repeater used by the Lodi Amateur Radio Club. Their simplex channel is designated SJS3. The Manteca Amateur Radio Club's repeater is designated MAN1. The next group, the regional frequencies, uses channels 41-58. This group was based on a list provided by California State OES that includes the frequencies used in surrounding counties. These were added so that we are ready to offer mutual aid, but also because they provide a link to both San Francisco and the State EOC in Sacramento.

The last group, channels 71-95, includes all the 2-meter simplex channels and was added mostly for convenience during training exercises. If people are using the channel plan, it's easy to get newcomers onto the right frequency simply by dialing up the right memory channel.

All simplex frequencies in the plan encode a 100 Hz PL tone. I am not decoding it, but could do so if needed. It also helps identify radios programmed with our plan. I use tone encode/decode on repeaters, when possible, to reduce interference.

Some ask why there are no UHF frequencies in the plan: Mostly because of PAVE PAWS, the government RADAR system that has forced big changes in our area's UHF repeater line-up. But also because, and this may be sufficient reason by itself, new hams could purchase an inexpensive one-band radio.

Lessons Learned

Before:

1. Does a plan already exist? If so, try to make the current plan work or at least use it as a starting point for a new plan.

2. Are you the right person to create a new plan? You need at least a constituency and, ideally, an official position (or several) to begin this process. If not, you're likely to end up with a great plan that nobody uses.

3. Do your research. Absent an existing plan, what frequencies are being used already? Get lists from clubs and served agencies.

4. Don't expect your plan to take a short time to complete. And once it is completed, let it age a little, then go back and make changes before releasing it. Provide for peer review.

During:

1. Everything that anyone already uses needs to be included in the plan. Make a list of these frequencies and who uses them. Invite everyone to take part in creating the plan. You need as many endorsers (and eventual users) as possible.

2. Make sure you have extra simplex channels designated in your plan. Pick a PL and encode it on all your simplex channels.

3. Don't make mistakes. At least, don't make big ones, like the PL tones of your local repeaters or (as I did) including 146.580 MHz as a simplex voice channel when the band plan places digital users there.

4. Check coverage to see what can be hit from where. Document this in the plan notes.

5. Ask for permission. Local repeater owners are key supporters. Establish Memorandums of Understanding with them, if appropriate.

6. Include version notes, known issues, planned changes, etc., in the "paper" versions of your plan.

7. Build a plan with the expectation it will last for many years.

After:

1. Expect to spend forever promoting your plan. Get official endorsement wherever and whenever possible.

2. Don't make changes if you can help it. I'd rather add a channel than change or remove an existing channel.

3. Make the available programming files for popular radios. I am starting to do this for a variety of mobile and portable radios. I also keep programming software for popular radios on my laptop and carry cables with me, so I can program radios for people whenever I'm asked to do so. I think it's useful for ARES/RACES groups to promote a frequency plan such as this. I hope the concepts presented will work for your group and look forward to your comments and questions so I can make my own plan better. -- David Coursey, N5FDL, Emergency Coordinator for San Joaquin County, California ARES and ACS/RACES Radio Officer for the City of Tracy, California; EMT; Mentor/Instructor, ARRL Emergency Communications Courses + ARRL Continuing Education Course Registration: Emergency  Communications Level 1 Registration remains open through Sunday, August 24, 2008 for the course Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level 1 (EC-001) session beginning on Friday, September 5, 2008. The on-line course has been developed in segments -- learning units with objectives, informative text, student activities and quizzes. Courses are interactive, and some include direct communications with a Mentor/Instructor. Students register for a particular session that may be 8, 12 or 16 weeks (depending on the course) and they may access the course at any time of day during the course period, completing lessons and activities at times convenient for their personal schedule. Mentors assist students by answering questions, reviewing assignments and activities, as well as providing helpful  feedback. Interaction with mentors is conducted through e-mail; there is no appointed time the student must be present allowing complete flexibility for the student to work when and where it is convenient.

To learn more, visit the CCE Course Listing page <http://www.arrl.org/cce/courses.html> or contact the Continuing Education Program Coordinator <cce@arrl.org>.

[Also recommended are FEMA courses IS-100, 200, 700 and 800, as described in the last issue <http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/IS/crslist.asp>. It is essential that members be familiar with the ICS and NIMS environments. - ed.]

+ OEM Hosts Connecticut City Day Special Event Station

The Derby, Connecticut Office of Emergency Management (OEM), under the direction of Vincent Vizzo, hosted the Greater Bridgeport Amateur Radio Club (GBARC) Special Event Station at Derby Day in southwest Connecticut. During the event, Vizzo displayed two of his mobile emergency response communications vehicles. These vehicles provide police, fire, remote television, emergency management command and HF/UHF/VHF/Packet Amateur Radio communications capabilities. Members   of GBARC have been deputized as officials of the OEM's Special Communications Unit. Together they form a partnership, which provides seamless emergency communications throughout all of the first responder and Amateur Radio frequencies.

During the Derby Day event, GBARC operated a special event station using their club call WA1RJI, and contacted 47 stations in 14 States. During the event, Connecticut 3rd District U.S. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro visited the station and GBARC Public Information Officer John G. Russo, KA1JXW, and WA1RJI Station Trustee, acted as control operator and provided the congresswoman with a QSO to the state of    Georgia. The Congresswoman highlighted the importance of Amateur Radio's critical public service role during natural and man made disasters. She encouraged GBARC to continue to grow its partnership with the Derby Office of Emergency Management, working to keep the lines of communications open when they are most needed. -- John G. Russo, KA1JXW, Greater Bridgeport ARC PIO

+ Simulated Emergency Test October 4-5

The venerable ARRL Simulated Emergency Test (SET) is slated for October 4-5 this year, although ARES groups are free to conduct their exercises anytime between September and December for convenience. All can participat. The exercise is not limited to ARES, but also RACES, NTS, SKYWARN, SATERN, and other groups.

Testing your plans and capabilities is mission critical, and the annual SET is designed specifically for this purpose. Make sure to participate. Individual operators should contact their ECs for schedules and plans.

See September 2008 QST, p. 82 for more information. [See the September issue also for its theme of Emergency Communications! The staff did an excellent job on this one - do not miss it. - K1CE]

+ K1CE For a Final

My First 911 Call Ever -- As I was driving down a lonely county road to last night's ARES meeting, I saw a billow of smoke in the woods where a car had a second before crashed and ended up on its side after sheering off a large pine tree. Two male passersby ran to the car while I called 911: the dispatcher wanted to know if there were injuries and should they send med-evac and fire assets? I glanced again at the smoldering scene and told her to send everything they had. The two men were panicky, trying to get the door open, while I looked inside at the elderly couple jammed into the compacted passenger compartment (with windshield smashed, airbags deployed).

The woman was moaning, and the man was bleeding at the forehead, but both were awake and alert. The door was opened, we offered assurance to the couple, and I gave my sweatshirt to the man with the instruction to apply pressure with it to the bleeding site. I was ready to assess the couple for the ABC's of CPR when EVAC and fire units rolled up and took over. A horrific scene, but I was pleased that I was able to keep calm, and think clearly about what needed to be assessed and done: Was the vehicle stable? Was there bleeding to be stopped? Were the victims' airway, breathing and circulation intact? I think the couple probably survived. Lesson Learned: ARES Operators (and everybody, for that matter) should be certified in CPR, and practice/train/practice and practice some more so that skills can be effected with a cool head during the real thing.

A few readers expressed concerns over the announcement in the last ssue that the ARES E-Letter would be published in an HTML format.

Harold Kramer, WJ1B, the ARRL's Chief Operating Officer answered with the following: "A plain text version of the newsletter will still be available. The ability to run pictures, diagrams and graphics great l increase the amount of information that we can convey to the readers.

We do not embed the images in the newsletter. They are downloaded separately. This is done to improve mailing and download time. Must browsers render our HTML very consistently. If someone is running a very old OS and browser, there might be a problem."

Hope this allays some of the concerns! See you next month! 73, Rick K1CE

The ARES E-Letter is published on the third Wednesday of each month by the American Radio Relay League--The National Association For Amateur Radio--225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax 860-594-0259; <http://www.arrl.org/>. Joel Harrison, W5ZN, President.

The ARES E-Letter is an e-mail digest of news and information of interest to active members of the ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES).

Material from The ARES E-Letter may be republished or reproduced in whole or in part in any form without additional permission. Credit must be given to The ARES E-Letter and The American Radio Relay League.

Editorial questions or comments: Rick Palm, K1CE, k1ce@arrl.net

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To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your address for e-mail delivery:

ARRL members first must register on the Members Only Web Site, http://www.arrl.org/members/. You'll have an opportunity during registration to sign up for e-mail delivery of the The ARES E-Letter, W1AW bulletins, and other material. ARRL members may subscribe to The ARES E-Letter by going to the Member Data Page at: http://www.arrl.org/members-only/memdata.html?modify=1 Note that you must be logged in to the site to access this page. Scroll down to the section "Which of the following would you like to receive automatically via email from ARRL?" Check the box for "ARES E-Letter (monthly public service and emergency communications news)" and you're all set.

Past issues of The ARES E-Letter are available at http://www.arrl.org/ares-el/. Issues are posted to this page after publication.

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The ARES E-Letter July 18, 2008

Rick Palm, K1CE, Editor <http://www.qrz.com/database?callsign=K1CE>,

ARES reports, other related contributions, editorial questions or comments: <k1ce@arrl.net>

+ ARRL Tells Red Cross of Remaining Background Check Policy Concerns ARRL President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, has written to Armond T. Mascelli, Vice President for Domestic Disaster response for the American Red Cross (ARC), to identify the ARRL's remaining concerns over the background check policy for ARC partners. Harrison emphasized that the commencement of negotiation of a replacement Statement of Understanding (SOU) between the two organizations should not be further delayed while these concerns are resolved, and that he looked forward to signing a new SOU once additional edits to the background check Disclosure Form and clarifications of the background check Authorization Form are in place for those radio amateurs who volunteer their service to the Red Cross.

Harrison first wrote to Mascelli on November 28, 2007, setting out the ARRL's concerns with the background check procedures recently implemented by the ARC. ARC now requires a background check for amateur radio volunteers seeking to support a Red Cross disaster relief response for more than a seven day period. In the ARRL's view, amateur radio volunteers were being asked to consent to a more intrusive background check than was necessary or appropriate.

Mascelli's reply on May 8, 2008, addressed some of the ARRL's concerns, and Harrison's latest letter to the ARC - sent on June 30,

2008 - recognizes considerable improvement in the forms related to the background check procedures that are linked via the ARC's Web site. However, Harrison also states that analysis of the forms has revealed two continuing problems:

* The Authorization for Background Investigation consent form still contains "some highly equivocal and broad language which, because of its ambiguity, will inevitably discourage substantial numbers of radio amateurs from participating in the background check process."

This form was not included with Mascelli's reply and was not seen by the ARRL until later.

* The "Disclosure Regarding Background Investigation" can still be construed as overly broad, although this can be corrected by fairly simple edits.

Harrison told Mascelli, "We do not want the implementation of these additional changes to further delay the negotiation of the terms of a replacement SOU. A new SOU is, in my view, a critical and urgent matter. Because the old SOU expired on September 16, 2007, the vacuum thereafter has served neither ARRL nor ARC well." ARRL and ARC staff are ready to work on a draft replacement SOU, the text of which will be reviewed by the ARRL's Programs and Services Committee and approved by either the Executive Committee or the Board prior to completion.

Harrison concluded, "We look forward to continuing to provide seamless disaster response communications by Amateur Radio and to enhancing and expanding ARRL's proud partnership with the American Red Cross. I look forward to meeting with you and executing the new SOU once additional edits to the Disclosure Form, and adequate clarifications are included in the Authorization Form that appears on your web site for partner organizations are made, and when the new SOU terms are agreed upon."

In This Issue:

+ ARRL Tells Red Cross of Remaining Background Check Policy Concerns IN
+ HIS OWN WORDS: Sacramento Valley SM W6KJ on California Fire Disaster
 Minnesota Tornadoes Response
+ GAREC-2008 Assembly Issues Statement, Congratulates Chinese World
+ Amateur Radio Day 2009 to Showcase EmComm Region 2 EMCOR Changes Hands
+ Virginia Section "The New Era Begins Now"
+ LETTERS: Current JNOS Version and Development
+ LETTERS: ESF 15
+ LETTERS: Licensing Standards
+ TRAINING: Git 'R Done!
+ K1CE For a Final

+ IN HIS OWN WORDS: Sacramento Valley SM W6KJ on California Fire Disaster

When we look back on June 2008, we will remember it as a month when Amateur Radio looked good in California. Here in the Sacramento Valley Section, a dedicated group of volunteers worked at Red Cross shelters and stations, supported domestic animal rescue operations, and sought other ways to help their communities.

It started with too little rainfall over the winter. Then early in the month came the hot, dry winds. SEC Richard Cloyd, WO6P, put the Section ARES leadership on Stand By Alert. A careless woodcutting operation apparently sparked a fire that eventually consumed 24,000 acres. At mid-month our wild lands, so full of tinder dry fuel, began to burn. First threatened was the city of Paradise. That emergency lasted several days. A problem for Paradise is the lack of evacuation routes. When it was safe to go home, people did, but with a new appreciation for the need for better evacuation plans.

The high winds were gone, but then we had dry thunderstorms, dropping very little rain but lots of lightning strikes. First we heard of 400, then 800, then over 1000 wild land fires. People in other mountain communities were advised, then directed, to evacuate their homes and seek shelters set up by the Red Cross.

In Butte County, EC Steve Kaps, N6NPN, opened the ARES net on the Golden Empire ARS W6RHC repeater. As with the first fire, it was Chuck Orgovan, KF6YKQ, and Anna Horn, KG6ZOA, of Paradise, who manned the Spring Valley school shelter. The first shelter operation revealed that the coverage of the W6RHC repeater was not good in the shelter area. But, by relaying the communications between Spring Valley and NCS Steve, N6NPN via the Sutter County WD6AXM repeater, we were able to make things work. A better antenna at the shelter seemed to help for a while, but eventually operations shifted entirely to the WD6AXM machine.

Shelters in other areas of the section were being opened, and SEC WO6P relayed that information to me. I informed Red Cross in Yuba City. Within minutes they realized they did not know where and when these other shelters were opening. We then opened the KG6WGQ station at Three Rivers Chapter of the American Red Cross in Yuba City so that we had a better chance of communicating with multiple outlying shelters. The station was to be open when the ARC response group was operating. That meant shifts, so we went to three five-hour shifts per day for a week. At one point, Ken Miller, KF6JRE, volunteered to take a shift in Yuba City from his home in West Sacramento. We were able to pass Red Cross requirements so that opening shelters would send their information to the various people who needed it.

Shift scheduling was handled by Paul Johnson, N6XVL, of Olivehurst, who came up with a list of volunteers to man all the shifts for this week of Red Cross operation. We were in the process of scheduling relief for Butte County operators when, on Friday night, June 27, Red Cross decided to move from Yuba City to Chico to better use the resources they had in place there. At that point, further net operation by ARES was not needed and so was suspended for the weekend.

Fire suppression efforts were making headway, and on Monday morning, June 30, most of the sheltered population was allowed to return home.

Tired operators and malfunctioning equipment got a much-needed rest.

On Sunday, June 29, Yuba/Sutter EC Art Craigmill, K6ALC, of Oregon House, heard a fire call on his scanner. The location was nearby so he gathered his equipment and went to check on the situation. He was able to direct traffic for a while to move curious motorists on their way. He heard that a nearby resident was worried so he went to reassure her. The grass fire was being controlled. On his way there he saw another fire. He notified the incident commander, and then took action to stop the spread of this new fire, which was at a home construction site. The home had water pressure and this aided Art in his fire-fighting efforts until the engine company arrived to put it out.

Throughout the Section and beyond, smoke from wild land fires made the air dangerously contaminated with particulate matter. Various satellite imagery and news photos were available to emphasize this point. The air stank of smoke and things burned.

With air quality values as bad as we have seen them in 25 years, many clubs in the section had to cancel their Field Day operations. First to do so was the Nevada County ARC. Not only did they not get to do Field Day, but their site at the Nevada County Fairgrounds was used as a fire fighting staging area. Oroville ARS had many operators involved in the shelter operation, and Bill Cross, K6DYT, was volunteering as an animal shelter worker. Virginia Paschke, KI6COL, also deployed to Butte County from her home in Sutter County to help at the animal shelter. Ginny got her license last year for this very reason. The domestic animal rescue group provides assurance for people who need to evacuate that they can do so without leaving their pets behind. It speeds the evacuation process and keeps people from getting into more dangerous situations.

Finally, Chico's GEARS, and Yuba Sutter's YSARC also decided that the air contamination was too severe for Field Day and they cancelled also. Both clubs had many members who manned ARES shifts during this emergency.

Assistant Section Manager for Youth, Curtis Maccoun, KI6ESK, reported smoky conditions in the Nevada area east of the Mother Lode DX Club Field Day location on Martis Peak with ten operators. Most of the places operating this weekend would see a slight clearing of the thick smoke that plagued more northern locations. It was a reminder that fires remain burning-nearly 2000 as this is written-and that we should all remain ready for the next phase of this emergency. -- Ron Murdock, W6KJ, ARRL Sacramento Valley Section Manager

+ Minnesota Tornadoes Response

The Southwest Minnesota ARES Team responded to a June 11 storm front, which moved through southwest Minnesota bringing wind and two tornadoes. The tornadoes touched down in and around Fulda. The ARES group is comprised of local county ARES teams from Murray, Cottonwood, Nobles, and Jackson counties. Southwest Minnesota District 5 EC Dan Royalon, KD0ASX, was spotting along with nine ARES members during the severe weather with direct communications to the Murray County Sheriff's department. Provided were real time reports and accurate information on storm events and what was happening in the area. The Sheriff's department commented on how the ARES team was a real service to the community in spotting for severe weather that day.

Two newspapers cited the team, which is SKYWARN trained. Due to its communications and training, the local Murray County Medical Center hospital was able to make decisions on what to do with their patients and securing the hospital from the severe weather. This was done by having one of the nurses on duty (holder of a Technician class license) monitoring team communications on the 2-meter repeater located in Slayton, Minnesota, using her hand-held radio. She stated that the ARES team had provided faster up to date information than the local radio or TV stations from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, could provide. -- Kevin Haney, KC0YKX, NREMT-B, Murray County, Minnesota Emergency Coordinator <http://www.MurrayCountyARES.org>

+ GAREC-2008 Assembly Issues Statement, Congratulates Chinese

The fourth Global Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Conference,

GAREC-2008, was held with the 33rd HamRadio exhibition and meeting in

Friedrichshafen, Germany, June 26-27, 2008. It was attended by

representatives of national IARU member societies and Amateur Radio

emergency communications groups from all three IARU Regions.

The group reviewed the results of the GAREC-05, GAREC-06 and GAREC-07 meetings, noting progress made on their recommendations, and also assessed recent experiences with exercises and actual emergency operations. It noted the new MOU between the IARU and the ITU in 2007 (The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the telecomms-regulatory branch of the UN, and the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU), which is the international NGO whose objective is to protect, promote and advance Amateur and Amateur-Satellite Services, signed the Memorandum of Understanding in Geneva in December 2007). The IARU and ITU have already cooperated on running training courses for both radio amateurs and telecommunications regulators. This agreement paves the way for more training courses across the globe, and the parties will engage in joint projects and activities, sharing information on emergency telecommunications.

The assembly also noted the IARU and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) agreement of 2008 <http://www.ifrc.org/docs/news/speech08/hp270608.asp>, and the Operational Agreement between the IARU and the United Nations (UN) in force since 1999.

The assembly reviewed the reports on the Simulated Emergency Tests (SET) held in Region 1 in 2006 and 2007 and of the first Global SET held in May 2008, and the reports on recent emergency communications operations, in particular the report from the Chinese Radio Sports Association (CRSA), and the Declaration of the Global Forum on Effective Use of Telecommunications/ICT for Disaster Management: Saving Lives (Geneva, Switzerland, December 10-12, 2007) <http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/emergencytelecoms/events/global_forum/partnershipstyle2.html> .

The group formally asked the ITU to support the activities of IARU and of countries in the implementation of the emcomm modifications of Article 25 of the international Radio Regulations. (The part of Article 25 concerning Emergency Communications says "Amateur stations may be used for transmitting international communications on behalf of third parties only in case of emergencies or disaster relief. An administration may determine the applicability of this provision to amateur stations under its jurisdiction" (RR 25.3), and "Administrations are encouraged to take the necessary steps to allow amateur stations to prepare for and meet communication needs in support of disaster relief" (RR 25.9A).

GAREC-08 conferees called on all national IARU member societies, including ARRL, and specialized amateur radio emergency communications groups to take action on the following:

* Ensure that their government authorities (like the FCC here in the U.S.) implement the modifications to Article 25 discussed above, in particular the regulations governing third-party-traffic during emergencies and during training for emergency operations.

* Promote the concept of the Center of Activity frequencies for emergency traffic and the recommendation concerning use of the suffix "/D" by stations engaged in emergency traffic or emergency communication exercises.

* To use any available real-time communications channels, including but not limited to Web sites, bulletin boards and DX-clusters to draw the attention of the largest possible number of Amateur Radio operators to on-going emergency communications near the Center of Activity Frequencies, in order to prevent interference with such traffic.

* To include where possible into their contest rules the recommendation that a frequency range of 5 kHz above and below the Center of Activity frequencies adopted by the conferences in the three ITU (IARU) Regions should be kept free of contest traffic.

* To use their contacts with national regulatory authorities to encourage the implementation of the Tampere Convention on the Provision of Telecommunication Resources for Disaster Mitigation and Relief Operations. See <http://www.iaru.org/emergency/tc-hams.html>

* To support the work of the IARU on an international Emergency Communications Handbook and to provide copies of agreements with partners (served agencies) in emergency response as well as copies of emergency communication guidelines, manuals, and checklists developed for national or local use as inputs to this work.

* To make optimum use of resources available from IARU member societies and specialized groups towards a favorable national regulatory environment.

* To work towards establishing cooperation with the Red Cross and Red Crescent societies. <http://www.ifrc.org/docs/news/speech08/hp270608.asp> The assembly also congratulated the Chinese Radio Sports Association (CRSA) on the outstanding contribution of Chinese Amateur Radio operators in support of the humanitarian response to the tragic events of May 2008.

It called upon the IARU Administrative Council and International Secretariat to advise and assist in the work on the IARU Emergency Communications Handbook, and the publication of a leaflet or brochure presenting the role of the Amateur Radio Service in emergency communications.

And finally, the group recommended that annual GAREC conferences should rotate among the three ITU (IARU) Regions and maintain the character of GAREC as an informal meeting among representatives of IARU member societies and of Amateur Radio groups specializing in emergency communications, serving as a forum for the exchange of experience and as an advisory body for the work on emergency communications of the IARU.

+ World Amateur Radio Day 2009 to Showcase EmComm The Administrative Council (AC) of the IARU held its annual meeting on June 24-25 in Konstanz, Germany and took the following action:

"Amateur Radio: Your Resource in Disaster and Emergency Communication" was selected as the theme for the next World Amateur Radio Day, April 18, 2009. [Each year on the anniversary of its founding, April 18, the IARU marks World Amateur Radio Day. On this day next year, the anniversary of its inaugural meeting in Paris, the IARU dedicates World Amateur Radio Day to the use of Amateur Radio as a valuable emcomm resource].

+ Region 2 EMCOR Changes Hands

IARU Region 2 President Reinaldo Leandro, YV5AMH, has appointed Dr Cesar Pio Santos A., HR2P, of San Pedro Sula, Honduras, as IARU Region 2 Emergency Communications Coordinator; Santos will be taking over from Rick Palm, K1CE. According to Leandro, Santos is a well-known emergency expert in the region who helped to provide emergency communications and medical relief in Honduras in the wake of Hurricane Mitch. He remains active as a volunteer in his country's governmental emergency communications institution and as a member of the Emergency Communications Advisory Group (ECAG) for Area D (Central America) in IARU Region 2.

[It was my pleasure and privilege to work with Dr. Santos, who was one of the finest and most regular contributors to the work of the Region's Emergency Communications Advisory Group. He will serve as an excellent role model and leader for Region 2 emcomm initiatives. - K1CE]

+The NEW Era Begins Now!

A historic document went into effect 11:30 AM on Thursday, July 3, 2008, when Michael M. Cline, State Coordinator, Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM), A. C. "Mac" McNeer, K4YEF, State RACES Officer, and Virginia ARRL Section Manager (SM) Carl A. Clements, W4CAC, and Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC) Ronald M. Sokol, K4KHZ, signed the Memorandum of Understanding between VDEM and VA Section ARRL at the Virginia Emergency Operations Center in Richmond. "It was a lot of work completed by a lot of people that made this significant event happen," stated SM Clements, "and we will continue to work together with emergency managers across the Commonwealth in support of their emergency communications needs in service to the citizens and guests in Virginia."

SEC Ron Sokol was extremely pleased that the signing of the document has come to fruition. He stated " The restoration of this MOU has taken a succession of ARES Administrations to accomplish. Both Carl and I are pleased to be in leadership at this time to see this MOU to conclusion. We are fortunate to have such viable and flexible VDEM leadership and staff with which to work. A special thanks to Terry Hebert, KG4GLS, of VDEM, for his tireless efforts of assisting in the accomplishment of this task. This document allows ARES/RACES to be as ONE in the best interests of the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia." Joe Safranek, K4JJS, PIC, VA Section ARRL

+ LETTERS: Current JNOS Version and Development

I saw the item in the June issue about JNOS and followed the link included: The author's page had available an old version of the program with no links to the current effort. Maiko Langelaar, VE4KLM, has picked up JNOS after version 1.11f and has done a great job of keeping it current. His site for JNOS 2 is <http://www.langelaar.net/projects/jnos2/>, which includes current documentation and installation downloads. JNOS is strongly present in the Michigan state-wide packet network. -- Clark Wierda, N8CBW <n8cbw@arrl.net>

+ LETTERS: ESF-15

In re the item in the last issue about ESF-15 in Palm Beach County: Volunteer Reception Centers (VRC) focus on unaffiliated volunteers. These are the people that are not registered nor involved in some type of established volunteer program.

After a disaster, a large number of volunteers want to help. Some drive across town, while others drive across the country. In Polk County during the 2004 Hurricane Season, our VRC was operational for about nine weeks. -- Paul Womble, K4FB, Polk County (Florida) Emergency Management <pwomble@tampabay.rr.com>

I was the state chair for Massachusetts VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) for several years until 2003. MAVOAD was the lead agency for ESF-15. MAVOAD was positioned as a group coordinating the activities of its member agencies, but had no way to actually direct their efforts in carrying out the tasks of ESF-15.

Each member agency recruited, qualified and trained its own volunteers. Each found its own funding, particularly in disasters, and there was little, if any, sharing of resources. There were from time to time cooperative actions between agencies in specific disaster responses.

The MAVOAD roster included local representatives of national and local agencies active in disaster. I also represented ARRL/ARES. Within the MAVOAD structure, disaster responses rarely required a subordinated communications support but we were ready.

I do understand the rationale for each agency to qualify and train its own volunteers, especially now with heightened security. However well-intentioned, volunteers cannot be accepted off the street, especially hams, but even shelter workers.

ESF-15 deals with volunteers and donations, and management of the latter is crucial. Every disaster explodes with material donations that were not requested but offered and/or delivered anyway. Generous individuals believe certain items are "needed" and they just want to know where to deliver them. Manufacturers, distributors and retailers also use the occasion to dump goods regardless of need in the disaster. I suggest looking into the FEMA courses on donation management. For ESF-15 members the value goes well beyond its title. - Bob Salow, WA1IDA, Natick, Massachusetts <wa1ida@arrl.net>

[For an understanding of VOADs, see <http://www.nvoad.org>; ARRL is a NVOAD member. For a complete look at all Emergency Support Functions (ESF) under the new National Response Framework, see <http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nrf/> -- ed].

+ LETTERS: No Ham Left Behind

I have to agree with the "No Ham Left Behind" comment in the last issue by Paul W. Plack, AE4KR, Murray, Utah. Over the years I've seen far too many Amateur Radio operators with a holier-than-thou attitude that discourages the new generation of hams. It is long past time that we start supporting one another more. -- Ed Humphries, N5RCK, Powder Springs, Georgia

+ TRAINING: Git 'R Done!

In its 2007 report to the ARRL Board of Directors, the League's National Emergency Response Planning Committee (NERPC) recommended that several courses be taken by emcomm operators:

* ARRL's ARECC Level 1 <http://www.arrl.org/cep/calendar/> Description: Introduction to Amateur Radio Emergency Communications.

A basic course to raise awareness and provide additional knowledge and tools for any emergency communications volunteer. This course has 23 lesson units, is expected to take approximately 25 hours to complete over an 8-week period. Senior hams are encouraged to participate! Prerequisites: Amateur Radio license. Basic computer, Internet, and email navigational skills are required. Availability: Classes for this course begin once per month. Additional Information: Each lesson consists of text, quiz questions, and Student Activities, which are required for successful completion. Every student is assigned a mentor/instructor to review his/her student activities and guide him/her through the course. This course is a prerequisite to Level 2, EC-002 and Level 3, EC-003, Amateur Radio Emergency Communications courses. Students have the option of printing course information and reading offline. A printed transcript of course material is available as an option and for additional cost. Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Course, ARRL Order No. 8462. Suggested Reference Material: The Emergency Communication Handbook, ARRL Order No. 9388. Non-Member Cost: $75.00 ARRL Member Cost: $45.00

* Red Cross combined course in Adult CPR/First Aid Basics

* Red Cross online Introduction to Disaster Services See <http://www.redcross.org/flash/course01_v01/> for information on theses courses.

* FEMA IS-100 (Introduction to Incident Command System) See <http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/is/is100.asp>

* FEMA IS-200 (ICS for Single Resource and Initial Action Incidents) See <http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/is/is200.asp>

* FEMA IS-700 (National Incident Management System) See <http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/is/is700.asp>

Except for the first two, all courses are free of charge, and CPR/First Aid may be free to members of the Red Cross. CPR/First Aid is the only course that requires periodic refreshers and the only course which must be taken in person rather than on the Internet. The NERPC decided that medical professionals should be exempted from the CPR/First Aid course requirement. Where FEMA courses exist in more than one current version - aimed at somewhat different audiences - any of the currently-available versions will suffice.

[As a medical professional, I also highly recommend The American Heart Association (AHA) Basic Life Support (BLS), and Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) courses, both of which I've taken several times over the past few years - K1CE}  If you are real glutton for training, see <http://training.fema.gov/> for many more high-quality courses that will make you an even more valuable volunteer.

+ K1CE For A Final

In the near future, the ARES E-Letter will be changing to an HTML format that will allow us to publish your ARES photos, so please send good quality .jpg files to your editor <k1ce@arrl.net>. Keep the size to well under a meg, please! For an idea of what the ARES E-Letter will look like, see the Contest Update e-letter, edited by Ward Silver, N0AX, on the archives at the League's Web site <http://www.arrl.org/contests/update/index.html?issue=2008-07-09>.

See you next month! 73, Rick

Copyright 2008 American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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The ARES E-Letter is published on the third Wednesday of each month by the American Radio Relay League--The National Association For Amateur Radio--225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax 860-594-0259; <http://www.arrl.org/>. Joel Harrison, W5ZN, President.

The ARES E-Letter is an e-mail digest of news and information of interest to active members of the ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES).

Material from The ARES E-Letter may be republished or reproduced in whole or in part in any form without additional permission. Credit must be given to The ARES E-Letter and The American Radio Relay League.

Editorial questions or comments: Rick Palm, K1CE, k1ce@arrl.net

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To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your address for e-mail delivery:

ARRL members first must register on the Members Only Web Site, http://www.arrl.org/members/. You'll have an opportunity during registration to sign up for e-mail delivery of the The ARES E-Letter, W1AW bulletins, and other material. ARRL members may subscribe to The ARES E-Letter by going to the Member Data Page at: http://www.arrl.org/members-only/memdata.html?modify=1 Note that you must be logged in to the site to access this page.

Scroll down to the section "Which of the following would you like to receive automatically via email from ARRL?" Check the box for "ARES E-Letter (monthly public service and emergency communications news)" and you're all set.

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The ARES E-Letter June 20, 2008

Rick Palm, K1CE, Editor <http://www.qrz.com/database?callsign=K1CE>,

ARES reports, other related contributions, editorial questions or comments: <k1ce@arrl.net>;;

+ The View from Flagler County

Many readers responded with comments and questions in re the new Red Cross policy discussed in the last issue. Here is the further statement of ARRL HQ's Chief Operating Officer Harold Kramer, WJ1B:

"While we believe that the Red Cross is implementing some changes that will address some of the concerns expressed to them by ARRL, at this point, it is work in process. There are many questions yet to be answered, but we believe that the Red Cross is progressing in good faith to complete the changes to their policy and their background check consent form, which was the primary concern expressed to the Red Cross by ARRL. There will be more clarifications and information in the near future. Please keep an eye on the ARRL Web site for updates as we know them. We are very much aware of your concerns and have conveyed them to the Red Cross. We expect the Red Cross to address these and other concerns on subject of their background check policy in the near future." -- Harold Kramer, WJ1B, Chief Operating Officer

------

In This Issue:

+ The View from Flagler County

+ Midwest Floods

+ Amateur Radio Session Held at National Hurricane Conference

+ 2008 Alabama and Mississippi Hurricane Conference Hawaii State CD

+ Makani Pahili Hurricane Exercise Colorado Tornadoes Response Florida

+ Fires Response A Repeater on the Fire Line in Northern California NHC

+ Director Joins WX4NHC Annual Test

+ LETTERS: New E-Mail Software

+ LETTERS: Red Cross Recruiting Hams in Chicago

+ LETTERS: Message Content Needed

+ LETTERS: On Obesity in Hams

+ LETTERS: Satellites in a Doomsday Scenario

+ LETTERS: United Way Lead for ESF 15?

+ LETTERS: Diminished Licensing, Technical Standards

+ CORRECTION: AO-51 Frequencies

+ K1CE For A Final

-------

+ Midwest Floods

The Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS) activated ARES members for tornado and flooding emergencies earlier this month. SEC Tony Langer, W9AL, said ops worked in EOCs and shelters, bagged sand, and aided in rescue efforts. Tornadoes visited 11 Indiana counties.

As water inundated the region, President Bush declared 29 counties in central Indiana a major disaster area. Four people died.

On June 8, IDHS called for more hams: "The flood waters have impacted several counties here in Indiana severely. Ham radio operators have been operating continuously since activated and are growing weary.

Some counties do not have a vast amount of active hams to relieve these tired operators." Specific areas needing amateur assistance were overnight relief operators at the Bartholomew County EOC, as well as the EOC and three shelters in Columbus County.

Marion County EC Mike Palmer, N9FEB, called out his ARES members:

"People might think, 'Why not just use telephones or cell phones?'

Well, many phones are not working down there at this time. With the high waters, electric transformers are out all over; even those servicing cell towers are out. Even with today's technology, we find ourselves looking at ham radio to assist. If you can spare a few hours or an entire evening, please consider helping."

In Wisconsin, five counties had called operators for duty ranging from backup communications to damage assessment. One county called on ARES members to provide patrols of flooded areas. Wisconsin SEC Bill Niemuth, KB9ENO, had 90 ARES members responding: "In Columbia County, ARES members provided dam monitoring communication, giving critical information to public safety officials about two dams that were nearly compromised."

Richland County ARES members provided a variety of services, including answering information calls in the County's EOC and providing specialized communications for disaster assessment by hover craft and airplane. These communications were in addition to providing traditional ham radio communication links between the EOC and evacuation shelters.

On June 12, more rain caused the state and more counties to request aid from area operators. Winnebago County ARES members provided damage assessment in the county and in the City of Oshkosh, while hams in Fond du Lac helped with shelter communications. ARES teams in Marquette and Outagamie provided back-up communications and flooding reports to their respective EOCs. -- excerpted from the ARRL Letter

[An inquiry to Iowa ARES leadership is pending in re the colossal tragedy of flooding events there and elsewhere - ed.]

+ Amateur Radio Session Held at National Hurricane Conference

[Ron Mettler, WB4GHU, represented the ARRL Northern Florida Section at the National Hurricane Conference, April 1, in Orlando, Florida.

Here is his report of the Amateur Radio Session there. -- ed.]

The Amateur Radio portion of the conference was divided into three presentations and was moderated by Dennis Dura, K2DCD, Manager of Emergency Preparedness & Response, ARRL and Chair of the National Hurricane Conference Amateur Radio Committee. The first session was given by the National Hurricane Center's Amateur Radio station WX4NHC organization, John McHugh, K4AG and Julio Ripoll, WD4R. In this segment, the many roles of Amateur Radio were illustrated by charts, audio clips, and video clips. Amateur Radio was praised for its historical role of assistance through the years in tracking hurricanes. The paths of access to the NHC were given:

<wx4nhc@wx4nhc.org>, the Hurricane Watch Net (14.325 MHz), the VoIP Hurricane Net, and the Citizen Weather Observer Program (CWOP). Both the NHC and the Coast Guard are considering implementing WinLink as well.

Another source of access to the NHC is through APRS. They appreciate this mode because gathering the data is automatic. In the past, NOAA initiated a program to provide weather stations to various amateur stations throughout the Caribbean, but the funding for that program was lost before the project was completed. For those amateurs interested in using APRS, the system that was used in this program is the Peet Brothers Model U2100.

In addition to the Hurricane Watch Net on 14.325 MHz, the NHC also gleans information from the Maritime Service Net on 14.300 MHz, and the Waterway Net on 7268 kHz.

One final way to get a report to the NHC is via an in-line reporting form on <http://www.wx4nhc.org>.

The second segment of the program was devoted to VoIP and EchoLink activity and presented by Rob Macedo, KD1CY. Using these methods provides an interoperability among government and non-government agencies to provide weather data to the NHC. There is a VoIP node on

7203 kHz, with an IRLP of 9219. A weekly net meets at 0000Z on Sunday (2000 Saturday night Eastern time) during hurricane season, and a monthly net at the same time on the first Sunday of the month during the hurricane off-season. The NHC is excited about using this mode to gather data, and amateurs are strongly encouraged to support it by checking into the VoIP Net.

The third portion of the program was dedicated to the roles that amateurs play during hurricanes. This session was presented by Dennis Dura, K2DCD and Rob Macedo, KD1CY. We are being looked to for weather reporting, damage assessment, monitoring of critical resources and infrastructures, communication augmentation, and communication infrastructure replacements. In addition, intelligence gathering through the SKYWARN program training is another expectation. The NHC shares such information with other agencies, once it is verified.

ARES and RACES intelligence gathering includes shelter communications and mass care communications, and this information is also shared across multiple levels of agencies. MARS members who are also SKYWARN trained can share information with DOD and other federal entities.

Even FEMA uses such information to determine appropriate responses.

The role of the amateur is changing. The new motto is "Before it fails, Amateur Radio gives situational assessment." We are no longer just communicators. We are being looked to for intelligence gathering, providing real-time assessment of conditions where we are.

In summary, if hams are actively performing all of these functions, we will have the situational awareness to know that something will fail, so we can be there when it does fail.

The future of Amateur Radio in disasters is changing dramatically, and our role is expanding in a new direction. It becomes an issue of personal responsibility for each of us to stay abreast of our training and technology in order to perform our role to its maximum.

-- Ron Mettler, WB4GHU, Sanford, Florida

+ 2008 Alabama and Mississippi Hurricane Conference

Emergency management personnel from Alabama and Mississippi assembled in late May for a three day hurricane conference in Mobile, Alabama.

The visitor list was an impressive one that included Alabama Governor Bob Riley, Alabama and Mississippi State EMA Directors, Director of the National Hurricane Center, and many FEMA Directors and personnel.

The conference brought exhibitors, vendors, presentations, meetings and breakout sessions that included a broad range of emergency management, hurricane disaster and lessons-learned related topics.

These conferences are a "must attend" event for Section Managers and Section Emergency Coordinators that are serious about providing emergency and disaster public service operations. Meeting many of the emergency management personnel, building relationships and discussing preparedness, must be done before the next disaster.

Alabama Section Manager Jay Isbell, KA4KUN, ASM Penny Isbell, KA4KUM, Baldwin County (Alabama) EC Patty Link, KI4JEO and ARRL Southeastern Division Director Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, hosted an ARRL booth and attended the conference.

Logged were nearly 30 Amateur Radio operators from the 460 conference attendees that stopped by the ARRL booth. While at the booth, the Emergency Management visitors repeatedly expressed their appreciation and respect for what Amateur Radio operators do. -- Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, ARRL Southeastern Division Director

+ Hawaii State CD Makani Pahili Hurricane Exercise

On Wednesday, May 21, Amateur Radio operators with the Hawaii State CD RACES (HSCD) program operated the KH6HPZ station at the EOC in Birkheimer Tunnel within Diamond Head crater from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, in support of the annual Makani Pahili hurricane exercise. Two days later on Saturday, May 24 from 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM, HSCD RACES and Pacific Section ARES participated in a communications exercise simulating the recovery from the exercise hurricane, organized by Pacific SEC Kevin Bogan, AH6QO.

Six operators were situated at the State CD EOC, with additional ops on all major islands. More than 25 stations were on HF, including at Red Cross and County EOCs at Maui and Hilo, and individuals at homes and other locations were operating on 40- and 80-meters. Another dozen were on the state-wide VHF Repeater system.

<http://ronhashiro.htohananet.com/am-radio/hawaii/scd.html>

This year featured a major push to implement and test the use of the NIMS (National Incident Management System) ICS-213 message form. It was used for the first time in Hawaii and the majority of the messages were exchanged in ICS-213 format. The use of the form and message handling protocol worked reasonably well. The advantages of the form include: minimal training needed; clearly notes the sender and the intended receiver; and the received message can easily be given to another person for subsequent handling. During the Wednesday exercise, incoming messages were entered into the EOC e-mail system for handling by the EOC staff as part of the exercise simulation.

<http://ronhashiro.htohananet.com/am-radio/emcomm/ics-213-radio-protocol.html>

A handful of messages were sent via the traditional ARRL Radiogram message format. While the message format, handling and contents are well understood by Amateur Radio operators and can be sent very quickly, the message format and content needs translation by a ham operator before entering into the formal EOC message/situation handling systems. Further work continues regarding emergency communications and training in Hawaii. -- Ron Hashiro, AH6RH, Honolulu, Hawaii State Civil Defense RACES

+ Colorado Tornadoes Response

Colorado Section Manager Jeff Ryan, K0RM, reported that ARES District 10 was activated by David Markham, W0CBI, Colorado SEC, on May 22, for a large tornado that touched down in northern Colorado near the town of Windsor. Ryan said it was just one of several across northern Colorado and part of Wyoming.

Colorado ARES District 10 EC Randy Long, W0AVV, reported that 31 operators provided communications service to the EOC and Fire Department in Windsor, the Weld County EOC, the Larimer County EOC, the City of Loveland EOC, the Loveland Mobile Command post and two Red Cross shelters.

Markham placed an additional 15 Amateur Radio operators in Larimer and Weld County on standby in anticipation of an overnight shift; he also requested adjacent districts to prepare in support of the ongoing operations.

Ryan said that at the peak of the ARES operation, "Colorado ARES had

55 operators supporting emergency response and relief efforts."

+ Florida Fires Response

Brevard County (Florida) amateurs responded during recent wildfires in Palm Bay and Malabar. The "Mother's Day Fires" started on May 11, and burned 13,000 acres. (Brevard County is home to Kennedy Space Center).

John Weatherly, AB4ET, and Clayton Bennett, KA4NHW, manned a 2-meter station in a shelter set up by the American Red Cross. Additionally, the Brevard Emergency Amateur Radio Services (BEARS) donated the use of their mobile command center to public safety agencies. The command vehicle, dubbed BEARS-I, was obtained through a $100,000 grant from the State of Florida. The interior was designed and built by a group of Amateur Radio operators from local Brevard County clubs that are members of BEARS. BEARS-I is outfitted with Brevard County 800 MHz public safety radios and amateur equipment.

BEARS-I was used as a command post in the week-long operation. The Palm Bay Fire Department, the Palm Bay Police Department, ARES and Florida Power and Light manned the four operating positions. The unit was put in place at Bayside High School when the fires started; it was relocated the next day to the US Air Force tracking station that became the new command center, as well as the staging area for trucks and teams from other counties. BEARS-I was used as a self-contained command center around the clock for over five days. - excerpted from the ARRL Letter; information provided by Jan Heise, K4QD, and Dan Fisher, AI4GK

+ A Repeater on the Fire Line in Northern California

Late in 2007, Sunnyvale ARES (Santa Clara County, California) was offered a high-level (3612') 440 MHz repeater. SARES saw this as an opportunity to provide a back-up for its low-level, local 2-meter repeater (K6GL) and to also provide a wide-area resource in time of emergencies. The location provides coverage of the South San Francisco Bay Area, including peninsula communities, East Bay, Santa Clara County to Gilroy, the Salinas Valley, and Monterey to Santa Cruz. The SARES Repeater Group was formed by the EC and AECs, and the repeater call sign was changed to K6SNY. They didn't realize how soon it would play a role as a wide-area resource.

The "Summit Fire," in neighboring Santa Cruz County, started on May 22. Immediately, K6SNY was linked to the Santa Clara County ARES/RACES 2-meter repeater (AA6BT) to facilitate a county-wide resource net. The linking facilitated communication between the ARES/RACES EOCs for Santa Clara and Santa Cruz Counties. After the Santa Clara County EOC closed for the evening, K6SNY handled logistical traffic for Cal-Fire.

Two days later, overnight, the fire crossed Summit Road, into Santa Clara County and the county EOC was reactivated. The AA6BT/K6SNY link again provided a county-wide resource net. ARES members were advised to monitor for updates. The Santa Clara County EOC was closed again on May 25. By May 28, the fire was 100% contained.

A total of 4,270 acres were burned along with 35 residences and 64 outbuildings. There were 16 injuries. There were 12 cooperating agencies involved, 946 fire personnel, 32 fire crews, 45 engines and various other pieces of support equipment. As of May 30, the estimated cost is $16.1 million. -- Neal Enault, WA6OCP, SARES AEC and PIO

+ NHC Director Joins WX4NHC Annual Test

On May 31, WX4NHC <http://www.wx4nhc.org/>, the Amateur Radio station at the National Hurricane Center (NHC), held their annual Communications Test from 1300-2100 UTC. According to WX4NHC Assistant Coordinator Julio Ripoll, WD4R, this annual test has two purposes: To verify that ham radio equipment will not interfere with any equipment at the NHC, and to ensure proper performance of Amateur Radio equipment at the NHC.

During the test, NHC Director Bill Read, KB5FYA, addressed the Amateur Radio community on the VoIP Hurricane Net and on the Hurricane Watch Net <http://www.wx4nhc.org/Bill-Read-QST.mp3>. Read spoke about the importance of Amateur Radio in hurricane-related disasters and thanked Amateur Radio operators for their support in past hurricanes. He encouraged hams to continue to provide that strong support as WX4NHC enters its 28th year of service and the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season begins. Read made several contacts with Amateur Radio operators during the test.

"We all know how important it is to maintain communications during a hurricane to relay our hurricane warnings to those in the affected area which may have no other means to receive this vital information," Read said. "We are also very appreciative for the surface reports from those in the storm which add to our database and help our forecasters better visualize what is actually happening at the ground level in real time. As our own ham radio station, WX4NHC, celebrates its 28th year of volunteer service at the National Hurricane Center, we extend our thanks to all ham radio operators that continue to support our mission to help save lives."

WX4NHC made 346 contacts during this event: 291 on HF and 55 on EchoLink/IRLP. They heard from 23 states and US territories, as well as countries including Bermuda, Curacao, Jamaica, Cuba, Honduras, Estonia and Canada.

"The WX4NHC Coordinators and Operators extend their thanks to all ham radio operators that participated in our Annual Station Test," Ripoll said, "and look forward to your continued support during the hurricane season."

+ LETTERS: New E-Mail Software

There is new software entitled JNOS for passing e-mail messages over Amateur Radio during emergencies:

<http://ronhashiro.htohananet.com/am-radio/packet/jnos.html>

Readers can download the program, and try it as noted in the documentation. Configuration is simple: it takes only ten to fifteen minutes editing in your call sign, password, and log-on banners to get started. The beauty of JNOS is the sending and receiving of e-mail messages over the Internet as well as Amateur Radio seamlessly. It can print incoming e-mail messages on a printer unattended, one message to a sheet, just like a fax machine.

JNOS will also take advantage of the ICOM ID-1 in digital data mode, and I'm in the process of testing and documenting that configuration.

At some point, I'd like to implement this at Hawaii State CD and Oahu DEM, when a sufficient critical mass has been implemented. -- Ron Hashiro, AH6RH, Honolulu, Hawaii State Civil Defense RACES

+ LETTERS: Red Cross Recruiting Hams in Chicago

[The following was forwarded by Bob Small, K9MUY, Chief, Emergency Management, City of Oak Forest, Illinois <k9muy@netscape.net> and serves to enlighten ARES members as an example of Red Cross recruiting efforts. Thanks, Bob. -- ed.]

"Disaster Assessment Opportunity

"I'd like to tell you about an interesting Red Cross activity which may be particularly appealing to Amateur Radio operators and to anyone interested in public safety and public service.

"The American Red Cross of Greater Chicago is recruiting volunteers to join its Disaster Assessment Team. Disaster Assessment is an activity that provides support in the earliest stages of disaster relief operations. Team members gather, analyze, interpret and report accurate and timely information about the extent of damage and overall impact, weather conditions, and demographics of a disaster-affected community. The team also provides mapping support.

This information is reported and processed by various methods including Red Cross and Amateur Radio, conventional telephones, computers, and paper. The Disaster Assessment team is engaged as soon as it is safe within minutes of a major storm or other event occurring. Some members of the team, if they are able, may continue assessment activities for days following the event.

"We think this activity may be particularly appealing to Amateur Radio operators because, as hams, we are committed to public service, we have invested in radio equipment, and for many of us, we have emergency communications training and experience with damage assessment and reporting from our weather spotting activities.

"Please let me explain how this will work. The Disaster Assessment team will be comprised of three types of volunteers depending on the amount of time and scope of involvement one is able to provide. The first two types of volunteers, which we call Core and Affiliated volunteers, upon the chapter obtaining satisfactory background checks, are issued Red Cross identification and are allowed to display the Red Cross signage on their vehicles when conducting field assignments.

"However, unlike core volunteers who choose to be much more involved with the chapter, Affiliated volunteers are used when a disaster happens and are not solicited for additional participation within the chapter. In other words, Affiliated volunteers will be focused on the Disaster Assessment activity.

"The third type of volunteers, which we call External Partners, unlike Core and Affiliated volunteers, are not required to have background checks, but then will not be issued Red Cross credentials, will not be able to display the Red Cross signage on their vehicle while conducting Disaster Assessment activities, and the Red Cross will not assume liability for their service.

"As you can see, there are opportunities for everyone in this important activity. There is some Red Cross, Emergency Management, and weather spotter training required of all three types of team member, which will be provided at no cost to the volunteer. Some of this training is available online and the classroom training will be scheduled at times and locations with consideration for the volunteer schedule.

"In closing, the Greater Chicago chapter serves about 8.5 million people in seven counties covering more than 4,000 square miles, and as a Regional Chapter, lends support to the Northwest Indiana, Grundy County, Kankakee County, and Fox-River Valley chapters. If you are interested in being a core, affiliated, or external partner Disaster Assessment volunteer, please reply by e-mail to <DisasterAssessment@arcgcdst.org> and someone will follow-up with you promptly." /s/ Craig Dieckman, KC9HWK, Volunteer Lead-Disaster Services Technology, Disaster Services, American Red Cross of Greater Chicago <www.chicagoredcross.org>

+ LETTERS: Message Content Needed

Here in Utah we don't have a lot of disasters, but we do spend a lot of time on drills and simulations. My issue is: You tell us a lot about what ham radio units worked with which agencies, but never discussed are the actual contents of messages. It would help our simulations if I could be more aware of the contents of the messages passed by amateurs. If your contributors could keep this need in mind when reporting, that would be a great help to us. -- Jim Cox, W7QIS, Pleasant Grove, Utah <JCW7QIS@cs.com>

+ LETTERS: On Obesity in Hams

[Here are two comments received in response to my editorial item on obesity in the last issue - ed.]

In re your comment in the last issue "Other than the obvious one, an additional benefit of a good diet and exercise is a more professional appearance to served agency officials," good one, Rick. Exercising a key or the push-to-talk switch isn't quite enough. Too many of us are either on the radio or couch potatoing in front of the tube when we're not killing ourselves with our fork or swilling down a few brews. I have seen too many publicity pix with the hams that haven't seen their belt buckles in years. - Gary Britten, W4GNB, Wilmore, Kentucky

There are more pressing problems in ham radio than "fat people." I cannot believe you have gotten into medical subjects at all. Just when our populace got over "classifying" people, you start publishing letters bashing fat people, whose medical problems you have NOT A CLUE! Go pick on smokers now. -- Larry Coppala, K4SFC, Fairdale, Kentucky

+ LETTERS: Satellites in a Doomsday Scenario

In re your comment in the last issue "Satellites may be all you have in a doomsday scenario, and are great ways to improve your operating skill," this statement may not be entirely true. If by a doomsday scenario you mean a nuclear event, the detonation of a single nuclear device or many nuclear devices will create EMPs that will wipe out most solid-state equipment on earth and in space. It was the Russians testing nuclear devices that fried Telstar. - Mike Hemeon, K1MH, NBC Principal Engineer Satellite Systems (retired)

+ LETTERS: United Way Lead for ESF 15 in Palm Beach County

The following report is a new one on me. I checked United Way's Web site and there is no mention of "communications" or a "communications plan." I wonder how Amateur Radio volunteers would play into this arrangement:

"United Way of Palm Beach County [Florida] is the lead agency for 'Emergency Support Function 15 Volunteers and Donations' in Palm Beach County's Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan. That means should a hurricane or other disaster hit Palm Beach County, United Way would coordinate volunteers and donations to assist the County in recovery efforts. Part of United Way's Disaster Volunteer Management includes Operation Step Up - Volunteer Reception Center, or VRCs. The VRCs would open within 72 hours of a disaster and would serve as a central location for the coordination of volunteers assisting in the relief efforts. United Way of Palm Beach County recruits volunteers year-round who would help staff VRCs, especially those volunteers 55 years of age or older. United Way provides VRC operations training including the roles of VRC volunteer staff.

"Here's how a VRC would work: In an instance of disaster, United Way of Palm Beach County would open a VRC and would call registered VRC volunteers to help staff the VRC. Next, the County, other governments and agencies would inform United Way where they need assistance.

Then, United Way's VRC would coordinate volunteers and send them to the areas in need."

Do any readers have any insight into this? - Warren Rothberg, W4WR, former New Hampshire Section Manager and New England Division Vice Director <w4wr@bellwouth.net>,

+ LETTERS: Diminished Licensing, Technical Standards

I read with interest the recent opinions about the role of relaxed test standards on the technical competence of the amateur community.

As someone who has been away from the hobby for about a decade, and recently became active again on VHF and UHF, I have to observe decline in our effectiveness I've noticed which has little to do with exams. Simply put, we appear to be licensing lots of new hams, but failing them after they get their tickets. I notice this in two major areas.

First, some newcomers appear unable to master the daunting feature sets of even low-end FM transceivers. I've heard ARES volunteers unable to field-program a new frequency, CTCSS tone, or other unexpected setting, not just when using unfamiliar rigs at emergency operations centers, but even when using their own handhelds.

Second, we appear to have many hams operating FM who have extremely low audio levels, don't realize it, and/or don't know what to do about it. It occurs to me that we old-timers who learned AM modes such as SSB on HF probably developed better awareness of ensuring adequate audio levels. Perhaps newer hams accustomed to consumer electronics and "automatic record level" everywhere have never learned the basics of mic technique and setting proper audio levels.

In the spirit of "bring me solutions, not problems," let me suggest that clubs and ARES groups, where possible, bring back the annual "rig clinics" which were once popular, at which members were invited to bring their rigs, service manuals and little screwdrivers, and a local two-way shop or well-equipped ham brought the equipment necessary to check for frequency accuracy and deviation. When we hold routine training nets, let's be honest with signal reports, and offer them even when they're not requested. If someone checks in with voice audio that's neck-and-neck with his own CTCSS tone, don't tell him he's "loud and clear!"

Consider recording receive audio during a training net, and posting the entire recording in MP3 format on a club or ARES Web site for download. Some of us never get to hear our own received signal, at least not in comparison to other signals during a net on an FM repeater.

During at least some training nets, let's also practice a short-notice, mass migration to another repeater or simplex frequency, odd split, or a change in CTCSS tone, acknowledge everyone who gets there successfully, and follow up with instruction for those who don't.

Finally, if you hold a course to prepare newcomers for the Technician exam, consider adding a session two weeks after the test, and have everyone bring his new handheld. The owner's manuals are obviously not an adequate resource.

In one community along the Oregon coast, 18 new Technicians had gotten licenses and equipment specifically to be ready for an emergency. Just weeks later, their county was virtually cut off for two days by a storm-related break in a fiber-optic cable, and not one of them could figure out how to get a piece of traffic to the outside world. This is not only a sad waste of human resources and expensive gear, but has to be demoralizing to anyone who tried his best to be prepared.

None of this has anything to do with CW proficiency, or knowing your Hartley from your Colpitts. This is simply, "No Ham Left Behind." -- Paul W. Plack, AE4KR, Murray, Utah

+ CORRECTION: AO-51 Frequencies

In the "The View From Flagler County" article last month, the uplink and downlink frequencies for AO-51 are incorrect. The uplink is 145.920 MHz and the downlink is 435.300 MHz. I like the suggestion about adding Satellite Ops to the Emcomm portfolio, you never know when you might need that! -- Jeff Moore, KE7ACY, Deschutes County ARES, Bend, Oregon

+ K1CE For A Final

Ham radio is about collegiality and friendship, and we enjoyed heaping portions on Friday, June 13, when friends and colleagues of retiring Northern Florida Section Manager Rudy Hubbard, WA4PUP, gathered at historic Wakulla Springs lodge to honor him. Hubbard served as SM for 18 years, returned ARES to a place in the state EOC, and worked tirelessly to track Florida operators traveling to meet Katrina communication needs along the Gulf Coast.

ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, said it perfectly: "Dear Rudy:

Twenty-five years ago, at a point in life when many people are beginning to wind down, you were just getting started in your service to the ARRL Northern Florida Section: as Public Information Officer, then as Section Emergency Coordinator and finally as Section Manager for 18 years. Amateur Radio and the State of Florida have seen many changes over the past quarter-century, but your dedication and your willingness to speak up have been two great constants that have served the ARRL, Amateur Radio, and the public very well.

"Today your colleagues have gathered to pay you well-deserved tribute. As you prepare to transfer the heavy responsibility of Section Manager, please know that admiration for Rudy Hubbard and gratitude for his service extend well beyond the boundaries of Northern Florida. On behalf of the ARRL, its members, officers, directors and staff, thank you."

See you next month! 73, Rick K1CE

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The ARES E-Letter is published on the third Wednesday of each month by the American Radio Relay League--The National Association For Amateur Radio--225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax 860-594-0259; <http://www.arrl.org/>. Joel Harrison, W5ZN, President.

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