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.

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).

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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

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+ 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

Copyright American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved

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 Delivery problems (ARRL direct delivery only!): ares-el-dlvy@arrl.org

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.

The ARES E-Letter May 21, 2008

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

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

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+ News From ARRL HQ

American Red Cross Responds to ARRL Concerns Regarding Background Checks

In November 2007, ARRL President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, wrote to the American Red Cross (ARC) regarding concerns voiced by ARRL volunteers. In 2006, the Red Cross stated it would implement background checks that included, among other things, a credit check and a "mode of living" check for its staff and volunteers, including ARES volunteers providing services to the Red Cross during disasters.

ARRL saw these portions of the background check as unneeded and inappropriate for ARES service.

In a letter dated May 8 of this year, Armond T. Mascelli, ARC Vice President for Disaster Response Services replied to President

Harrison: "I can now report back to you that [these] actions have been completed and changes have been instituted which I trust resolves the concerns detailed in your letter. This effort took considerably more time and attention than originally envisioned, but I believe the results will now benefit our respective organizations.

"A new background consent form now [is] to be used by all Red Cross chapters for ARRL members and other partner organizations. The form and related process is limited to the name and social security number verification of the individual, and a criminal background check.

References and suggestions to other related investigative possibilities have been stricken."

ARRL Emergency Preparedness and Response Manager Dennis Dura, K2DCD, announced the resolution at the ARRL ARES forum at the Dayton Hamvention® and received hearty applause.

"We are very pleased that the American Red Cross has addressed some of the issues that we raised regarding their background investigations and that we can move forward in a relationship that has existed for a long, long time," Harrison said. "The American Red Cross and the ARRL have shared a productive relationship for many years which has been of benefit to both the organizations and to the public. We are glad that throughout the past months we have been able to negotiate the issues that we had and have finally come to a resolution."

What's Next?

With the background check issue apparently resolved, the ARRL will be working with the ARC in the negotiation and creation of a draft for a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or similar document to replace the one which expired last year; Dura and Keith Robertory of the ARC will be leading the effort. When complete, the draft of the MOU will be presented to the leadership of both organizations for approval.

"The ARRL is very pleased that the American Red Cross has responded appropriately to our concerns about the background check issue," said ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ. "We believe it now will be possible to go forward to negotiate a statement of understanding between the two organizations. We look forward to renewing and expanding the relationship with the Red Cross."

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+ The View from Flagler County

Add a satellite capability to your EmComm arsenal. If terrestrial platforms are out, a satellite may be all you have left. Operating through low earth orbiting satellites also improves operating skill:

it's like driving your car with the road moving. You must tune your uplink and downlink frequencies to compensate for a fast Doppler shift, as you send and receive your CW or SSB signal. It's not easy at first; but like anything, the more you practice, the better you get.

Try the FM repeater bird AO-51 first, with an uplink of 145.90 MHz, and a downlink of 435.225 MHz. No fancy tracking software is necessary: Use AMSAT's pass predictor at: <http://www.amsat.org/amsat-new/tools/predict/>.

You won't be satisfied for long on AO-51. Move up to VO-52 for real operating on a wide transponder pass band: the uplink is 435.220 MHz to 435.280 MHz and the downlink is 145.870 to 145.930 MHz. Both SSB and CW work just fine. Signals are good without preamplifiers, nor even rotating beam antennas. Believe it or not, I use a cheap, simple fixed 2-meter/70 cm beam <http://www.arrowantennas.com> pointed skyward at a 45 degree angle. Prior to the pass, I check the AMSAT predictor for the access times and the highest elevation azimuth, and walk out to the backyard and hand turn the mast accordingly. I usually get a ten-minute window and decent signals to work a few CW contacts, including a recent one with Honduras. For upgrades, I am planning to add a separate 70 cm beam to reduce a bit of de-sense on voice operation, and a used/rebuilt Alliance U-110 rotator from <http://www.rotorservice.com>.

It's not rocket science (pun intended): if I can do it, anybody can do it. Satellites may be all you have in a doomsday scenario, and are great ways to improve your operating skill. (And frankly, they are a blast of fun to play with!)

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In This Issue:

+ News From ARRL HQ

+ The View from Flagler County

+ "Hurricane Ulysses" Exercise Preps Mississippi Gulf Coast China EQ

+ Midwest, Southeast Tornado Responses Illinois Earthquake Drill Turns

+ to Reality Brady, Texas, Hospital Communications Outage ARES Forum at

+ Gainesville, Florida Hamfest Lauded Crisis in Trauma and Emergency

+ Care Colorado Group Receives D-STAR Equipment; Will Support ARES

+ Interoperability Video Pandemic Flu Video

+ UPDATE: SMS E-Mail Address for AT&T Phones

+ LETTERS: "SMS" on APRS

+ LETTERS: From the Hurricane Watch Net Manager

+ LETTERS: Diminished Licensing, Technical Standards?

+ LETTERS: "Digital Call signs"

+ LETTERS: Observations of a FEMA Disaster Assessor EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

+ RESOURCE: Live News Cameras K1CE For a Final

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+ "Hurricane Ulysses" Exercise Preps Mississippi Gulf Coast

For a drill in preparation for the 2008 hurricane season, "Hurricane Ulysses" moved ashore with 115 mph winds as the eye passed over Biloxi Bay, Mississippi. This was the beginning of the annual Mississippi EMA (MEMA) Hurricane exercise, which commenced at 0800 on May 1 with the eye just east of Laurel, and continued until 1530.

This exercise saw the first deployment of an Amateur Radio station on the MEMA Mobile Operation (MOBOPS) Center, which was located for the exercise at the Air National Guard Training Center in Gulfport and operated on HF, VHF, and WinLink. This was also a successful test for the MEMA to the Coast VHF Link, which has been put in place through the continuing efforts of the members of the South Mississippi Repeater Coalition.

Nets were operated on HF and VHF. The Mississippi ARES Net operated on 3862 kHz with EOC check-ins from numerous counties.

As expected, most participants experienced some operational and equipment glitches, but that is why we have exercises: Find the problems now, and not during an actual event. The MEMA Scenario gave ARES a chance to check out links and equipment.

Exercise action was not limited to southern Mississippi. Northeastern Mississippi DEC Paul Reiselt, WB5CON, reported that Operation Vigilant Guard '08 went well. The Tennessee Army National Guard moved into Alcorn County after a simulated earthquake along the New Madrid fault. Alcorn County was a staging area for troops moving from central and east Tennessee toward the Memphis and Millington area.

Alcorn County ARES was involved in the first 24 hours of the 6-day operation and set up two communication trailers with HF and VHF equipment. At the EMA, they were self-contained with batteries, inverters, generator, a 30-foot Rohn 25 tower with inverted V antenna and a 2-meter omni antenna. At the Magnolia Regional Health Center, Alcorn ARES set up a trailer with inverted V and 2 meter omni antennas, batteries, generator, and solar panels. -- Excerpted from the April 2008 Mississippi Section Report, Malcolm Keown, W5XX, Section Manager

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+ China EQ

On May 12, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit Sichuan, China. According to the Chinese Radio Sports Association <http://www.crsa.org.cn/english.php>, the Chinese IARU Member-Society designated frequencies for emergency services involved in the rescue:

14.270, 7.050 and 7.060 MHz. The ARRL encouraged US amateurs to be aware of the emergency operations on those three frequencies.

The CSRA called on its members to learn what is most needed by people in that area and report it to the local government authority; to pass messages for citizenry and support disaster relief authorities.

Liu Hu, BG8AAS, of Chengdu, reported that a local UHF repeater survived the disaster. "It keeps functioning from the first minute and more than 200 local radio hams are now on that repeater. A group of hams from Chengdu has headed for Wenchuan, the center of the quake, trying to set up emergency communication services there," he said. The UHF repeater directed "social vehicles to transport the wounded from Dujiangyan, Beichuan and other regions."

On May 13, a group of radio amateurs were transmitting from Wenchuan, the center of the quake: "Signals are very weak. They tried to keep communication with BY8AA, the Sichuan Radio Orienteering Association in Chengdu, seeking resources needed. During a contact, they were asking for raincoats, water, tents and outdoor living facilities." -- CRSA Web site, information provided by Michael Ye, BD4AAQ, and Michael Chen, BD5RV/4, excerpted from the ARRL Letter

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+ Midwest, Southeast Tornado Responses

The Midwest and Southeast were affected by tornadoes last month and earlier this month. A series of major storms moved through Mississippi in April. The storm of April 4 left parts of Warren, Hinds, Madison, and Rankin Counties looking as if Katrina had returned. SKYWARN ops fed a series of key information reports to NWS-Jackson that aided in developing warnings for residents in the path of the storm as it moved from east to west across Central Mississippi. EC Donna Harrison, KD5GWM, reported that the storm finally exited the Meridian area leaving 95 homes damaged.

Several lesser storm events occurred during the month until an EF2 tornado struck Union County on May 2. EC Gregg Fitzgerald, W5LMW, reported that the tornado left a 20-mile long path of destruction across the County. The Northeast SKYWARN Net was activated. Thomas Hall, WB4VYB, initially sighted the tornado with quarter-sized hail.

The list of damage is long with 19 houses destroyed; 47 houses with major damage; 103 houses with minor damage; and multiple other structures damaged. Union County ARES was activated the following morning with traffic passed for the Red Cross. W5LMW escorted the Memphis NWS staff on their damage assessment tour. -- Mississippi Section Report, Malcolm Keown, W5XX, Section Manager

An EF2 tornado hit Stafford County, Virginia, on May 8. EC Curt "Bart" Bartholomew, N3GQ, said ARES members handled more than 100 traffic messages for the American Red Cross, the Stafford Sheriff's Office, the Stafford Sheriff's Office 911 Center and the Stafford Emergency Management Division. ARES members also set up a SKYWARN net. Residents reported the tornado blasted in at about 10:30 PM amid a "lurid red-and-green sky laced with lightning that sent many rushing into their basements," said Spotsylvania County EC Tom Lauzon, KI4AFE.

In Oklahoma, Assistant SEC Mark Conklin, N7XYO, said served agencies were contacted and ARES groups in the area were placed on standby

status: "Amateur Radio SKYWARN spotters were very busy and were of great help to the National Weather Service office in Tulsa during the storm events."

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+ Illinois Earthquake Drill Turns to Reality

Illinois ARES conducted their annual EQ drill last month in support of the Central United States Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC) <http://www.cusec.org/> efforts in preparing for earthquakes, and to keep attention focused on the New Madrid fault zones.

The drill was dubbed "Shake, Rattle and Roll," and held in the early morning of April 8. The scenario was a magnitude 5.2 earthquake. An emergency net was up and operating within two minutes of the cessation of shaking, taking reports from the tri-state area. First, it was determined that the event was definitely an earthquake with a widespread impact. Local public safety radio systems went down owing to an overloaded and crashed computer system. (The single computer controlled all of the radios).

The drill and net closed at 9 AM. Then at 10:15 AM, the area was shaken into reality by a real Richter scale 4.6 EQ. The net re-opened and took reports. Thirty seismic events of measurable strength were recorded. According to Gary Auerswald, WB9UDJ, EC, Lawrence County, "the first quake scared everyone, and the second strong one created a lot of concern." Auerswald added this anecdote: "We have one operator, Chuck, KB9KHB, who lived at the epicenter of the activity, so we called him 'Epicenter Chuck' at 'Rock and Roll Central.' He thinks Mother Nature is mad at him, with all of the quakes at his location and a bolt of lightning that exploded a power pole transformer on his property. As Chuck left his house to check it, a skunk sprayed him. No one will stand near Chuck anymore." -- Gary Auerswald, WB9UDJ, EC, Lawrence County, Illinois, and Pat Ryan, KC6VVT, Illinois SEC <kc6vvt@arrl.net>

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+ Brady, Texas, Hospital Communications Outage

The Heart of Texas Ham Operators Group (HOT-HOG) and McCulloch County ARES have an agreement with the Heart of Texas Memorial Hospital in Brady for providing back-up emergency communications. The hospital has many communication needs, including the need to confer with Shannon Medical Center in San Angelo before transferring patients from Brady to Shannon. That communication is normally conducted by telephone.

During a communications outage that isolated the community from the outside world, with long-distance land line service, cellular service and Internet service not working due to a severed fiber optic cable, the hospital called upon Amateur Radio operators for help.

Using the link between a repeater at Brady and one north of San Angelo, an operator in Brady made direct contact with a colleague at the communications center at Shannon, and notified that facility of the situation. A few hours later, there was a need to transfer a patient, and the system was put to the test. One Amateur Radio contact from within the Heart of Texas Memorial Hospital building put the doctor in direct voice communication with Shannon so that the necessary patient and administrative information could be transferred between them. With that and the summoning of an ambulance, the patient was on his way.

All of the amateur equipment is funded and maintained by the hams and their local organizations, but some outside assistance is always welcome. The radio repeater link that was used to cover the outage was upgraded only ten days earlier thanks to a grant that the Heart of Texas Memorial Hospital obtained from the Concho Valley Regional Administrative Council. At the time, no one could have known that the advisability of that expenditure would be tested and proved successful so soon. -- Rick Melcer, N5KAO, EC, McCulloch County, Texas <n5kao@arrl.net>

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+ ARES Forum at Gainesville, Florida Hamfest Lauded

Northern Florida's Suwannee District ARES members conducted a forum at the Gainesville Hamfest on April 26. Presentations on the ARES programs in Alachua, Gilchrist, and Columbia counties were shared with more than 33 hams. Public service events, drills, and emergency activations were reported by the county ECs for the past year.

Richard Heston, KE4BQI, EC for Columbia County, gave a first hand report on the communications loss and ham radio support provided following the March 7 EF2 tornado that damaged 50 homes in Lake City.

The program ended with encouraging comments from DEC Richard Block, KG4CHW, SEC Joe Bushel, W2DWR, and ARRL Southeastern Division Director Greg Sarratt, W4OZK. Bushel said "I congratulate you on the fantastic presentation. You are hard workers and do a great job.

Please continue to set the good example for the rest of us." Director Sarratt added, "You guys put on a very good ARES forum and Hamfest. I enjoyed my visit." -- Jeff Capehart, W4UFL, EC/RO Alachua County ARES/RACES

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+ Crisis in Trauma and Emergency Care

For any Amateur Radio operator involved in providing emergency communications to a hospital or other EMS centers, a recent article in "Homeland Security Today" should be required reading. This follows several media accounts in the past two weeks citing a GAO report that hospitals would be incapable of providing the level of care needed for a Madrid (Spain) terrorist event with mass casualties.

Any mass casualty event is also likely to produce loss or reduction of communications ability. Amateur radio can help to fill these gaps, but it will be vital that amateurs have close working relationships with their served agencies, and understand the environment that they'll be working in. In the past year, I've visited Level 1 trauma centers in five U.S. cities, and in every case, you see waiting rooms filled nearly to capacity. Bed space, doctors, nurses, lab techs, and other resources are usually operating at maximum capacity around the clock. Any mass casualty event would certainly overwhelm the system, and triage would become a necessity.

In order to be effective, it's vital that amateurs know the capabilities of their served agency, contingency plans for mass casualty events, security arrangements, and diversion hospitals and routes. Think about how you'll be able to communicate with the hospitals that overflow patients would be diverted to, and then plan for losing all or part of that communications capability.

<http://hstoday.us/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3334&Itemid=150> -- Les Rayburn, N1LF, Shelby County EC, Alabama

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+ Colorado Group Receives D-STAR Equipment; Will Support ARES

The Colorado Council of Amateur Radio Clubs (CCARC) recently teamed up with Ham Radio Outlet (HRO) in Denver to donate a 2 meter, 70 cm and 23 cm D-STAR system stack. According to ARRL Colorado Section Manager and CCARC Board Member Jeff Ryan, K0RM, the two groups hit upon the idea of issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) to Colorado radio amateurs. "We received three excellent proposals," Ryan said, "and on March 21, CCARC and HRO awarded the D-STAR system to the Colorado D-STAR Association, a consortium of Denver area individuals, clubs and ARES groups." Ryan explained that the goal of the CCARC, which also serves as Colorado's frequency coordination body, was "to spur the interest and use of digital Amateur Radio technology. This is the first D-STAR system that will go on the air in Colorado. The hope is that it is the first of many such systems, ultimately linking the entire Amateur Radio community throughout Colorado and beyond."

The 3-band D-STAR system, serving the Denver Metro area and the Front Range of Colorado from Ft Collins to Castle Rock and points east, will be installed this summer at a mountaintop site. The system will have a coverage area of more than 5400 square miles, nearly the size of Connecticut. Ryan said that the RFP placed "special emphasis" on the D-STAR systems being available to ARES groups in the served area, "and also requires the host group to link to any other requesting D-STAR system that comes on the air in Colorado." - ARRL Letter

+ Interoperability Video

There is a very current video that addresses progress on interoperability among first responders, and the technical, funding, and political challenges that still dog this issue. It's from Homeland Security Today Magazine, and can be viewed at: <http://tinyurl.com/567dmj> --Les Rayburn, N1LF, Shelby County, Alabama EC

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+ Pandemic Flu Video

There is an excellent resource video available on-line that speaks clearly about the threat of a flu pandemic, its potential impact, and common sense steps that can be taken to mitigate, deal with, and recover from such an event. It was produced by the King County, Washington Dept. of Public Health and can be viewed at: <http://www.metrokc.gov/health/pandemicflu/video/>

Amateur Radio would have important roles in helping to manage such a crisis, and yet we would also be affected by it directly. Does your ARES program have a plan to meet its critical missions if 30% or more of your members were unable to participate? Is it possible for you to meet the needs of your served agencies while operating from home (social distancing) rather than going to their site? Are you personally prepared to deal with disruptions to the food supply, or other essential services?

This video offers common sense approaches that you can take personally, as well as organizational steps that will help us all plan for, and deal with a pandemic when it occurs. -- Les Rayburn, N1LF, Shelby County, Alabama EC

+ UPDATE: SMS E-Mail Address for AT&T Phones

I enjoyed Les Rayburn's letter in the last issue, but it seems that AT&T (formerly Cingular, formerly AT&T) has changed their email-to-SMS gateway again. Here's the information from their FAQ at <http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/messaging-internet/messaging/faq.jsp>:

"Q. Can I send and receive email messages using my wireless phone?

A. All wireless phones are set up to send and receive email messages by using the following address: yournumber@txt.att.net. You can exchange short emails with any email address worldwide.

Q. How long can email messages be that I receive on my phone?

A. Just as with regular text messages sent to your phone, each message longer than 160 characters will be broken up into multiple segments and delivered separately. Messages longer than 160 characters are billed as multiple messages." Thanks, Blake Sobiloff <blake@sobiloff.com>, San Jose, CA

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+ LETTERS: "SMS" on APRS

We also have an "SMS" in the form of APRS. It works great and if an I-Gate is available, e-mail can now be sent over APRS. Our area in South Mississippi has also experimented with NBEMS and found that with a sound card equipped computer NBEMS can send text over repeater networks merely by keying the mic and holding it next to the speakers to both send and receive. -- James Lee, KC5TYL, Lamar County, Mississippi EC

+ LETTERS: From the Hurricane Watch Net Manager

Many thanks for the kind words about our net in the latest ARRL Letter. We're all primed for a busy season, but will be just as happy not having to go to work. We have several new members that got some "hot seat" time last year and show great promise to be future solid performers during the high pressure operations and tempo with a storm bearing down on land, or on vessels at sea. Again, many thanks for the nice write-up. -- Dave Lefavour, W7GOX, Manager, Hurricane Watch Net

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+ LETTERS: Diminished Licensing, Technical Standards?

I read with interest the recent letter from Alton Higgins, W4VFZ related to the diminished level of technical expertise of today's hams and the eased examination standards, and to that issue, I might add the reduced barrier to getting licensed resulting from the relatively new no code license procedures. My disagreement with Alton rests on the fact that each ham has a different reason for being in ham radio and different interests that attracted him or her in the first place.

Some, like Alton are very technically oriented (he reports that he is an aerospace electronics design engineer) but for others, the sheer joy of operating a station in community service is paramount. We need hams like Alton to further the technical aspects of ham radio, but we also need operators like me who may not know every nuance of what goes on under the lid, but we are skilled in setting up an effective emergency station and efficiently handling traffic.

I hold an advanced class license and I am studying for the extra class, but it seems that some of the electronics questions are not as important as the regulation and operator questions--at least for an operator. How important is it for me to know the difference between a Colpitts and a Hartley oscillator? I would never advocate eliminating all theory questions from the exam--we all need a baseline of basic knowledge; however, which element of the exam should be given more emphasis while at the same time not setting the bar so high that it discourages people from becoming hams in the first place? Wasn't this the rationale in eliminating the code requirement?

Clearly Alton approaches ham radio from the standpoint of his career technical expertise, and is willing to give his time to teaching the technical aspects of our hobby (for this, I applaud him) but there are many aspects of our hobby that appeals to different people, and I believe that good operators are needed whether or not they can tear down and rebuild their gear blindfolded. -- Michael W. Popejoy, Ph.D., N4TIM I have to take issue with last month's letter regarding the lowering of licensing standards. I am a "no code" licensee. I have progressed to Amateur Extra and also have my Emcomm level 3 and VE certifications. I mention this not to seek compliments, but to bring me to my point.

I had hesitated for years to obtain my amateur license: The prospect of learning the code was daunting and there was no local mentor.Enter the no-code Technician license, and I passed the test on my own. I then wanted to get my General, and once the code requirement was dropped, I obtained it and my Extra class license in less than 6 months.

I faced what many others have faced: Many hams today do not "Elmer" is willingly as they once did. Help for people interested in ham radio is not as readily available as I think it should be. As President of my local club this year, I am trying to initiate a movement of "Elmering" and hopefully create a group of Code proficient hams who would run a code course for us who do wish to learn and use code.

Elimination of the code requirement has made obtaining a license easier, but is perhaps offset by the more complex technical knowledge required. The pursuit of ham radio for me includes all aspects of ham radio, including code, EmComm and helping others. The ultimate Amateur Radio test to me is the willingness to help others. Good Elmers have passed the highest test. -- Rebekkah L. Whiting, W2WHT

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+ LETTERS: "Digital Call signs"

I enjoyed the latest e-letter. One area we are struggling with in digital modes is the notion of operator authentication. It is trivial to spoof a call sign. The FCC Part 97 rules request us to authenticate users of message forwarding systems "...(1) Authenticate the identity of the station from which it accepts communication on behalf of the system" -- we need to develop a way to assign a digital signature to a call sign. The ARRL could lead this effort, and it would not be very hard using off-the-shelf software and standards-based technology. When we get an urgent emergency message on our open channels, we right now have a difficult time telling if it is real or fake. I am not asking for encryption, just a "message/payload" that can be verified. -- Erik Westgard, NY9D

+ LETTERS: Observations of a FEMA Disaster Assessor

In re the letter by the FEMA assessment agent in last month's issue, I too, am a Disaster Assistance Employee with FEMA and do many jobs including Preliminary Disaster Assessments (PDA). I take a hand-held with me on my PDA deployments. Not one time have I been able to raise anyone on 146.52 MHz, but while deployed in Little Rock, Arkansas, this spring, I checked into the local SKYWARN net. Operators were professional and well drilled. (We spent several hours in tornado shelters twice during this deployment). However, once I leave urban areas, activity diminishes significantly. After performing 12 PDAs in rural counties here, I saw only one two-meter radio in an emergency manager's car.

While Arkansas has a good radio network, a key component, Amateur Radio, seems to be missing in the outlying counties. While deployed a few years ago to support the Salvation Army with my radios (before I worked for FEMA), I found the Salvation Army vehicles equipped with two-meter radios, but no licensed operators. I could find no one who was licensed to use these radios. It seems that we have a lot of work to do to educate both the emergency managers and the relief workers on what Amateur Radio can do and who can use this equipment. -- John Veach, KE4D, presently deployed with FEMA in Arkansas

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+ EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT RESOURCE: Live News Cameras

One of the biggest needs during any emergency is "situational awareness." More and more, news organizations are relying on live news cameras, weather cams, and similar technology. There is an online resource that will allow you to watch live news feeds from cities around the country in real time. It's called "Livenewscameras.com." They also provide a host or moderator, who will recommend the most interesting feeds available at any given moment. http://www.livenewscameras.com/>

There is a "chat" feature that shows on the page when it first loads, but I recommend ignoring that. -- Les Rayburn, N1LF, Shelby County, Alabama EC

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+ K1CE For A Final

The observations of ARRL's Harold Kramer, WJ1B, in last month's QST on obesity in the ham population struck a chord with me, as both an RN and ARES official. I see the end stages of obesity every day on the Intensive Care Unit where I work: the gross complications of diabetes, the loss of skin integrity and ultimate respiratory and heart failure. A good friend, a ham and accomplished county emergency manager, recently died as a result of the comorbidities of his obesity.

Other than the obvious one, an additional benefit of a good diet and exercise is a more professional appearance to served agency officials.

Next hamfest, skip the traditional hot sausage and onion stand. 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 Delivery problems (ARRL direct delivery only!): ares-el-dlvy@arrl.org

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.

05.21.2008

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The ARES E-Letter April 22, 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

It's that time of year when hurricane season preparation ratchets up:

the National Hurricane Conference was held in Orlando earlier this month, and state and county EMAs are currently checking plans and assets. Now is also the time for ARES members to assess their portfolio of communications equipment and disaster response knowledge.

Monitor major HF hurricane networks during events this season. The Hurricane Watch Net on 14.325 MHz, is one of several key players. It serves either the Atlantic or Pacific during a watch or warning period and coordinates with the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami. Frequent, detailed information is issued on nets when storms pose a threat to the US mainland. In addition to hurricane spotting, local communicators may announce that residents have evacuated from low-lying flood areas. Other amateurs across the country can help by relaying information, keeping the net frequency clear and by listening. See <http://www.hwn.org/>. The net works closely with the hams at the NHC station WX4NHC <http://www.wx4nhc.com/>

The SATERN Net (Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network), provides emergency communication support to the Salvation Army and populations at large. They also handle health-and-welfare traffic.

SATERN holds high profile nets on 20-meters (14.265 MHz) during major hurricanes, and has a long history of excellence, discipline and service. Refer to the SATERN Web site <http://www.satern.org/>.

The Maritime Mobile Service Net (MMSN) meets on 14.300 MHz and is composed of hams who serve and assist those in need of communications on the high seas. According to its Web site <http://www.mmsn.org/>, the primary purpose of the net is for handling traffic from maritime mobiles. The network is recognized by the United States Coast Guard and has an excellent working relationship with that agency. The MMSN has handled hundreds of incidents involving vessels in distress, medical emergencies in remote locations and passing health and welfare traffic in and out of affected areas. They also work closely with the NWS and NHC by relaying weather reports from maritime stations.

The VoIP SKYWARN and Hurricane Net operates by combining both the Echolink and IRLP linked repeater networks, while handling critical wide area communications during major severe weather and tropical events. These operations have gained national stature in recent years, and provide excellent service. Whenever tropical weather is imposing a threat to the U.S. mainland and certain other areas of interest, the VoIP WX-NET will be fully operational. See <http://www.voipwx.net/>.

During hurricane events, there are usually two or three regional nets (on 40 or 20 meters) that spring to prominence as major, key assets to the disaster response on an ad hoc basis. Watch for these nets, as well as the nationally-recognized networks above, this season. Don't transmit on their frequencies unless you are absolutely sure you have something substantive to add, and then only under the direction of the net control station.

--------------

In This Issue:

+ The View from Flagler County

+ ARES Confers at National Hurricane Conference, Orlando National

+ Hurricane Center Director Lauds Hams "Digital Saturday" Provides

+ Training in Digital Modes Red Cross Disaster Action Team Drill Turns

+ into the Real Thing Greater Bridgeport ARC (CT) to Support New EOC

+ Ohio ARES Teams Lend Support to Hepatitis Vaccination Clinic

+ LETTERS: Sending E-mail Via SMS (SMS Gateways)

+ FEEDBACK: SATERN Does Not Require Background Checks

+ LETTERS: Licensing Standards Diminished

+ LETTERS: FEMA Now Responsible for Mass Care; ARES Role More

Defined?

+ LETTERS: FEMA Disaster Assistance Employee Offers Perspective

+ RESOURCES: New EmComm E-Zine Available

+ RESOURCES: Tarrant County (TX) SKYWARN Video is Excellent K1CE For a

+ Final

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+ ARES Confers at National Hurricane Conference, Orlando

National Hurricane Center (NHC) Amateur Radio station coordinators John McHugh, K4AG, and Julio Ripoll, WD4R, discussed the interaction and importance of Amateur Radio in the forecasting of tropical events at the Amateur Radio Session of the National Hurricane Conference earlier this month. McHugh also discussed the Caribbean Amateur Radio Meteorological Emergency Network (CARMEN) program, outlining how the program in its current stage can use revitalization and rebuilding to provide improved information to the NHC.

Director of Operations for the VoIP Hurricane Net Rob Macedo, KD1CY, presented a detailed overview of the system that integrates EchoLink and the Internet Radio Linking Project (IRLP). For the past few years, this operation has been building to become another reliable source of information for the National Hurricane Center.

ARRL HQ's EmComm Manager Dennis Dura, K2DCD, and Macedo offered the final Amateur Radio presentation of the Conference, "Disaster Intelligence and Situational Awareness Utilizing Amateur Radio." This discussion went beyond the traditional uses of Amateur Radio into the areas of damage assessment, infrastructure monitoring, communications systems replacement and rapid situational analyses.

[The National Hurricane Conference has a long history of support of Amateur Radio operators, waiving registration fees for those attending its special session on Amateur Radio. For years, the session has welcomed luminaries from the emergency management arena.

We thank the National Hurricane Conference for this support. -- ed.]

+ National Hurricane Center Director Lauds Hams

National Hurricane Center Director Bill Read, KB5FYA, praised Amateur Radio at the National Hurricane Conference in Orlando, Florida, earlier this month <http://www.voipwx.net/local/Bill_Read_on_Ham_Radio_Hurricane_Conference2008.wmv>. " Ham radio has always played a critical role in emergencies," Read said. "What goes out when you have a high wind event or major flooding is the communications system, so you lose even cell phones, landline phones, commercial radio and TV. In those cases, ham radio operators that can put up emergency transmitters and antennas in the wake of a storm can give us reports that are valuable. They also help in the search and rescue efforts in the aftermath." The NHC has a dedicated amateur station on-site -- WX4NHC

-- and has worked closely with hams for decades. -- Dan Musten, KD4RAA, and John Van Pelt, K4JVP, AEC for Central Carolina Skywarn

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+ "Digital Saturday" Provides Training in Digital Modes

Georgia SEC Scott Royle, KK4Z, challenged the Section to increase training and use of digital modes in 2008. Gwinnett County, Georgia ARES was already active on digital modes with three digipeaters, a Winlink 2000 node and a D-Star repeater. The weekly Training Net takes Packet as well as voice check-ins.

With new members coming onboard and others exploring digital modes, Gwinnett ARES AEC for Digital, Ed Woodrick, WA4YIH, developed a day of classes on various digital modes titled "Digital Saturday."

Twenty-five Gwinnett ARES members participated in training in APRS, Packet Basics, D-Star Data, Winlink 2000, D-Star Operation and Programming, and PSK31. Each of the hour-long classes provided information on the topic as well as hands-on demonstrations of each technology. An RMS Packet node setup onsite allowed e-mails to be transmitted and received via Winlink 2000 and the Airmail client.

Instructors for the classes included Gwinnett ARES members experienced in specific digital modes and the Georgia ASEC for Digital, Tom Olley, KG4VUB. It is hoped that Digital Saturday will allow Gwinnett ARES members to become more proficient and use various modes of digital communications. Presentations from Digital Saturday are available on the Gwinnett ARES Web site, <http://www.gwinnettares.org>. -- John Davis WB4QDX, Emergency Coordinator, Gwinnett County, Georgia <wb4qdx@arrl.net>

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+ Red Cross Disaster Action Team Drill Turns into the Real Thing

BRIDGEPORT, CT, February 2, 2008 -- The American Red Cross Mid-Fairfield County Chapter held a drill to familiarize Disaster Action Team (DAT) members with the territory serviced by the chapter, gain experience in the use of GPS to navigate to a destination, learn about the use of radio during a deployment, and compare the operation of VHF/UHF amateur radios and Red Cross 47.420 MHz radios. The Greater Bridgeport Amateur Radio Club (GBARC) supports the Red Cross with nine fully qualified and trained Red Cross Disaster Action Team volunteers.

The plan was to deploy five Red Cross vehicles to different destinations within the ten served communities covering over 200 square miles. Each vehicle would deploy with a ham operator carrying a handheld VHF/UHF radio and four of the vehicles would have a permanently installed Red Cross 47.420 MHz radio. In order to gain experience, only non-hams were to operate the Red Cross radios. A base station would be situated at the Bridgeport chapter house. Two amateur radios capable of simultaneously handling a total of four amateur VHF/UHF frequencies and a Red Cross radio operating on the 47.420 MHz frequency were installed at the base. The amateur radios would use repeaters located in Norwalk, Fairfield, Milford and Bridgeport. There are no repeaters for the Red Cross radios in the area.

Just minutes prior to the start of the drill, a real incident occurred and the volunteers responded. Radio contact using the 47.420 MHz frequency was not possible once the vehicles were on scene at the incident site four miles away in Stratford. This was due to an intervening hill that prevented line of site communications. Amateur Radio, however, performed flawlessly using repeaters in Bridgeport and Fairfield. The variety of available repeater locations and their antenna height provides the flexibility and capability to virtually eliminate communications problems due to terrain or structural interference. -- John Russo, KA1JXW, Public Information Officer, Greater Bridgeport Amateur Radio Club <russojg@snet.net>

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+ Greater Bridgeport ARC (CT) to Support New EOC

BRIDGEPORT, CT, February 25, 2008 -- The greater Bridgeport metropolitan area was just designated as an Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) site. This means Homeland Security funds will be made available to Bridgeport and the surrounding area to enhance prevention, preparedness, response and recovery to events involving all natural and man made hazards, including terrorism. Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) along with Bridgeport Mayor Finch and Norwalk Mayor Moccia held a press conference on February 25 to discuss this designation at the new Bridgeport Combined Emergency Dispatch and Emergency Operations Center (EOC), scheduled to open in September 2008. Bridgeport Director of Emergency Management, Scott Appleby, hosted the event. The new center will house a combined emergency dispatch center (911 Center) along with a state-of-the-art EOC. The facility will withstand hurricane force winds, have multiple power and other backup systems and includes the latest technological advances to assure uninterrupted command and control during any emergency situation.

The center includes a room dedicated to Amateur Radio communications.

The equipment and antennas have been specified by the Greater Bridgeport Amateur Radio Club, Inc. (GBARC) and purchased by the city of Bridgeport. GBARC will supply volunteer operators for the ham facility. Amateur Radio and GBARC are an integral part of the Emergency Operations Plan for the city. -- John Russo, KA1JXW, Public Information Officer, Greater Bridgeport Amateur Radio Club <russojg@snet.net>

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+ Ohio ARES Teams Lend Support to Hepatitis Vaccination Clinic

When a hepatitis A outbreak alarmed residents of West Chester, Ohio last month, local officials worked to inoculate more than 1200 people who had eaten at a local fast food restaurant; an employee with a confirmed case of the virus who worked at the restaurant in March may have contaminated ice and other food items, health officials said.

Inundated with more people than expected, Butler County Health Department and Emergency Management officials were overwhelmed with traffic, communication problems and general logistics. When a second hepatitis A vaccination clinic was scheduled for April 5, officials called on local ARES to assist with communications, as well as traffic and crowd control.

District Emergency Coordinator Robert Spratt, N8TVU, reported officials at the first clinic could not communicate on their cell phones due to lack of coverage in the area. "Officials had only planned for about 800 people to show up to get inoculated. When they had more than 1200 people show up, they tried using their cell phones to call and get more vaccine, but they just wouldn't work." Calls made to 911 for police back-up to deal with unruly persons also had trouble getting through.

At the second clinic, eight hams from both Butler County and Hamilton County were on site and ready to assist. The clinic, located at a church, was scheduled to run from 10 AM-4 PM. The hams were ready for early crowds; at the first clinic, people were standing in line more than two hours before the doors opened.

"When the ARES team arrived, they established the parking lot area, the traffic flow patterns into and out of the church area and set up the required communications," Spratt said. More than 225 people received hepatitis A vaccinations at the second clinic and ARES members directed more than 1200 cars to their correct destinations on the property. The Butler County Health Department officials, clinic staff, the Butler County Emergency Management Agency, the West Chester Police Department and church officials thanked the ARES team for a job well done.

Ohio District 4 ARES teams in Warren, Clermont, Hamilton, and Butler counties have had prior Volunteer Reception Center and vaccination clinic operation training that "helped greatly in understanding and knowing what would be needed in the way of communications at the clinic, as well as security, traffic control and crowd control."

The Ohio Section Emergency Response Plan (OSERP) <http://www.trac-online.org/Docs/oserp.pdf> outlines how ARES is activated in the Section, who reports to whom and how communication flows. Many ARES districts have participated with their Regional Medical Response Systems in their assigned districts on tabletop exercises, as well as actual call-up drills. In February, District 3, under the command of ADEC Fred Stone, W8LLY, conducted a Pandemic Flu activation that extended over several days, including a real-time snow storm which affected the drill. This vaccination clinic this past weekend proved that ARES is vital to the emergency medical community. -- excerpted from the ARRL Letter

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+ LETTERS: Sending E-mail Via SMS (SMS Gateways)

During Katrina, and recently the Nevada earthquake, traditional cellular voice service was overwhelmed due to a combination of damaged infrastructure and system overloads. In many cases,