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The ARES E-Letter July 15, 2020
Editor: Rick Palm, K1CE
- ARES© Top Stories, Briefs, Links
- Nationwide, Large Scale Red Cross Drill Success Summary
- New Winlink Form Submits DYFI Earthquake Data Directly to USGS Database
- ARES CONNECT Update: Connecting Amateur Radio Volunteers with a Purpose
- Letters: Convert Used Construction Light Towers to Tower Trailers
- Georgia ARES to Support American Red Cross Drill Simulates Shelter
Operations During a Major Hurricane Strike
- K1CE for a Final: 2019 SET Results Review
ARES© Top Stories, Briefs, Links
--------------------------------
The Maritime Mobile Service Net (MMSN) on 14.300 MHz assisted a sailing
vessel on June 25. MMSN control operator Steven Carpenter, K9UA, took a call
on 20 meters from Ian Cummings, KB4SG, the skipper of the Mystic Lady, then
some 40 miles east of Florida. Cummings reported that his engine had failed
as he was attempting to return to his home port of Stuart, Florida. He not
only had insufficient wind, but a strong current was carrying the vessel out
to sea.
Cummings had been unable to reach any station via his VHF marine radio,
since he was too far from the coast. Assisting in the call was Robert
Wynhoff, K5HUT, also an MMSN net control operator. Cummings said his vessel,
with one passenger on board, was drifting northwest toward the South
Carolina coast. More here.
________________
On July 9, the ARES/Section Emergency Coordinators discussion reflector
SEC-ARES hosted an excellent Zoom presentation on the radio amateur's role
in the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Did You Feel It (DYFI)
reporting system. (See Winlink-related story below). The speaker was Oliver
Dully, K6OLI, who captured the audience of some 67 coordinators across the
country with his galvanizing presentation. Readers are encouraged to view
the archived presentation: Click here to view presentation. Thanks go to Dan
Marler, K7REX, ARRL Idaho Section Manager for moderating the presentation,
and the discussion reflector group.
On June 6, 2020, Phil Sherrod, W4PHS, a Winlink developer, gave an excellent
presentation on Winlink and how to use it. A Zoom audience of five hundred
saw the Winlink presentation, which was also very well received. To view the
video presentation, click here.
[About the SEC-ARES group: Initially, Marler set up a Section Managers only
group on groups.io, allowing them to freely discuss common issues and
solutions among themselves and followed up with weekly Zoom meetings that
included presentations and guest speakers. It quickly became clear that
Marler needed to do the same thing for ARES with a separate groups.io
(SEC-ARES), and Marler has been holding two separate Zoom meetings a week
since. SEC-ARES was initially set up for Section Emergency Coordinators
(SEC) only, but was quickly opened up by request to all those involved in
ham radio disaster communications, with a focus on ARES. Marler encourages
all interested radio amateurs to join].
________________
Joe Speroni, AH0A, ARRL Pacific Section Manager, reports that the Winlink
team has published an excellent digital modes comparison study, by Thomas
Whiteside, N5TW. It shows steady improvements in performance as software
algorithms evolve. Speroni said "the addition of digital modes in our tool
kit makes Amateur Radio more valuable to our served agencies." For example,
"Winlink is a tool for personal communications, health and welfare traffic,
and served agencies with varying need of digitally-formatted messages."
Speroni said the study is well done and worth reading. View the study here.
_________________
Nationwide, Large Scale Red Cross Drill Success Summary
-------------------------------------------------------
American Red Cross volunteer radio amateurs organized and conducted a
large-scale nationwide emergency communications drill on May 30, 2020.
Planning began last November by a handful of Red Cross volunteers. Interest
both within Red Cross and the larger radio amateur community grew and by May
a thousand hams were registered to participate.
Training and exercises are held periodically under the provisions of the Red
Cross-ARRL formal Statement of Understanding and this drill was no
exception. ARRL's ARES program provided hundreds of hams to support Red
Cross in this simulated nationwide emergency. In all, over a thousand radio
amateurs were active in thirty six states, including Hawaii and Alaska, as
well as the territory of Puerto Rico.
Additionally, the Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN), with
its strong history of providing emergency and disaster communications
services, participated in this joint simulation. SATERN was activated in six
states.
The drill scenario was a nationwide power outage with participating hams
role-playing as "shelter stations." (No drill participant was physically
deployed at a Red Cross shelter due to the risks associated with COVID-19).
For future drills, actual operation at Red Cross shelters and facilities
will be planned.
For this drill, each "shelter station" ham was in an area that had no power,
internet or cell phone service and the Shelter Manager needed to send a
requisition for supplies. The Shelter Manager would hand the ham an ARC-6409
requisition form that would then be transmitted digitally, over radio, to a
Divisional Clearinghouse. There were ten of these clearinghouses set up
around the nation to serve as collection points for the 6409's and other Red
Cross forms. The Divisional Clearinghouses were assumed to be "high and
dry," with power and fully-functional internet. They would be able to
collect the forms and convert them into plain-English documents to send to a
conventional Red Cross email address, readable by a non-ham.
This event was a booming success. More than six hundred 6409's were sent,
along with three hundred ARC- 213 message forms and almost a hundred shelter
reports and staff assignment forms, demonstrating the ability of amateur
radio operators to process and deliver Red Cross forms in an emergency
scenario with no internet, power or cell phone services. Cooperation between
ARES and Red Cross was strengthened more than ever, thanks to this exercise.
Planning is now beginning for a Fall Drill that will build upon lessons
learned in the Spring Drill. -- Wayne Robertson, K4WK, Decatur, Georgia
New Winlink Form Submits DYFI Earthquake Data Directly to USGS Database
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
On the one-year anniversary (July 6) of the M7.1 Ridgecrest Earthquake in
Southern California, the Winlink team presented Did You Feel It for Winlink
Express. Through cooperative efforts with the United States Geological
Survey, amateur radio operators worldwide can now report the effects of an
earthquake at their location directly to the USGS with no internet nor phone
service required.
The Did You Feel It (DYFI) system was developed by the USGS to take simple
reports from residents who are experiencing an earthquake. By these reports,
the USGS gets a more complete picture of what people experience, the damage
and extent. Reports are sent over the internet, a system that can be
complemented by the hybrid internet-amateur radio email system Winlink,
especially when the internet is down.
By providing a DYFI report when you can do so safely after an earthquake you
contribute to citizen science and further the understanding of earthquakes.
You also ensure that your area has been represented in the compilation of
the maps of shaking. This is a two-way street: not only will you add
valuable information on the extent of ground shaking and damage, but in the
process you will learn more about how other communities fared and gain a
greater understanding of the effects of earthquakes.
More information on the USGS Did You Feel It program can be found here. --
Thanks to Steve Waterman, K4CJX, and the Winlink Development Team
ARES CONNECT Update: Connecting Amateur Radio Volunteers with a Purpose
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The ARRL's ARES Connect tool is not just for ARES anymore: It's evolved to
become a robust and efficient data entry/retrieval portal, report generator
and management system for all Amateur Radio public service volunteers.
ARES Connect is a data base that allows leadership officials such as
Section, District and county Emergency Coordinators to register events and
profile volunteers -- their capabilities, training experience,
certifications, credentials, and service hours. It renders obsolete the need
for leadership teams to manually keep track of their volunteers. With this
web-based application, all records are kept in the cloud, secure but easily
accessed by administrators when needed.
Leadership teams have the ability of promoting their events and reducing
scheduling conflicts of upcoming activities, making it easier to direct
volunteer resources more efficiently. The ARES Connect application can be
quickly setup and used in the field on any PC, smart phone or tablet. The
reports generated by ARES Connect contain a wealth of information that can
be easily shared with our served partner agencies instantaneously.
Our Volunteers
"New Volunteers" who sign-up for an account on the system are held for
Administrators to properly vet. Once vetted, they are assigned to a county
and district, and can then upload their profile information, sign-up for
events and get their volunteer time recorded for those events. Service
points are compiled by the system for the volunteers and coordinators to
monitor and issue awards, etc.
ARES Connect is for All Volunteers, not just ARES
Some volunteers are members of other groups such as RACES, CERT, etc., and
harbor the misconception that ARES Connect is an ARES-only service. This is
not true. ARES Connect is for all amateur radio operators engaged in public
service. Note, however, that a volunteer signed up for ARES Connect does not
automatically become an ARES member-registrant in an ARES group.
Registration of an ARES member is still the decision of the local Emergency
Coordinator and/or District Emergency Coordinator as it has always been.
ARES Connect Features for Leadership Officials
-
Section, District, county Emergency Coordinators:
1. You can keep your ARES member data separate from data for other program
(such as RACES) volunteers, yet still combine both groups' information in
your reports when needed.
2. You can quickly check what level of training each volunteer has been
vetted for based on their training records and other documents within their
personal profile. You can setup events for your ARES team separately or
include all operators within your county/district. The system can send email
notifications and confirmations to your volunteers when they register for an
event, as well as send reminders at a pre-set date or time when the event is
about to happen. The system can send "thank you for your service" emails
after the event with a link to where the volunteer can log their service
time (number of hours worked).
3. You can easily setup recurring events and link your regular attendees to
those events, saving your volunteers' time by already having them
registered. All they have to do is record their time. If your Administrators
have opted to use the "Events Monitor" selection, your volunteers have the
ability to go back in time and post-register and post their service hours to
any event in the past. This option also allows your volunteers to register
themselves to recurring events such as weekly or monthly nets and meetings.
4. There's a "Kiosk" function that allows the volunteer via a QR Code to
check into an event (eg., meeting or race). By using the Kiosk mode, the
volunteer is automatically recorded, nothing further is required for the
volunteer or Administrator to do.
ARES Connect Reports
ARES Connect allows ARRL leadership officials to keep track of volunteers,
documents such as FEMA ICS course completion certificates, and generate
reports quickly with accountability while maintaining flexibility and
uniformity across all 71 ARRL sections in the country. Just about any kind
of report can be generated from the data gathered from ARES Connect for use
by ARRL HQ, served partner agencies and others, rendering the old reporting
and forms submission obsolete.
Other Benefits to Using ARES Connect
ARES Connect gives you the ability to monitor for, highlight and recognize
volunteers who are especially active, reporting high numbers of hours served
and/or events worked. A "Top 10" listing for hours logged is published on
the ARES Connect dashboard. Every few months the operator with the most
hours volunteered receives a certificate or gift of some kind, a great way
of rewarding volunteers for a job well done. The data also assists the SEC,
EC or DEC, in detecting areas of inactivity where improvement/help might be
needed.
Leadershop officials can also efficiently share the data and reports with
local, regional or state EMA Directors or County Commissioners,
demonstrating the breadth, depth and value of your volunteers' services
rendered.
Another efficiency derived from using ARES Connect is that monthly reporting
by your ECs and DECs is no longer necessary; even the monthly report to ARRL
Headquarters is no longer required. ARES Connect contains the reporting data
automatically, which can be dowloaded and/or queried at any time by those
needing it.
For examples of reports that can be generated, see
http://arrl-greatlakes.org/ac.html for an entire division report. By
visiting http://arrl-greatlakes.org/ac2.html you can see the report of the
division's sections. In another example, data can be filtered down to the
county level -- see http://arrl-ohio.org/SEC/ARES Connect-County.html These
dashboards are all derived from data obtained directly from ARES Connect.
There are currently over 14,000 registered users in the system. Sign up for
the section in which you reside by using the following format (substitute
your section's official 2- or 3-character abbreviation for "nfl," which is
the Northern Florida Section). http://nfl.arrl.volunteerhub.com/ -- Scott
Yonally, N8SY, ARRL Ohio Section Manager
Letters: Convert Used Construction Light Towers to Tower Trailers
-----------------------------------------------------------------
In January, we were asked to support a medical command center for a new
event for us -- the City of Lakes Loppet Winter Festival. It features a 37
kilometer ski course, five aid stations and a medical center in the back of
a ski chalet nestled in a hilly urban park.
I was concerned about repeater coverage. With just two weeks to prepare, we
needed a tower trailer (our two were inaccessible.) Searching the internet,
we found a listing for a construction light tower, but the lights were
missing and the diesel generator could not be started. The unit did have a
30 foot steel crank up tower, however, and was only $700. We acquired it.
Light towers are commonly seen on construction sites and in rental fleets.
Along with the rotatable 24-30 foot tower are outriggers, four lights and a
6KW (~12hp) two to three cylinder diesel 115/240V generator. In running
condition, they rent for around $50 per day and can be purchased for
$1200-$4000, used. Dead engines or burned out generators are expensive to
repair so sale prices for scrap units can be very low -- in the $100 to $700
range. These usually fit in a normal parking space, can be stored in a
residential garage and set up quickly.
We now own seven units, each costing around $500, plus repairs expenses.
Ours needed new tires installed, trailer jacks replaced, light system
transformers removed, and new deep cycle 12V batteries installed. I
installed low cost solar charge controllers and panels. (There are lots of
videos on diesel diagnosis and repair for those so inclined).
We found retro call sign decals for ours and encourage trailers to travel to
events in convoy. At Field Day this year, we parked two 150 feet apart and
strung a G5RV between them, and had a tri-band beam on the larger tower and
a 6M beam on the smaller one.
Hazards include lead paint and used diesel oil, which are toxic, and rusty
lift cables. Insurance was cheap -- $35/year -- and unlike a motor vehicle
could potentially be assigned to a club. Assume the trailer lights will be
broken -- bring a magnetic set. Get a bill of sale signed and dated for
licensing; title documents are rare. Ours now have arrays of antennas for
mesh networking, 2 meter and 440 MHz FM, and IP video cameras. -- Erik
Westgard, NY9D, St. Paul, Minnesota
Georgia ARES to Support American Red Cross Drill Simulates Shelter
------------------------------------------------------------------
Operations During a Major Hurricane Strike
------------------------------------------
The American Red Cross and ARES in Georgia will conduct a joint
communications drill on Saturday, August 8, 2020 from 8 to 11 AM EST. This
drill will simulate a major hurricane making landfall in Georgia requiring
Red Cross shelter openings, which will need emergency communications support.
At least 26 county ARES groups in Georgia have committed to participate in
this drill. Each group will simulate setting up and staffing amateur radio
stations from one or more shelter locations. Radio messages will be
transmitted from the mock shelters to a control center in each county as
well as from each county to a statewide control center that represents a Red
Cross Disaster Operation Center.
Operators will be practicing sending official Red Cross forms and messages
similar to email without the use of the internet or cell phones. During the
drill, operators will also have to overcome challenges they may encounter in
the event of a real hurricane landfall such as power outages, flooding,
high wind, heavy lightning, and tornados. The forms transmitted by radio are
used to report shelter conditions as the storm passes, request shelter
supplies, and assist families in locating loved ones.
Final results of the exercise will be presented to American Red Cross
Disaster Leadership in Washington, D.C., and be used to plan future
exercises with the Amateur Radio Emergency Service.This is the second drill
the American Red Cross and ARES have held in
Georgia this year. Future drills may be held to ensure the ARC and ARES are
ready to serve as needed. -- Renee Conaway, Public Information Officer,
Georgia Section
K1CE for a Final: 2019 SET Results Review
-----------------------------------------
The 2019 ARRL Simulated Emergency Test (SET) results are published on pages
63-65 of this month's issue of QST. I found it be fascinating reading: it
gave summaries of a handful of very interesting exercise reports, and a
picture of ARES and Section/Local Net activity across the country.
As far as the numbers are concerned, the top ten section points-earners were
the ARES programs of Alabama, Ohio, Eastern Pennsylvania, Eastern New York,
Wisconsin, Santa Clara Valley, Southern New Jersey, Western Washington,
Western Pennsylvania, and Georgia, all sections that historically have been
program leaders in the country.
As for section and local net activity, the top ten finishers were
Mississippi, Wisconsin, Alabama, Ohio, South Texas, Western New York,
Georgia, Connecticut, Michigan, and Western Pennsylvania - all traditional
traffic handling powerhouses.
There are 71 ARRL Sections in the Field Organization. For the 2019 ARRL
Simulated Emergency Test - a major, nationwide exercise for all ARES groups,
section and local nets - 33 section ARES programs reported, or 46% of all
sections. This fall, in the likely setting of the continuing pandemic, the
Simulated Emergency Tests can be run as tabletop exercises on the on-line
video conferencing platforms that most of us are familiar with by now. Let's
see if we can get activity and reporting up this fall. -- K1CE
__________
ARES Resources
ú Download the ARES Manual [PDF]
ú ARES Field Resources Manual [PDF]
ú ARES Standardized Training Plan Task Book [Fillable PDF]
ú ARES Standardized Training Plan Task Book [Word]
ú ARES Plan
ú ARES Group Registration
ú Emergency Communications Training
The Amateur Radio Emergency Service© (ARES) consists of licensed amateurs
who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment, with
their local ARES leadership, for communications duty in the public service
when disaster strikes. Every licensed amateur, regardless of membership in
ARRL or any other local or national organization is eligible to apply for
membership in ARES. Training may be required or desired to participate fully
in ARES. Please inquire at the local level for specific information. Because
ARES is an Amateur Radio program, only licensed radio amateurs are eligible
for membership. The possession of emergency-powered equipment is desirable,
but is not a requirement for membership.
How to Get Involved in ARES: Fill out the ARES Registration form and submit
it to your local Emergency Coordinator.
ARRL Resources
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__________
The ARES E-Letter is published on the third Wednesday of each month. ARRL
members may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by editing their Member Data
Page as described at http://www.arrl.org/ares-e-letter.
Copyright ¸ 2020 American Radio Relay League, Incorporated. Use and
distribution of this publication, or any portion thereof, is permitted for
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