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CX2SA > ARES 21.12.23 14:01l 405 Lines 20925 Bytes #999 (0) @ ARRL
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Subj: The ARES E-Letter - 12/2023
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=================
The ARES E-Letter
=================
Editor: Rick Palm, K1CE December 20, 2023
ARES© Briefs, Links
Successful ShakeOut 2023 Exercise and Winlink DYFI Reports
SCARES Members Receive Awards for Tunnel 5 Fire Response
Letters: Wilderness Heart Attack Emergency Handled by Winlink
Neighborhood Radio Watch: Ideas
Radio Room Dedicated to Veteran Emergency Coordinator
K1CE for a Final: "ASAP" - Short Feed Lines Feedback
ARES© Resources
ARES¶© Briefs, Links
--------------------
In The ARES Letter for November 15, 2023, the Winter Field Day dates are
incorrectly listed as January 23-24, 2024. They are actually January 27-28,
2024. - Thanks, Jesse Brumm, AJ7F
FEMA released its 2023 National Preparedness Report, highlighting the state
of the nation's preparedness at all levels of government while examining the
risks the nation faces and the capabilities available to address them. With
the cost and frequency of disasters increasing markedly over previous
decades, emergency managers must continue to adapt, forge new partnerships,
and anticipate challenges to help individuals and communities.
Climate change continues to increase the frequency and severity of weather,
which compounds the challenges that emergency managers face in addressing an
increasingly complex risk environment. The report highlights how to adapt
and forge new partnerships to face those challenges and achieve a more
prepared nation.
This year's report provides a data-driven picture of national preparedness
and emergency management trends with focused discussions on four core
capabilities:
Fire Management and Suppression.
Logistics and Supply Chain Management.
Public Health, Healthcare, and Emergency Medical Services.
Long-Term Vulnerability Reduction.
This year's report provides concrete recommendations that partners and
stakeholders across the whole community can take to increase the nation's
resilience.
Successful ShakeOut 2023 Exercise and Winlink DYFI Reports
----------------------------------------------------------
The ShakeOut 2023 exercise was an extremely successful demonstration of
worldwide amateur radio, CISA SHARES, and Air Force MARS operators providing
"ground truth" reports to USGS during a simulated earthquake. Over 1,500
reports were submitted through the Winlink system using the "Did You Feel
It" (DYFI) form developed by the Winlink team in cooperation with the United
States Geological Survey (USGS.) Reports were received from the US, several
European countries, Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand. The reports
were sent directly to USGS and distributed to several other agencies
including South Carolina Emergency Management Agency, which generated maps
and reports for FEMA.
The DYFI reports were processed by the Winlink Express program, which has
built-in capabilities for analyzing and mapping many types of reports. The
reports were displayed on a map generated by Winlink Express with markers
indicating the severity of the earthquake.
Winlink Express also wrote real-time updates to a comma separated value
(CSV) file which was used by ArcGIS¶© and other third-party GIS programs to
generate additional maps, charts, and reports.
The locations of reports shown on Winlink Express maps and passed to
third-party GIS programs were very accurate. To achieve maximum accuracy,
Winlink Express uses a hierarchy of methods for determining the position:
The user explicitly specified latitude and longitude (not a default value)
GPS position from form or message header (inserted automatically by Winlink
Express)
Google street address lookup to determine latitude and longitude
If no user-specified or GPS location, and the street address is not valid
(for example, street address but no city or state), then user's grid square.
Using the grid square is less accurate than GPS or address lookup, but it
shows the neighborhood where the report was submitted, rather than
discarding the report due to lack of location.
Some additional checks were applied to reported positions. If a
user-specified location was provided by someone with a North American call
sign (US, Canada, Mexico), and the longitude was positive indicating Eastern
Hemisphere, an address lookup was used in preference to the submitted
position, because there was a high likelihood that the user got the sign of
the longitude wrong. This procedure corrected the location of approximately
a dozen reports.
An analysis was done of the positions determined by the hierarchical
processing to see how closely they compared to the street address location.
This is a summary of the distance between positions derived by Winlink
Express and the reported street address:
Distance ƒ?Ï 33 feet: 93.70%
Distance ƒ?Ï 50 feet: 95.19%
Distance ƒ?Ï 100 feet: 96.32%
Distance ƒ?Ï 200 feet: 97.95%
Distance ƒ?Ï 500 feet: 98.66%
In 93.7% of the cases, the position was within 33 feet (10 meters) of the
street address, and 98% of the time the difference was within 200 feet.
The location difference does not imply an error: The GPS position may be 50
feet from the street address location, but the GPS position may give a more
precise location of the sender. A difference of 50 feet could be due to
which room in a house the report was submitted from.
Some participants may have experienced the earthquake while away from home,
but specified their home address on the report.
In conclusion, the ShakeOut 2023 exercise was a huge success. Several goals
were accomplished:
Many ham operators were motivated to submit DYFI reports, and there was
exceptional cooperation between amateur radio organizations worldwide, CISA
SHARES, Air Force MARS, state agencies, and FEMA.
Hams learned about the DYFI form and practiced using it.
The procedure for submitting reports via Winlink was successful using both
Winlink Express and third-party Winlink client programs such as RadioMail
and PAT.
The processing and mapping of reports by Winlink Express and 3rd party GIS
programs worked well as it has for previous FEMA and state-driven exercises.
The hierarchical processing done by Winlink Express to derive the most
precise location was successful. GPS positions gave greater accuracy than
street address lookup, and several user entry errors were corrected
automatically.
The ability of hams to submit timely ground truth information was
demonstrated and noted by FEMA and state agencies.
During an actual earthquake where the infrastructure is damaged, the ability
to submit DYFI reports via Winlink using HF radio will be essential.
The Winlink Development Team is grateful for the cooperative effort of USGS,
CISA SHARES, Air Force MARS, FEMA, their stakeholders, ARRL and the many
other amateur radio organizations for the roles they played to make this
exercise successful. An AAR will be forthcoming. -- Winlink Development Team
(WDT)
SCARES Members Receive Awards for Tunnel 5 Fire Response
--------------------------------------------------------
As previously reported in the July edition of the ARES Letter, Skamania
County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (SCARES) was activated for 4 intense
days in July 2023 during the Tunnel 5 Fire along the Columbia River in
Washington. Members augmented the EOC staff and also provided lifeline
communications to a small isolated community west of Underwood, Washington,
when landline phone lines were not operational. Eight SCARES members donated
their knowledge, skills, and abilities for a total of 189.2 hours.
On December 5, 2023, SCARES and those eight participants were honored with
awards from ARRL Western Washington (WWA) Section Manager Monte Simpson,
W7FF. These were presented by WWAAS EC Mike Montfort, KB0SVF, with the
assistance of the DEC for Washington District 4, Michael Barnhart, AE7GQ.
Both Skamania County Sheriff Summer Scheyer and Undersheriff Tracy Wyckoff
attended the presentations to honor the recipients.
Sheriff Scheyer said "The incredible, selfless efforts made by our ARES
members provides a valued service to our community and to our Sheriff's
Office. As both a community member and Sheriff of Skamania County, I am
forever grateful for those who have donated their time to provide such an
integral service."
The inscription on the plaque to the group reads "The Western Washington
Section commends the exemplary performance of Skamania County Amateur Radio
Emergency Service (ARES) for providing emergency communications to the
Skamania County Sheriff's Office and the people of Skamania County during
the Tunnel 5 fire July 2023. The actions of this team reflect highly upon
the Amateur Radio Service, the Western Washington Section and ARES." In
addition, each participating member received a mounted Emergency
Communications Commendation certificate from the ARRL.
Recognition of outstanding efforts is a key tool in helping EmComm leaders
retain their valued volunteers. -- Steve Aberle, WA7PTM, Assistant Director,
ARRL Northwestern Division
Letters: Wilderness Heart Attack Emergency Handled by Winlink
-------------------------------------------------------------
A while ago my ham radio friend and I went camping along the Jemez River,
New Mexico, in one of the many Jemez Campgrounds. It was a perfect place for
ham radio operators to be, as there is absolutely no cell phone access there
at all. There was no FM repeater reachable from that area either, which was
fine by us. We busied ourselves with FT8 and FT4 as well as phone operation.
We sent several Winlink messages earlier in the day utilizing stations in
Wickenburg, Arizona and Framingham, Utah. We sent SMS text messages to our
grandchildren, as they don't like email.
As the evening wore on, my friend started having symptoms of a heart attack.
He was familiar with the symptoms, as he had several stents and previous
heart problems. We needed an ambulance, but there was no cell service, and
it was miles to another phone. It was late at night and, being unfamiliar
with the area, we were at a loss as to the best way to proceed.
I knew that Winlink has the ability to send SMS text messages, and my son
was on call that week so he would answer a text message. I composed a
message giving my location, including the GPS coordinates and the urgency of
the situation. I sent the message via Winlink VARA HF to a station in
Wickenburg. I waited for what seemed to be an eternity (in reality, only 10
minutes) and checked for a response. He had replied with a message that he
had contacted the state police -- they would take care of the situation. In
approximately 20 minutes, an ambulance arrived and my friend was on his way
to the hospital. He is alive and well today.
Being a Technician licensee is a wonderful start to the world of emergency
communication, but when real emergencies occur, having General- or
Extra-class privileges and an HF radio is even better. -- John Mocho,
KC5QOC, Albuquerque, New Mexico (with thanks to Jay Miller, W5WHN)
Neighborhood Radio Watch: Ideas
-------------------------------
The purpose of a Neighborhood Radio Watch (NRW) program is to promote safety
and cohesiveness of the neighborhoods of our community by using radios to
communicate. When normal communications are lost, radio comms can save
lives, or at least, reduce fears. When times are tough, the ability to
communicate with others can be calming. In normal times, scheduled radio
nets for the purpose of radio training and practice can help neighbors get
to know one another. That tends to make life better for those involved. For
neighborhood communications, CB, General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS) and
Family Radio Service (FRS) radios are options.
We've tested out CB. I have a 4 W mobile CB radio used as a base (a
President Walker III) and an Antron 99 antenna up about 18 feet. The other
rig was a Midland 75-822 with an MXTA26 antenna. In spite of the excellent
antennas, CB contact dropped off after about 2 miles. I did hear a friend
once at about 2.5 miles, but he was so far down in the mud that he could
have been a genuine mud duck. I had to open the squelch all the way, and
still his voice could not have been more faint.
GMRS proved to be better. My base station is a Midland MXT400 (40 watts)
with an N9TAX Labs Slim Jim up in a tree about 20 feet off the ground, fed
by LMR-400 coax. The other rig is a Midland MXT115 (15 watts) with a tiny 7"
mag mount on the hood of my Jeep. We communicated on channel 16, using
maximum power. Coverage was about 3 miles, maximum. A better antenna on the
MXT115 would more than likely mean better coverage. Plus, FM gives a good
signal until it starts to die. First it starts to crackle, but still remains
copyable, then nothing.
We'll be testing 5-watt Radioddity GM-30 handhelds as soon as they come in.
For most neighborhoods, 1 mile of coverage would do it. We're hoping these
handhelds can do the trick for us, even with just the rubber duck. At $35,
that's a pretty good price point.
The FRS radios we've tried are good for about half a mile. Since GMRS and
FRS can talk on the same frequencies, FRS can be a decent option for those
who don't want to spend the $35 to get a GMRS license. -- Reid Tillery,
K9RFT, Alachua County (Florida) ARES
Radio Room Dedicated to Veteran Emergency Coordinator
-----------------------------------------------------
Oregon City, Oregon - The newly established Emergency Communication radio
room was named in honor of long-serving Emergency Coordinator for Clackamas
County, David Kidd, KA7OZO.
In a ceremony held on November 21, the emergency communications radio room
in Clackamas County's Disaster Management offices on the Red Soils Campus
was named in honor of Kidd, a longtime amateur radio volunteer who stepped
down as the county Emergency Coordinator for radio amateurs in May, after 20
years of service in the position.
Kidd became the Emergency Coordinator for the Clackamas Amateur Radio
Emergency Service (CARES) in 2002. Under Kidd's leadership, CARES formally
signed a memorandum of understanding with Clackamas County Disaster
Management (then Emergency Management) in 2005, putting in place a strong
working relationship between dedicated amateur radio volunteers and county
disaster management.
Steve Jensen, Kidd's successor as Emergency Coordinator, said, "David built
CARES from just a few people to one that has strong cooperation with
Clackamas County, city subunits, and a large, active, trained and committed
membership."
Jamie Poole, Interim Deputy Disaster Manager for Clackamas County, announced
at Kidd's retirement that the newly established radio room for the county
would be named in honor of Kidd and his service to the county.
CARES is a group of licensed amateur radio volunteers in Clackamas County
who provide critical communication links during disasters and major events.
CARES works closely with Disaster Management in the county. -- Jeremy
Tanzer, KI7BDP, Assistant Emergency Coordinator, Oregon City; Assistant
Emergency Coordinator, Training, Clackamas Amateur Radio Emergency Service
(CARES)
K1CE for a Final: "ASAP" - Short Feed Lines Feedback
----------------------------------------------------
The following are two responses I received on last month's item on keeping
feed lines as short as possible:
Changing from 40 feet of RG-58 to RG-8 or -213 should not have made that
much of a difference. Assuming these are HF dipoles and not a VHF or UHF
antenna, the difference in loss should only be about 1.2 dB/100 feet, which
is only a change of about 1/2 dB from removing 40 feet. (See the graph of
loss vs. frequency for various cables in The ARRL Antenna Book). If you had
a change of "epic proportions," then the RG-58 run (or the connectors) was
seriously defective. I'd take a close look and test that old feed line! --
73, Ward Silver, N0AX
I am the EC for Jones County, Iowa, and as such, I read the ARES Letter on a
regular basis. Of particular interest to me was your "final" comments about
keeping your antenna feed lines short. My comments:
I was surprised that you had been using RG-58 to your HF dipole. Just
changing to either RG-213 or LMR-400 would have automatically increased your
received signal levels, especially on 20 meters and up, and given you a bit
more output.
Moving antennas closer to the shack (house) can have the unintended effect
of coupling more noise into your dipole from electronic devices in the house
or radiated power line noise from the house wiring. You can also end up with
your RF output coupling into devices in the house and causing RFI that was
not noticeable before. That is an effect that too many hams with "postage
stamp" lots get dragged into, especially when they have antennas (anything
from simple dipoles to tri-band beams) located adjacent to or above the house.
In my installation, which is on acreage, all HF antennas are located at
least 50 feet away from the shack, with my main HF antennas fed through
about 250 feet of LMR-400 to their support tower that is a bit over 200 feet
from the shack. The main HF wire antenna is a 160-meter OCF and it works
very well on several HF bands with just 100 watts applied. (I do have a
Collins 30L-1 amp to increase the power to 500 watts when necessary.) I
realize that all too many hams do not have the luxury of having that much
space to allocate for antennas, but they do need to consider the
consequences of trying too hard to pack too much into too little space.
Note: I lived on a "postage stamp" lot until I moved to Iowa in 2000.
Rick, I am a retired EMC engineer who has had the opportunity to review and
contribute to both editions of the Bonding and Grounding for the Radio
Amateur book by Ward Silver, N0AX. I have three towers, the tallest of which
is 77 feet and which has taken two direct lightning hits. I have had several
antennas blown apart and RF relays on the tower with welded contacts, but
zero damage to anything in the house or shack because I applied the
principles covered in the book.
Keep up the great work on EmComms and how various groups handle their
emergencies and simulated event tests. Thank you. -- Dale Sventanoff, WA9ENA
ARES¶© Resources
----------------
Download the ARES Manual [PDF]
ARES Field Resources Manual [PDF]
ARES Standardized Training Plan Task Book [Fillable PDF]
ARES Standardized Training Plan Task Book [Word]
ARES Plan
ARES Group Registration
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.
Support ARES: Join ARRL
ARES is a program of ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio¶© . No
other organization works harder than ARRL to promote and protect amateur
radio! ARRL members enjoy many benefits and services including digital
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