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The ARES E-Letter April 18, 2018
Editor: Rick Palm, K1CE
- ARES Briefs, Links
- FEMA, an ARRL Partner, Invites Whole Community to Participate in National
Level Exercise
- ARES Annual/Monthly Reports, ARES E-Letter Archives Available
- ARRL West Central Florida Section to Coordinate Communications for Bike MS
Citrus Tour
- ARRL Puerto Rico Section Preps for Hurricane Season in the Post-Maria Era
- ARRL Director Speaks on ARES Advances into the 21st Century at Pacific
Northwest's Communications Academy
- Letters: Infragard in California
- Letters: On DMR
- A Proposal for Practical Scalar Weather Reports or Exchanges
- ARRL -- Your One-Stop Resource for Amateur Radio News and Information
ARES Briefs, Links
------------------
Ham Tapped as new Hurricane Center Director
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) named Kenneth
Graham, WX4KEG, to head the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Preparations
at the NHC continue ahead of the 2018 hurricane season, which begins on June
1, following 2017's historic tropical weather season. Graham will pick up
the reins from Deputy/Acting Director Ed Rappaport on April 1. More here.
2018 National Hurricane Conference A Wrap
Amateur Radio presentations and workshops were conducted at the National
Hurricane Conference, Hilton Orlando, Florida, on Tuesday, March 27, 2018,
and were recorded. Readers can view the proceedings on the VoIP Hurricane
Net site here.
Presenters this year included special guest speaker Ed Rappaport, Acting
Director, National Hurricane Center; special guest speaker Bob Robichaud,
VE1MBR, Canadian Hurricane Center; Julio Ripoll, WD4R, WX4NHC Assistant
Amateur Radio Station Coordinator; Mike Corey, KI1U, ARRL Emergency
Preparedness Manager; Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, Hurricane Watch Net Manager; Rob
Macedo, KD1CY, Director of Operations, VoIP Hurricane Net and ARRL ARES
Eastern Massachusetts Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator; Bill Feist,
WB8BZH, National SATERN Liaison; and Dennis Dura, K2DCD, VoIP Hurricane Net.
Emergency Communications Vehicles to be on Display at Dayton
In keeping with its theme, "Serving the Community," Hamvention©2018 is
offering an opportunity for Amateur Radio groups to display the
communication vehicles they use to serve their communities. A special area
has been set aside at the Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center for
emergency communication trailers, vans, trucks, and other vehicles.
Hamvention organizers are hoping that emergency response groups such as
ARES, RACES, CERT, and others with an interest in Amateur Radio emergency
communication will take advantage. Groups that want to participate can
obtain more information on the Hamvention website.
During Hamvention, emergency communicators can attend more than 10 forums
dealing with public service. Those attending at least three ARRL-sponsored
public service forums will receive a certificate. One session will offer
attendees a chance to hear firsthand reports from radio amateurs who served
in Puerto Rico after the hurricanes this past year. Hamvention 2018 will
take place May 18 - 20 at the Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center in
Xenia, Ohio. -- ARRL News
Amateur Radio's Service and Support Commended on National Volunteer Week
ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, used the occasion of National Volunteer
Week, April 15 - 21, to express gratitude to "the thousands of Amateur Radio
operators who have given, and who continue to give, of their time and
expertise" to serve as vital communication links during emergencies,
disasters, and community events. ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager Mike
Corey, KI1U, cited Amateur Radio's volunteer spirit as one of its most
admirable aspects: "Radio amateurs have taken their passion for radio,
communication, science, and technology and given back service in so many
ways;" they "teach, inspire, offer insights to the world that others cannot,
assist during times of emergency and disaster, and report to assist during
such community events as marathons and festivals," he said.
National Volunteer Week is sponsored by Points of Light, an ARRL partner
through National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD).--
excerpted from the ARRL Letter, April 12, 2018
Section News
Amateur Radio Operators Could Be a Lifeline in a Major Disaster -- Check out
the excellent media coverage of the Oregon statewide Simulated Emergency
Test (SET) conducted on April 14 featured on broadcast station KATU TV here
-- Oregon Section Manager John Core, KX7YT
FEMA, an ARRL Partner, Invites Whole Community to Participate in National
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Level Exercise
--------------
On April 3, FEMA announced that the agency is conducting its 2018 National
Level Exercise for the whole community and invites other government
agencies, representatives and organizations in the private sector,
communities, and individuals to participate in this historic exercise. The
2018 National Level Exercise (NLE), based on a mid-Atlantic hurricane
scenario, represents one key step towards implementing FEMA's recently
released 2018-2022 Strategic Plan.
The ARRL has had a longstanding relationship with the Federal Emergency
Management Agency, formalized in its most recent memorandum of
understanding, which can be viewed here.
The 2018 National Level Exercise, which takes place April 30-May 11, is the
first major exercise following the release of the plan. The exercise
supports its three goals: Build a Culture of Preparedness by empowering the
country to participate and enhance their own preparedness for future
disasters; to build FEMA, its state and local partners, and all
participants' readiness for potential catastrophic events; and to reduce the
complexity of FEMA by closely incorporating its partners into the exercise.
The exercise will test lessons learned from the 2017 hurricane season. To
learn more, see http://www.fema.gov/nle.
ARES Annual/Monthly Reports, ARES E-Letter Archives Available
-------------------------------------------------------------
ARES Annual/Monthly Reports can be found here, organized by date, with a
link to download a PDF of the full report.
Archives of the ARRL ARES E-Letter going back to the original issue
(September 2005) are available for download.
ARRL West Central Florida Section to Coordinate Communications for Bike MS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Citrus Tour
-----------
In February, it was announced that Darrell Davis, KT4WX, the Section Manager
of the ARRL West Central Florida Section, in agreement with Craig Shapiro,
N1MSS, the logistics coordinator for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society
and Jason Triolo, KD4ACG, the Amateur Radio communications coordinator for
the Bike MS Citrus Tour in 2017, that the West Central Florida Section would
assume responsibility for coordination of Amateur Radio communications for
the Bike MS Citrus Tour. Volunteer levels had slightly declined and it was
felt that with the assistance of the West Central Florida Section that
recruitment of new volunteers could fall under one banner and be given a
more coordinated, concerted effort.
Section Manager Davis appointed Mike Bresse, W2YS, as an Assistant Section
Manager for the Special Project of the Bike MS Citrus Tour; he will serve as
the new Amateur Radio Coordinator for the Tour starting this year. Bresse
had previously served as the SAG vehicle coordinator for a number of years.
Davis said the following about the WCF Section assuming sponsorship of the
Bike MS Citrus tour Amateur Radio communications:
"Everyone who has been performing their respective assignments will continue
to perform them as they have with no changes. Mike is the new Amateur Radio
coordinator and will continue in his new role as he has before and is doing
a great job with the new Citrus Tour website as well. We shall continue to
welcome help from all those who have helped in the past and hopefully we
will see a lot of new volunteers this year."
The MS Citrus Bike Tour will take place on Saturday, May 5, and Sunday May
6, 2018. The Tour will start at Fantasy of Flight in northern Polk County
and end at Champions Gate just inside of Osceola County and reverse the next
day. Registration is now open. For the latest information and to register to
volunteer for the first time, please go to the Amateur Radio communications
website for the bike tour. Registration for new volunteers is now open. --
ARRL West Central Florida Section News
ARRL Puerto Rico Section Preps for Hurricane Season in the Post-Maria Era
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Saturday, March 17, ARRL Puerto Rico Section leaders met with the
section's ARES Emergency Coordinators, and representatives of the Puerto
Rico Power Authority (PREPA-AEE) and island hospitals that have shown
interest in establishing Amateur Radio stations for emergency back-up
communications when another Maria-scale event occurs. Also present were
representatives of the new Puerto Rico Emergency Management Bureau, taking
notes and sharing ideas for fostering mutual assistance among these agencies
during incidents.The Bureau reps also discussed the possibility of reducing
the number of Zones that divide the island for disaster response purposes.
ARRL Puerto Rico Section Emergency Coordinator Juan Sep£lveda, KP3CR, along
with Section Manager Oscar Resto, KP4RF, led the meeting. Topics of
discussion included an overview of the ARES program and the new online form
for reporting on activities, drills and emergency communications services
rendered during incidents. District Emergency Coordinators and Emergency
Coordinators have been mandated to fill out and file these forms for the
SEC's and ARRL HQ's information and use for planning and reporting purposes.
Meeting attendees discussed the utility of the popular Winlink software for
sending e-mail protocol messages via radio and a global network that links
the Internet to amateur stations by means of nodes on both HF and VHF/UHF
systems. The Winlink discussion was followed by an examination of NVIS HF
antenna configurations for local/regional communications coverage.
A draft set of frequencies to be used for future emergency/disaster response
situations and drills was discussed. A presentation of the ARRL's After
Action Report of the 2017 Hurricane season was also discussed, with emphasis
on Hurricane Maria impacts and response, and the Red Cross/Amateur Radio
"Force of Fifty" mission on Puerto Rico.
The possibility of ARES members to be issued a special ID card for access to
incident and government facilities was discussed, as were logistical
problems in the aftermath of Maria, including the costs of fuel
incurred in maintaining the repeater systems for emergency/disaster response
communications.
The Puerto Rico ARES members are now meeting monthly in advance of this
year's hurricane season, which commences June 1. -- Angel Santana,WP3GW,
ARRL Puerto Rico Section News
ARRL Director Speaks on ARES Advances into the 21st Century at Pacific
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Northwest's Communications Academy
----------------------------------
2018's Communications Academy was held last weekend at South Seattle College
in Seattle, Washington. Communications Academy is a non-profit coalition of
volunteer radio communications teams that provide a high quality,
professional-grade training opportunity for the various emergency
communications programs, individuals and groups around the Pacific
Northwest. By providing a once-a-year large-scale venue for training,
volunteer communicators are exposed to topics in emergency management,
communications techniques and protocols, real-life emergency responses, and
other pertinent subjects, which might not otherwise be available to them.
In past years the academy has been able to attract several nationally known
speakers for the keynote sessions.
The Communications Academy is open to anyone with an interest in emergency
communications, volunteer or professional. The presentations are designed to
promote the development of knowledgeable, skilled emergency communicators
who will support their local communities during a disaster or emergency
response.
The planning committee for the Communications Academy includes members from
ARES, RACES, ACS, medical and public safety agencies.
The 2018 Communications Academy theme was "DON'T PANIC!: Be Prepared to
Respond to Communications Emergencies."
The keynote speaker was Robert Ezelle, Director of Washington Military
Department's Emergency Management Division (EMD), who spoke on "Disaster
Response and Emergency Communications." He concluded that "the importance of
Amateur Radio cannot be overemphasized. It will play a critical role
following a major disaster."
Numerous seminars and programs were conducted over the weekend. Sarah
Miller, K7SKM, a Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) spoke on "Communications
in Catastrophe: A view from Hurricane Harvey" and examined impacts to the
community, including response and recovery, from a communications perspective.
Scott Honaker, N7SS, spoke on the subject of "Antennas Demystified -
Antennas in Emergency Communications." He covered antenna designs most
commonly used for emergency communications.
Kenny Richards, KU7M, discussed "HamWAN - What, Why, and How?" HamWAN is
several things, including a local group of amateurs who have built a
high-speed IP based network over Amateur Radio in the Puget Sound area, as
well a standard for how other groups can build a similar network.
An extensive Beginners' Track featured a series of six individual classes,
and a special simplex radio net for members of the beginner's series to
monitor and participate in to help get experience with, and become
comfortable with, using their radios. A separate workshop was set up to help
hams learn to program their radios.
Robert "Tom" Cox, VE6TOX, helped attendees in "Understanding Communications
Failures." This presentation provided types of communications failures along
with specific examples from various disasters illustrating the points.
Ward Silver, N0AX, ARRL publications writer/editor and QST Contributing
Editor, spoke on grounding and bonding, AC safety, lightning protecting, RF
management and grounding systems. Silver also presented "Contesting:
Training for Public Service Radio Fitness"
Scott Currie, NS7C, gave a "Winlink Express Installation and Configuration
Overview," covering installation, configuration, and operation of the
Winlink Express client software and other utilities, focusing on V/UHF
packet radio operation. HF operation was also briefly covered.
Dale Williams, WA8EFK , Director, Great Lakes Division, ARRL Board of
Directors, presented "ARES Advances into the 21st Century, discussing the
significant changes to the ARES program, at the national level, which are
being planned by the ARRL Public Service Enhancement Workgroup.
Program Chairman Marina Zuetell, N7LSL, ARES District M Assistant Section
Emergency Coordinator for Western Washington Medical Services
Communications, reported "This year, we had nearly 350 participants who came
from all over Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, and Alberta. For the
first time we had Pacific Section Manager Joe Speroni, AH0A, from Hawaii
attend, and he vowed to return and bring his Section Emergency Coordinator
next year. This was particularly meaningful since we opened the conference,
relevant to our "Don't Panic!" theme, with the videoclip from the Hawaiian
"missile threat" and the tribute to Amateur Radio. We also had attendees
from Montana, and a couple of other states. We had many enthusiastic
comments about the great networking opportunities, as well as the many and
varied topics. Great fun was had by all."
Zuetell thanked the committee for its great work in putting the event
together, as well as the sponsors, exhibitors, and speakers. Also thanked
were the teams with communications vans who came and showed off their
creativity and expertise in the pouring rain!
For more information, see the Communication Academy's website here.
Letters: Infragard in California
--------------------------------
The InfraGard article in last month's issue of the ARES E-Letter was great
to read, but ARRL members may misunderstand the scope of the area cited. The
Los Angeles InfraGard Chapter covers seven counties: Los Angeles, Orange,
Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura. This
would include the ARRL Los Angeles, Orange, and Santa Barbara sections, not
just Los Angeles. It should also be noted that there are 82 chapters of
InfraGard in the U.S., so opportunities exist throughout the country.
Many Santa Barbara Section members have attended training (for free) from
the FBI via the InfraGard program on a number of timely subjects, and a
number of active ARES members are trained as a Terrorism Liaison Officer
(TLO). The course trains students in the information sharing
intelligence-gathering mission, which is crucial to the war on terrorism.
The course explains the mission of the Joint Regional Intelligence Center
(JRIC), the primary duties of a TLO, the proper handling of sensitive
information, and the organizational structure of the Intelligence
Community.This is right up our alley.
Our section leaders encourage participation in InfraGard, CERT, Red Cross,
and other organizations that enhance our capabilities and serve the public.
This also lets the others in those groups become aware of our unique
capabilities and skills. Those interested in the InfraGard program can
visit: https://www.infragard.org/ -- Rob Hanson, W6RH, Ventura County ACS
Radio Officer and Ventura County ARES District Emergency Coordinator
Letters: On DMR
---------------
A lot of hams tend to discount the newer digital modes, mainly for the
reasoning that they depend on the Internet to link to reflectors, or master
servers in the case of DMR, somehow making them not ham radio. That argument
usually extends to the contingency scenario of a loss of infrastructure,
such as telephone, Internet, cell phones, etc. Those same hams seem to think
that a DMR repeater becomes a paper weight; nothing can be further from the
truth. DMR (as we use it) is a Time Domain Multiple-Access (TDMA) protocol
that provides two voice/data channels in the same spectrum space as a
narrowband analog voice channel. A DMR repeater will continue to function as
a conventional (non-Internet linked) repeater when the Internet is not
available, repeating both timeslots the same way it would with the network
up. DMR provides emergency communicators with twice the number of channels
in the same bandwidth (actually less) as an analog repeater. It also allows
emergency coordinators and communicators to segment their traffic by
talkgroups, providing even more capability. -- Greg Horine, N9PBD, Trustee,
KD9JNB Multi-Mode Digital Repeater Southwestern Illinois Digital Group
A Proposal for Practical Scalar Weather Reports or Exchanges
The RST system of signal reporting is a well-used system for communicating a
complex set of variables quickly with some precision. I wonder why no such
system has been implemented to convey the weather, especially as the subject
is so pervasive in our communications, and sometimes even a short report may
require more characters or time to transmit than can be afforded. Granted,
some people may enjoy talking about the weather, but could we use a similar
"scalar" system to quickly convey or record weather descriptions when
desired? I propose the following 8x5 WX scale system:
8x5 WX
Scale Temperature Sky Precipitation Wind Speed Wind Direction
1 Bitter Cold Clear Blizzard Calm N
2 Very Cold Faint or Distant Clouds Snow Light Breeze NE
3 Cold Mostly Clear a Few Clouds Snow Showers Breezy E
4 Mild 25% Partly Cloudy Dry Light Wind SE
5 Warm 50% Partly Cloudy Rain Showers Windy S
6 Hot 75% Mostly Cloudy Steady Rain Strong Winds SW
7 Very Hot Full 100% Overcast Hard Rain Extremely Strong Winds W
8 Extreme Heat Black Skies Downpour Hurricane /Tornado NW
Using this system, the description of a "Breaking Storm coming in from the
North, with Strong Winds and Snow" can be reduced to "WX (is) 2726N".
Alternately, one could say "WX (is) 27261", but all the cardinal compass
points are shorter to send than their Scale numbers. A description of a
"Pleasant, mostly clear Spring day, with calm winds" might be "WX4341",
omitting the Wind Direction character if Wind Speed = Calm.
The scalar values for Temperature, Sky, and Wind all increase across the
scale. Only precipitation combines the phases of water with severity, with 4
being neutral. But the gradient is easily understood, and rigorous reference
to the cheat sheet table is as unnecessary as for RST. The category order T,
S, P, W, D may be remembered by the mnemonic "Too Soon Pass Wild Days" and
no calculator is required to judge the Scale to 1/8th mentally, as we do so
with greater precision for RST. A day that is 4444W is easily understood to
be a fine day. Many Spring and Fall days will be 5555S.
Is this 8x5 WX Scale scientific or ultra-precise? No. For the WX enthusiast
who usually reports barometric pressure in millibars to two decimal places,
it will not do. But it can convey a conversational description of our WX. A
CW op might have a different opinion than a SSB operator, or a Coherent BPSK
op using 0.0058 bits/second at VLF (where each symbol might take 15 seconds)
might appreciate brevity sufficient to include a WX report, which might only
take an extra couple of minutes, instead of an hour. -- Jason Kovatch, NJ7K,
Everett, Washington, nj7k@arrl.net
_________
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