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Subj: ARES E-Letter December 21, 2016
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From: CX2SA@CX2SA.SAL.URY.SOAM
To : ARES@WW
The ARES E-Letter December 21, 2016
Editor: Rick Palm, K1CE
In This Issue:
- Looking Out for Number One in a Disaster Area
- Ohio ARES: A Busy Year in Review
- Letters: American Legion's Amateur Radio Program
- K1CE for a Final
ARES Briefs, Links
------------------
Radio Amateurs Assisting in Wake of Indonesian Earthquake (12/9/16);
Emergency Communication Exercise Uses "Hamsphere©" to Introduce Youth to
Virtual Ham Radio (12/7/16); Amateur Radio Volunteers Providing Shelter
Communication Support in Tennessee (11/30/16); Tennessee ARES on Standby in
Wildfire Emergency, Local Amateur Radio Volunteers Assisting (11/29/16);
Hurricane Watch Net Stands Down after Hurricane Otto Makes Landfall in
Nicaragua (11/25/16)
________
2016 SKYWARN Recognition Day is a wrap. The popular annual on-the-air event
celebrates the long, mutually beneficial relationship between weather
forecasters and radio amateurs/spotters. From a banner on the Melbourne,
Florida, National Weather Service website: "Another SKYWARN Recognition Day
is in the record books! Thank you to all of our Amateur Radio volunteers who
made this another successful event! This page will be updated with pictures
and this year's stats soon." We will publish stats and anecdotes from this
year's SRD as they come in. Watch for February 2017 QST coverage in the
Public Service column, including reports of activity at the Taunton,
Massachusetts NWS facility and operation from W1AW.
______
A new version of the IARU Emergency Telecommunications Guide (September 1,
2016) is available here.
______
A Rural County ARES Group Planned for Hurricane Matthew -- In preparation
for Hurricane Matthew's arrival on the Florida peninsula in October,
Gilchrist County (a rural county northwest of Gainesville) EC John Greiner,
KJ4YPZ, worked at the county EOC with a good plan for his ARES ops: "to
monitor the 147.285 MHz repeater in [the farming town of] Bell, and when
conditions warranted, I would put out a call every hour at the bottom of the
hour (30 minutes past the hour) for any emergency traffic. If stations were
on emergency power, they could call at that time and save power the rest of
the hour. At the top of the hour (on the hour) I would change frequency to
the 146.82 MHz repeater to confer with neighboring Alachua county ARES and
EOC where I would remain for 10 minutes to relay and pass traffic/info as
needed." Greiner planned for ARES to "monitor in place." If shelters were
opened, Greiner would send two radio operators with 2-meter radios, "but I
would have the last word on any deployments necessary."
______
For a California ARES Hospital Communications Group, it gets real after
participating in a major statewide medical drill -- The 2016 Statewide
Medical and Health Exercise took place on November 17 and was scarecely over
for a month when the Hospital Disaster Support Communications System
(HDSCS), a specialized ARES group in Orange County, California, was called
out for the real thing. On Monday, December 12, around 1:15 PM, phones went
down at Anaheim Global Medical Center. In accordance with the hospital
emergency plan, HDSCS was contacted using the HDSCS Call-Up sheet. The
hospital's assistant disaster coordinator informed the HDSCS contact of the
problem and the request for multiple operators to back-up communications. A
call over a local repeater used by HDSCS yielded two operators ready to put
the system into action. Within a few minutes a base station was established
and a lead communicator was on his way to the hospital.
The base station and an assistant emergency coordinator made calls using the
HDSCS "first wave" sheet. Over the next 15 minutes another three operators
were identified and began their responses to the hospital. An additional
three operators were contacted in case more would be needed and indicated
their availability. As the first operator arrived, a hospital command center
had been established. In under an hour, four communicators were on site with
one operator staying in contact with the base station and the other three
backing up internal communications.
Training in Hospital Incident Command System protocols was helpful for the
radio operators in working with the 213 and 214 ICS forms and the hospital
staff knowing about the job action sheet preferred by Orange County
hospitals. While this facility did have a back up phone system that provided
some coverage for the most critical departments and some hand-held radios,
the radio amateurs were wanted also: while some patient care staff could
make a call on a hand-held radio, they couldn't always listen and preferred
the HDSCS operators to handle communications.
A relief operator, identified from the initial call-up, did come on site
about 4 1/2 hours into the incident. The system was declared stable just
over 6 hours after the activation, and with that, the communicators on site
were asked to participate in the debriefing with the hospital staff. This
phone outage was the 123rd emergency and the 97th phone outage to which
HDSCS has responded since 1980. -- April Moell, WA6OPS, District Emergency
Coordinator, ARRL Orange Section, ARES Hospital Disaster Support
Communications System
[Moell added this commentary: "Many groups may drill with hospitals but
typically the hams show up prior to the start of the drill and when the
activity starts everyone is already in place. That is not the real world
case when it hits the fan. The fact that we are always, and I mean always,
making sure hospitals have current activation procedures and names, more
than one, is why we have had timely responses to our hospitals over the
years. We were on site before the phone technicians were in this incident,
and it's not the first time. Our first wave sheets really help make call-up
more efficient. Our first calls are to those who are closer and most likely
available at certain times of day to hospitals. Being educated about
hospitals and EMS organization and disaster plans make us valuable additions
to the hospitals in the little and big disasters." -- ed.]
You Can Take It With You -- Build a Go-Box Station
In this article I share both my experience with designing a versatile
go-box, as well as my operating experiences outside of the shack. Consider
the variety of locations you would like to operate from and let this project
inspire you to enjoy similar experiences and convenience. Having
participated in many field day events, as well as serving in various
emergency/disaster communications response roles, I can attest to the
benefit of having all the critical components conveniently pre-wired in one
place. There is an added benefit to quickly adjust between diverse
environments such as home, portable, and mobile operations without the
hassle of installing and uninstalling radio equipment.
Background
Being a requirements engineer, I applied a systems approach to this project
with the goals of developing a go-box that would be capable of HF, VHF, and
UHF operation; easily transformed between a portable, mobile/rover, or home
operating environment; usable for digital modes, using a sound card device
and software where possible; lightweight enough to carry (e.g., through an
airport terminal); and small enough for aircraft carry-on (i.e., 22x15x9).
It was important for me to maximize the capabilities of my station while
minimizing the weight and ensuring simplicity. The main focus was on
packaging the three basic components of a station: transceiver, antenna
tuner, and sound card interface. At the same time, a decision was made not
to include a power supply, but rather rely on various power options that
were particular to the environment I would be operating in, thus saving on
total weight.
There are a number of HF/VHF/UHF radios on the market that offer multi-mode
capabilities. Add to that a wide variety of sound card interfaces, a
computer, and lastly, a general-purpose antenna tuner and you have the
beginnings of a highly versatile station. As a concept shown in Figure 1,
the commonly-used components could be packaged and pre-wired together in
the go-box. Depending on the chosen operating environment, the user may
substitute various accessories and antenna(s) as needed. Note: For safety
and convenience, especially in a mobile environment, I recommend using a
radio that has remote-head capabilities.
After some trial and error, I selected the MTM Case-Gard's sportsman utility
dry (SPUD) box, specifically, the SPUD-2 model, as it has a comfortable
carrying handle and provides enough depth, strength, and support needed to
handle the weight of the radio gear.
The components I selected for this go-box were the Icom IC-706 Mark IIG
transceiver, the LDG Z-100 Plus autotuner with the radio interface cable, as
well as the Tigertronics SignaLink USB sound card interface, as seen in
Figure 2. A small Anderson Powerpole junction box simplifies wiring. The
total weight of this packaged solution is less than 17 pounds.
Operating Environments
Below are typical operating environments and special uses where you can
safely and effectively operate the station. You should consider how many of
these environments apply to your particular needs before designing your own
packaged solution.
Home station
A fully featured system that can be used with a power supply, an antenna,
and power for the computer.
Mobile
A limited set of functions on HF/VHF/UHF with a remote head for driver
safety and convenience.
Contesting Station
Add a headset and foot switch, and laptop computer, and it is ready for
contest logging, DX Spotting, and digital sound card modes. The sound card
interface can also act as a digital voice-keyer, saving you from calling CQ
for hours on end.
Emergency Station
Perfect for quick setup, a quick-deploy NVIS antenna, and VHF vertical
antenna for operating HF, VHF, or the popular e-mail over radio software
such as Winlink Express.
Boating
Since many of the sensitive components are packaged securely, it is possible
to operate this in a marine environment as well - consider harsh
environments when designing your go-box.
Additional Benefits of a Good Design:
Security of being able to easily remove the go-box from a vehicle when
not in use
Quickly adaptable among various operating environments
Allows hams to only need one radio that serves multiple purposes
Design Considerations
Topic Best Practice
Component Monitoring
Bolts/nuts are best for installation, but Velcro should be sufficient for
smaller components. Another option is to tie wrap components on to sanded
plywood for good results. Mount radio on lower portion of box, using rubber
feet to raise angle of radio for less strain when using controls. Put
less-used materials on the top shelf. When mounting SO-239 connectors
through the case, use star washers to keep the connectors in place.
Additional Accessories
As a convenience, add an external speaker, volt meter, USB port to charge
small devices, and a dual-band DB-J2 roll-up antenna.
Documentation
Consider adding a manual or guide for your radio or create your own document
for nontraditional (set and forget) settings (i.e., port speed for radio to
computer communications, operating various digital modes software, and
preferred audio settings for each). Print the document on laminated paper to
fit neatly into the go-box.
Labeling
Don't forget to label all connectors. Also, print labels with your name and
call sign inside the box and cover.
Mobile Use
If you wish to use the go-box as a mobile rig, the radio should have
remote-head capability. Mounting the head unit remotely will provide
additional space inside the box.
Air Travel
The go-box fits the aircraft carry-on bag size requirements; however,
consider what you store in the case as there is an ever-growing list of
prohibited items that cannot be transported on a commercial flight.
The Guts of it All
The internals are very simple. A thin high-grade plywood shelf slides
between parallel guides as seen in Figure 3. The power, coax, and braided
cables need to be long enough to slide out with the shelf when accessing
the components. Optional internal fused circuits for protection, or a small
fan for cooling that may be needed during mobile operation, are not shown.
The top shelf holds less frequently-used components such as the SignaLink
and auto tuner. Therefore, the bottom shelf is reserved for more frequently
used items such as the transceiver, thereby reducing arm muscle strain when
in operation. Note, in Figure 4, there is a 1«" hole in the top shelf for
passing wires through the shelf to the bottom of the go-box.
The bottom shelf is mainly for the radio with storage space for remote head
or other accessories.
Pennsylvania QSO Party, 2016 - the shake-down
I traveled from my home in Oregon to operate in Pennsylvania with Randy
George, N3ZK and Frank Bobro, N3FB, to test out my new go-box under
multi-operator contest conditions. I was able to transport the go-box on
board as an airline carry-on (with no fuss from airport security) easily
fitting in the overhead compartment. For contesting in the Pennsylvania QSO
Party, I used a Heil headset, foot switch, and tablet computer. I was
surprised that with running pileups for two hours straight, the heat
dissipation from the go-box was sufficient and no additional fans were
required. The N1MM contesting software allowed sending digital voice
recordings through SignaLink, which worked very well.
The only additional piece of equipment I needed was a small folding table to
hold the go-box, my computer, and I still had ample room for food and drink!
Conclusion
Building a go-box can be very rewarding and will definitely draw attention
from fellow ham club members. Hopefully, I have inspired you to build your
own go-box for those times when an out-of-shack operational need presents
itself. Just to reiterate, it is important when designing your go-box to
consider various operating environments; you never know when an emergency
situation may arise that could depend on your services for communication to
the outside world. -- Paul Lusardi, N0VLR, Corvallis, Oregon; member, Benton
County ARES, Search and Rescue, and Oregon Disaster Medical Team
Looking Out for Number One in a Disaster Area
---------------------------------------------
All of us who have had even minimal experience at the scene of any form of
disaster, man-made or natural, know just how rapidly things can change in
that environment. We have our "go bags" ready for what we believe we will
need to get us through the situation/deployment. But have we given any
thought about what would happen if, during our deployment, something were to
happen to us, both on a minor scale and a larger scale?
For the minor scale issues, I suggest what I call a personal comfort pack.
This would include items such as pain killers, cough drops, Antacid, lip
balm, sun screen, any prescription drugs you may need, a few Band-Aids©, a
few granola or power bars, and anything else you think may make your
deployment a little easier and more comfortable for you, such as eye drops
if you wear contact lenses.
All of these items can fit into a small pouch: I use a nice weather proof
camera case I found in a local thrift store! Many of the items listed can be
found in small quantities in the travel section of some stores. These
smaller versions are ideal for your kit. Of course your kit doesn't have to
be small. If you want more comfort items than can fit into a small pouch
you could always go bigger. Popular now in some sporting goods stores are
the plastic military style "ammo cans." These would also be a good choice
for your personal comfort kit. They are inexpensive, light weight and have a
rubber gasket around the lid to give it some degree of water resistance.
These "cans" can even hold a bottle of water if you wanted one.
Now that you have taken care of the little things, what can you do to help
yourself if something more serious happened to you during your deployment
and you were unable to communicate? Most Emergency Medical Technicians are
used to looking at a person's wrist or neck for a medic alert bracelet or
necklace, so I got a very small brightly colored flash drive and labeled it
on both sides, "Mike B. MEDICAL."
Since there are laptops everywhere now, from mobile data terminals (MDT's)
in the squad emergency transport vehicles to the desks in the trauma center,
you can communicate a great deal of information without being conscious by
having it readily available on the little flash drive.
On mine, I have the following: Page one has my name, address, home phone and
date of birth. It also lists the names and cell phone numbers of my wife and
daughters. At the bottom, in red and in all caps, I have listed no allergies
and my blood type. The next few pages list my personal medical history to
include the type of medical incident (broken bones, surgeries, etc.) the
attending physician's name, the date and location of treatment. After that I
have a sheet with a copy of the labels of all prescription medications I am
currently on. This gives the hospital the type of medication, dose, and the
name of the physician who prescribed it.
Next I have a page that has a copy of all my doctor's business cards, from
my family doctor to a specialist, my dentist and even my optometrist. I
provide this so that if a trauma center or ER doctor has a specific
question, he/she can contact my doctor directly. Lastly I provide a page of
family medical history. Depending on what has happened to you, this
information could be very important.
You might say, well I have a card in my wallet with my spouse's contact
information -- they can just call him/her and get the information needed,
and you would be correct, they could. However, in some medical situations,
time is of the essence and if they had any difficulty contacting your
spouse, they are using up critical time.
Conclusion: It takes very little effort to put together a personal comfort
pack and personal medical information onto a flash drive. Do it for yourself
and your family. -- Mike Burg, N8QQN, Emergency Medical Technician [Burg
retired recently as Chief of Police. One of the first things he did after
making Chief was to install a 2-meter radio and station in the department.
Burg said, "Since the department is one of the three 9-1-1 centers in the
county, we have a massive generator that runs the entire building in the
event of a power outage. By putting the station there, my club was always
able to get on the air."]
Ohio ARES: A Busy Year in Review
--------------------------------
In addition to providing radio communications in support of public safety
and security at the Republican National Convention in July, the ARRL Ohio
section doubled its involvement in public events and incidents over the
activity of the previous year. Section Emergency Coordinator Stan Broadway,
N8BHL, credited his team of local and District Emergency Coordinators for
their participation in long planning meetings, intense preparations and
successful operations. Ohio ARES solidified its relationships with numerous
emergency management agencies and Red Cross offices over the course of the
busy year.
The number of Ohio ARES members completing FEMA IS-100, 200, 700 and 800
courses steadily increased: a database shows more than 500 ARES members now
holding 3,263 course certificates. In Ohio, ARES volunteers who report to an
EOC or incident field operation must hold the NIMS/ICS course completion
certificates.
Some Ohio groups are developing MESH (2.4 GHz) digital networking systems
while others are working on applications in Winlink, the hybrid
Internet/RF-based email system. In several counties, ARES organizations are
upgrading, expanding and developing stations in their local EOCs. The Ohio
state EOC station is being fitted with all new radio equipment -- the
remodeling and installation is expected to be completed before the end of
the year. Many other groups were busy upgrading communications trailers for
emergency/disaster response, some in cooperation with CERT programs.
ARES members again participated in Ohio's NVIS Antenna Day, testing the
ability to communicate within the state using HF radio frequencies. In 2015,
ARES members participated in their first ARES VHF Contest, designed to test
and improve local communication capabilities for those times when all else,
including repeaters, fails. The next Ohio ARES VHF Contest will be held on
January 14.
SEC Broadway said about the year, "From bringing aid to a stricken hunter
outside of cell phone range to being a standing backup during the RNC, to
activating to help at an EOC, our ARES volunteers won the confidence of EMA
directors, and assumed a higher position of trust."
Letters: American Legion's Amateur Radio Program
------------------------------------------------
I'd like to pass along some information that I had only recently discovered,
and I suspect that many amateurs are unaware of: The American Legion has an
active Amateur Radio club and program that seems to parallel what we do in
ARES. I thought it was interesting that veterans are involved in public
service via the conduit of Amateur Radio also. It's a great story and it
made me feel good to join them, along with being an ARES member. You can
find more about the American Legion program here. - Joe Wright, KG7CWG,
Forks, Washington
K1CE for a Final
----------------
Happy holidays from your editor and staff on the ARES E-Letter editorial
campus here in Daytona Beach, Florida, "The World's Most Famous Beach"! 73,
Rick Palm, K1CE
_____
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