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The ARES E-Letter May 17, 2017
Editor: Rick Palm, K1CE
Special 2017 Hamvention Issue!
In This Issue:
- ARES Members: Must See's, Must Do's at 2017 Hamvention This Week
- Pennsylvania EMA Hosts Region 3, U.S. Army MARS Annual Conference
- Tribal Emergency Preparedness Conference held in Western Washington
Section
- Red Cross Recognizes ARRL Sacramento Valley SEC
- Profiles in Public Service: Jim Pepper, W9PX, appointed Illinois State
RACES Officer
- K1CE For a Final: Field Day 2017 Next Month
ARES Briefs, Links
------------------
Hamvention Organizers "Counting Down the Hours," Anticipating up to 35,000
Visitors (5/4/17); W5KUB Again to Offer Next Best Thing to Being at
Hamvention (5/4/17); Outer Banks Repeater Association Receives 2017
Governor's Volunteer Service Award (5/1/17); FCC Personal Radio Service
Revisions Will Affect GMRS, FRS, CB, Other Part 95 Devices (4/28/17)
Nearly 280 Amateur Radio Volunteers Support 2017 Boston Marathon -- Story Here
ARRL Represented at NVOAD Annual Conference in Houston
The 2017 Annual National VOAD Conference is underway in Houston, Texas, as
this is written. ARRL is a NVOAD member organization, and ARRL Emergency
Preparedness Manager Mike Corey, KI1U, is currently representing the League
in Houston. Watch for conference summaries and news. NVOAD is an association
of organizations that mitigate and alleviate the impact of disasters,
provides a forum promoting cooperation, communication, coordination and
collaboration; and fosters more effective delivery of services to
communities affected by disaster. Since its founding in 1970, National VOAD
Member organizations have worked tirelessly to assist communities affected
by disasters and have grown to more than 100.
Among many presentations, Director of Individual Assistance Chris Smith,
W4HMV, provided the FEMA update at the conference this week in Houston. The
theme of the conference is "Bridging the Gulf."
ARES Members: Must See's, Must Do's at 2017 Hamvention This Week
------------------------------------------------------------------
The venerable Hamvention, at the new location -- Greene County Fairgrounds
-- in Xenia, Ohio, is this week -- Friday, May 19, through Sunday, May 21.
This year, Hamvention is the ARRL Ohio State Convention. Here is a guide for
public event/emergency/disaster response communicators planning on
attending. First, check out the ARRL Expo, a must for any conventioneer.
ARRL will have a huge presence at Hamvention and welcomes all. ARRL Expo
features a large store of ARRL pubs and other items, and a fantastic array
of exhibits. Download the ARRL Expo Exhibit and Activities Guide. Meet ARRL
leadership and key staff including ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager Mike
Corey, KI1U, who is responsible for proposing, developing and administering
ARRL emergency preparedness, emergency and disaster response initiatives and
related programs at the national HQ level.
ARRL Public Service Communications Panel Discussion
To be held on Saturday afternoon at 1:45 to 3:00 in Room 4, the Public
Service Communications Panel Discussion is simply not to be missed. With a
panel of experts and pioneers in their respective nationally recognized
programs and organizations, moderated by ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager
Mike Corey, KI1U, you'll have a chance to listen and ask questions involving
contemporary, critical public service communications issues with these
leaders.
Panelists include Rob Macedo, KD1CY, VOIP WX Net and VOIP Hurricane Net;
Paul English, WD8DBY, US Army MARS; David Stapchuk, KD9DXM, US Air Force
MARS; Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, Hurricane Watch Net; Bill Feist, WB8BZH, SATERN;
and Ross Merlin, WA2WDT, Department of Homeland Security, SHAred RESources
(SHARES).
Mesh Presence
Next, enmesh yourself in the Mesh Networks presence - on-the-air, forum,
booth, and mini-classes. This technology takes advantage of the amateur
microwave bands and the bandwidth that goes with them, for ultra high speed
data and applications. Hams are now building radio-based high speed digital
mesh networks low cost commercial hardware adapted for Amateur Radio use.
Mesh provides flexible, high speed wireless communications that can be
adapted to varying terrain types, can be rapidly deployed, are fun to build
and use, and are particularly well suited to the emergency/disaster response
needs of many served agencies. The Miami Valley Mesh Alliance (MVMA) has
joined with the Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network (AREDN) core technical
team to provide the Mesh Network presence at Hamvention.
On the air, the local Mesh network will be found on Channel -2 at 10 MHz
bandwidth. The SSID is AREDN-10-v3. At the Mesh Networks Forum (Saturday at
1:30 PM in Forum Room 2), AREDN's Andre Hansen, K6AH, will discuss AREDN
capabilities, deployment and applications. Reps from MVMA and the AREDN Core
Team will host visitors at their Booth #1001, located in the extreme
southwest corner of Building 1.
The AREDN Core Team will present mini-classes at the booth. Topics include:
Introduction to Mesh Technology
Mesh Implementation Techniques
Network Planning and Link Performance Estimation
VOIP Applications for Rapid Deployment
Mesh Network Applications for Disaster Response
Network Performance Metrics and Tools
How to "Un-Brick" a Mesh Node
WinLink integration with Mesh
Live streaming video cameras
Using MeshChat
How to Setup Node Location Data
See booth for class schedule details.
SHARES, NWS, APRS, MARS, SATERN Forums and More
SHARES - Interoperable HF Emergency Communications: Friday, 9:15 to 10:15,
Room 2. Ross Merlin, WA2WDT, SHARES Program Manager, will moderate a forum
on SHARES (SHAred RESources), a Federal government HF radio program for
backup communications and interoperability among Federal agencies and
Federally-affiliated entities that have a need to send or receive national
security or emergency preparedness communications such as state agencies,
county emergency management agencies, and critical infrastructure/key
resources providers (telecommunications, energy, healthcare, transportation,
etc.). This session will include both an introduction to SHARES for
potential users and an open forum for audience members to discuss program
issues with the SHARES Program Office staff. Merlin wrote the National
Interoperability Field Operations Guide (NIFOG), which is widely used by
public safety and emergency communications professionals across the country.
Also in Room 2, directly following the SHARES program, is the MARS forum,
moderated by Paul English, WD8DBY. The Military Auxiliary Radio System
(MARS) is a Department of Defense (DOD) sponsored program implemented by the
Army and the Air Force that trains amateur operators to provide contingency
High Frequency (HF) communications support for DOD. MARS volunteers are
trained on unique military messaging formats and use Military Standard
digital protocols as well as digital encryption on DOD assigned HF
frequencies. This forum will feature presentations from both the Army and
Air Force MARS program leaders and may include other technical presentations
relevant to this unique DOD support mission. This forum is open to all MARS
members as well as amateurs who are interested in supporting the MARS
mission. Presentations will be given by Paul English, WD8DBY, Army MARS
Program Manager, and Dave Stapchuk, KD9DXM, Chief Air Force MARS.
The APRS Forum will be held in Room 1 from 10:45 to 11:45, moderated by APRS
inventor/developer Bob Bruninga, WB4APR. APRS continues to expand into more
areas. Bruninga will give an update on the state of APRS and the
opportunities for APRS via the several amateur satellites now including
worldwide coverage via three geostationary birds receivable with a SDR
dongle and Raspberry pi kit.
At 1:15, in Room 1, John Peterson of the US Department of Homeland Security
(DHS) -- Office of Emergency Communications (OEC) will discuss
communications training and issues DHS- OEC forum, which will be of interest
to auxiliary emergency communicators who volunteer to provide backup
communications support for public safety and emergency response agencies.
Typically they are Amateur Radio communicators from groups such as MARS,
ARES, RACES, SATERN and others. They are routinely used by event planners
and emergency managers at all levels of government. Today nearly all the
States/territories have incorporated some level of participation by amateur
auxiliary communication operators into their communications interoperability
plans. Talk with the DHS Communications Unit (COMU) subject matter experts
and learn about the nationally recognized NIMS/ICS compliant AUXCOMM
workshop and with senior level emergency communications experts who have
incorporated this training in recent national level disasters. This forum
will also include discussion of the AUXCOMM course and the AUXCOMM Field
Operations Guide (AUXFOG); information on OEC's Interoperable Communications
Technical Assistance Program; how amateurs are incorporated into the
National Emergency Communications Plan (NECP); information on how you can
become qualified to teach the OEC AUXCOMM course for your state; the latest
changes expected for Communications Unit (COMU) training, which includes
Communications Leader (COML), Communications Technician (COMT), instructor
courses for COML/COMT, AUXCOMM, Incident Communications Manager, Incident
Tactical Dispatcher and the RADO courses.
At 1:30 in Room 2, Brandon Peloquin, Warning Coordination Meteorologist,
National Weather Service of Wilmington, Ohio, will present the NWS Forum.
Topic: Working With Amateur Radio To Save Lives During Severe Weather.
NOAA's Weather-Ready Nation initiative is about building community
resilience in the face of increasing vulnerability to extreme weather and
water events. To achieve this, the National Weather Service (NWS) strives to
develop and strengthen partnerships with those who contribute to this
initiative. This presentation will describe the partnership between Amateur
Radio operators and the NWS and how they work together to help communities
be better prepared for severe weather.
On Saturday, at 9:15 in Room 3, moderator Bill Feist, WB8BZH, will discuss
SATERN in The 21st Century: The National SATERN Committee will discuss the
new Strategic Plan for SATERN approved by The Salvation Army in 2016. This
will include a discussion of the goals SATERN is setting for itself over the
next several years and the results of the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities, Threats) Analysis upon which those goals are based.
Disaster Response Communications In Asia
Special Achievement winner S. Ram Mohan, VU2MYH, will discuss disaster
systems and deployments in Asia. Ram Mohan is the Executive Vice Chairman
and Director, National Institute of Amateur Radio, Hyderabad, India. As
Chief Investigator for the Indian government's Department of Information
Technology, he implemented programs for digital connectivity to
urban/rural/remote areas through Amateur Radio, studied propagation in
coastal areas and developed an advanced digital Amateur Radio communication
network. He led team members on numerous disaster deployments including the
Nepal Earthquake 2015, Cyclone Hud 2014, Uttarakhand Floods 2013, West
Bengal 'Ayla' Cyclone 2009, Indian Ocean Tsunami 2004, Gujarat earthquake
2001, and the Orissa Super Cyclone 1999. Attend this forum at 10:30 in Room
3, on Sunday morning.
Enjoy Hamvention! (Information for this article, and further information on
Hamvention forums for this year can be found here. When arriving at
Hamvention, be sure to check for any changes/additions to the forum schedule.)
Pennsylvania EMA Hosts Region 3, U.S. Army MARS Annual Conference
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania -- Springtime allows us to shake the winter
hibernation and service the radio shack to ensure all systems are good to
go. If you are a MARS operator, that also includes gleaning the latest
updates on Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS) operations. U.S. Army and
U.S. Air Force MARS operators from Region 3, composed of the states of
Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District
of Columbia, gathered for the Region 3, Army MARS annual conference April
6-8, 2017. The event was hosted by the Pennsylvania Army MARS staff in
cooperation with the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA). As
MARS nears 100 years of service to the country, the jam packed conference
showcased the dramatic evolution of resources available to support today's
volunteer MARS operator to meet the mission of providing contingency and
emergency communications for the Department of Defense (DOD) and federal and
civil authorities.
The conference was opened by Travis Best, the U.S. Army MARS Pennsylvania
State Director, and partners from PEMA, the facility host. Travis shared the
outstanding relationship and trust developed between PEMA and the
Pennsylvania MARS operators. This has allowed MARS to establish a state of
the art Amateur Radio operating station in cooperation with the PEMA
Auxiliary Communication Services (ACS) inside the PEMA Commonwealth Response
Coordination Center (CRCC). Following, the U.S. Army MARS, Region 3
Director, provided a very interesting keynote briefing on the state of MARS
membership in Region 3, which has remained reasonably steady over the last
three years.
The group was joined on the first day via video teleconference by the U.S.
Army MARS Program Manager Paul English, WD8DBY, who praised the continued
service and dedication of the region MARS membership, and provided news and
updates from Army MARS HQ and the U.S. Army NETCOM Command, which is Army
MARS' higher command. The conference was highlighted by the educational
presentations on the latest Army MARS operating tools and software packages.
Across the region, operators dedicate thousands of volunteer man-hours
annually to the mission of supporting our nation, the Department of Defense,
and the armed services with two contingency emergency communication support
systems designed to operate in a cyber denied or impaired environment.
Membership is critical to MARS success. Losing members, especially those
that have become close friends and like family over the years, is tough.
During the conference, attendees shared a solemn and reverent moment by
Rendering Bell Honors in memory of the six region members that became silent
keys (SK) over the past year. The conference was full of lighter moments as
the attendees shared in various social activities to include the Saturday
evening group dinner. The fairly new PEMA facility was an accommodating
facility for this event and PEMA has already graciously extended an
invitation for the region membership to return for next year's conference
planned for April 6-8, 2018.
Tribal Emergency Preparedness Conference held in Western Washington Section
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
On May 1-3, 2017, the Suquamish tribe hosted the 14th Annual Regional Joint
Tribal Emergency Preparedness Conference at their Port Madison Indian
Reservation overlooking dxs?q??b ("place of the clear salt water" in
the Southern Lushootseed language) at Agate Pass in Puget Sound, Washington.
Radio amateurs from Washington, Oregon, California, and Arizona all
contributed to the success of this conference.
The Kitsap County (Washington) ARES/RACES/ACS group set up a radio station
and display tables in the wide hallway outside the conference rooms, and
many tribal emergency management leaders stopped by for information, to chat
about creating a stronger Amateur Radio presence within their tribes, and to
watch the station in operation. Mike Montfort, KBSVF, Kitsap County EC,
termed his group's participation as "a fantastic opportunity" to build
relationships with his neighbors. At the request of Chris Morganroth IV,
KI7EGI, Quileute Nation Fire Chief, Montfort, along with Dan Ransom, K7MM,
will soon be conducting a Technician license class for Quileute tribal
members.
On Monday, two hams gave talks at the conference general session. Suzanne
Everson, KI7EGE, Regional Emergency Management Specialist at Region 10
Administration for Children and Families, co-presented "Administration for
Children and Families, How We Can Work With You." Lou Schmitz, KE7RYR,
American Indian Health Commission, presented "Emergency Preparedness Toolkit."
On Tuesday morning, three hams gave talks at the conference general session.
Jim Sande, KG7NRF, National Tribal Emergency Management Education
Sub-Committee Chair, co-presented "Pursuing ongoing Education in Emergency
Management." Nathan Nixon, N7NAN, President of the National Tribal Amateur
Radio Association and Training Coordinator for the Inter-Tribal Council of
Arizona, spoke about the "Indian Country Intelligence Network." Tracy Depew,
KI7EGC, Director of Emergency Management, Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of
Indians, presented "FEMA HMA External Stakeholder Working Group and PDM in
Indian Country."
On Tuesday afternoon, three hams gave talks during the breakout sessions.
Bart Kus, AE7SJ, founder and lead developer of HamWAN, spoke about the
operational high speed digital network designed for maximum resiliency and
survivability, which operates on amateur service microwave frequencies and
allows for continuous exchange of data between key emergency management
facilities throughout the Puget Sound region. Steve Aberle, WA7PTM,
Assistant. State RACES Officer, gave a talk titled "ESF #2 (Communications)
Support for ESF #6 (Mass Care) and ESF #8 (Public Health)," which included a
practicum in message receiving for the participants. Adam Geisler, KJ6YHN,
Regional Tribal Government Liaison, FirstNet, co-hosted "First Net
Presentation, Listening Session and FirstNet Surveys."
On Wednesday morning, Suzanne Everson, KI7EGE, gave a breakout session talk
titled "Children and Youth Task Forces," and Lynda Zambrano, KE7RWG,
Executive Director of the Northwest Tribal Emergency Management Council
(NWTEMC), facilitated an open panel discussion between attendees and the
NWTEMC Board of Directors. Lynda reported that many of the participants in
the conference had made "best tribal emergency preparedness conference ever"
comments to her.
Wedding Ring CW Key
When activating a demonstration station at these conferences, the question
that always comes up is "what was your furthest contact?" Up until shortly
before being asked, the answer would have been "Florida." However, after
being asked, Dan, K7MM, tuned to 20-meter CW and heard some European DX
coming in fairly strong. But, none of the hams at the conference had a
straight key or a bug with them. Monte Simpson, AF7PQ, ARRL Western
Washington Section Manager, commented that he had once seen a Coast Guard
radio operator use a pie tin with a short piece of metal as a makeshift key.
Dan, K7MM, then plugged an unterminated cable into the key jack on the radio
and connected one lead to his knife and one to his wedding ring. He then
used his free hand to tap his wedding ring against the knife, and the
"wedding ring CW key" was born. With this, and to the amazement of all, Dan
managed to make a QSO with RU3XL in Belgorod, Russia. This excellent example
of improvising very much impressed the tribal leaders.
The success of this conference would not have been possible without the
outstanding efforts by the Kitsap County ARES/RACES/ACS members. -- Steve
Aberle, WA7PTM, Assistant State RACES Officer (Tribal Liaison), Washington
State
Red Cross Recognizes ARRL Sacramento Valley SEC
-----------------------------------------------
ARRL Sacramento Valley Section News, April 29, 2017 -- ARRL Sacramento
Valley Section Emergency Coordinator Greg Kruckewitt, KG6SJT, has been
instrumental in the development of flmsg HTML custom templates of Red Cross
disaster forms. These templates used with flmsg optimize disaster messaging
communications over data circuits by removing form variable data, i.e., the
message itself, from the overall form. Saved to a small object file, the
message can then be moved efficiently over an HF, VHF, or UHF data circuit.
During the April 2017 Red Cross Disaster Leadership Council meeting, Mr.
Robin Friedman, Red Cross Regional Disaster Program Officer, presented Greg
with a Certificate of Appreciation inscribed:
Greg Kruckewitt
Award for Excellence in Service to the American Red Cross Gold Country Region
In recognition of your outstanding contributions for your many hours of
effort developing Red Cross disaster forms templates suitable for
transmission over digital radio circuits. Your contributions reflect highly
on the Red Cross mission and on the partnership between the American Red
Cross and the American Radio Relay League.
__________________
Profiles in Public Service: Jim Pepper, W9PX, appointed Illinois State RACES
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Officer
-------
Jim Pepper, W9PX, was recently appointed as the new Illinois State RACES
Officer and AUXCOMM Coordinator by Illinois Emergency Management Agency
Director James Joseph. After working as a chemist after college, Pepper went
to work in the two-way radio industry in 1981. In 1988, he started a career
with the Illinois State Police Communications Bureau, where he currently
serves as the Radio Network Manager for the northern third of Illinois. In
this position, he is the de facto COML for the Illinois State Police. He
holds both General Radiotelephone and Second Class Radiotelegraph licenses,
as well as APCO and NABER certifications. He was part of the original
Starcom design team, when it began as simply a replacement for the State
Police Low Band radio system. Pepper is a state-recognized COML and COML
Instructor, as well as AUXCOMM Instructor, and earned his Illinois
Professional Emergency Manager (IPEM) recognition in 2012. Pepper has served
in numerous public service posts: firefighter/paramedic for the Rock Falls
Fire Department, adjunct professor in the Electronics Department, Sauk
Valley Community College, and Division Commander in the US Coast Guard
Auxiliary. He has served as District Chairman and Council Board Member with
the Boy Scouts of America.
Pepper was licensed as a Technician in 1976 as a member of the Sterling High
School Radio Club. He quickly upgraded to Amateur Extra class and was issued
call sign W9PX in 1978. He has been active for many years in CW, fox
hunting, field ops, and Civil Defense. More recently, he has been active on
SSB, PSK31, and learning CAP and MARS procedures. Pepper is an ARRL Official
Emergency Station (OES), and according to Illinois Section Manager Ron
Morgan, AD9I, "Jim continues to be an asset to the amateur community and
will provide insight and leadership between the various governmental
agencies." - Illinois Section News
K1CE For a Final: Field Day 2017 Next Month
-------------------------------------------
I hope to work many of you on Field Day next month. Along with Team K1CE
member Eliot Mayer, W1MJ, longtime friend and Field Day fanatic, we will be
operating on emergency power all weekend, from the Three Rivers (Suwannee
river, Santa Fe river and Ichetucknee river) area in rural northern Florida.
Look for us on the ARRL Field Day locator! Have a great Field Day, one of
the best major operating events that can simulate field conditions in a
disaster area. It's also just plain fun!
_____________
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