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   http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/ares-el/?issue=2015-04-15   
      
   The ARES E-Letter   
      
   April 15, 2015   
   Editor: Rick Palm, K1CE   
      
   In This Issue:   
      
    *  News Digest   
    *  TEMA AuxComm Exercise at End of Month   
    *  Hurricane Season 2015: D-STAR Hurricane Net a Resource   
    *  Hurricane Season 2015: Governor's Hurricane Conference Next Month in   
       Orlando   
    *  Hurricane Season 2015: Florida Statewide Hurricane Exercise Next Month   
    *  Write Now: HR-1301 Has Special Significance for Emergency/Disaster   
       Operators   
    *  ARES Participates in Indiana Health Care Department Exercise   
    *  Broadband-Hamnet Issues New Release of Firmware for Linksys and Ubiquiti   
    *  Letters: On-Line Training Courses Compendium   
    *  Feedback: Lubricating Ends of Mast Sections   
    *  Profiles: Connecticut Section Emergency Coordinator Wayne Gronlund,   
       N1CLV   
    *  What is DMR?   
      
   News Digest   
      
   Amateur Radio weather spotters were on alert April 9 as severe weather and   
   at least two tornadoes ripped through North-Central Illinois. At least one   
   person died in DeKalb County, and at least seven others were injured. A   
   tornado watch was in effect for parts of three states as severe   
   thunderstorms moved through the region ahead of an advancing cold front.   
      
   A shipment of ham radio equipment, tools, and supplies will head from Hawaii   
   to the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) this week with John Bush,   
   KH6DLK/V63JB. The radio gear will support communication for relief efforts   
   as the FSM recover from Tropical Cyclone Maysak, which ravaged many of the   
   nation's islands in late March and early April, wreaking major damage and   
   causing some deaths. Bush plans to leave April 10.   
      
   Amateur Radio will be part of the program when Preparedness Summit 2015   
   convenes April 14-17 in Atlanta. Special event station N4P also will be on   
   the air from the conference location. The theme of this 10th Preparedness   
   Summit is "Global Health Security: Preparing a Nation for Emerging Threats."   
      
   ARESr volunteers in Puerto Rico took part in the 2015 Caribe Wave Large   
   Atlantic Tsunami Exercise (LANTEX) -- an annual tsunami drill for the US   
   East Coast, Canada, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Basin. The exercise   
   involved some 50 nations. The aim of the March 25 exercise was to test the   
   reliability of communication systems and protocols between centers of   
   tsunami alerts and to help emergency management agencies to improve their   
   preparedness in the event of a tsunami alert.   
      
   Amateur Radio SKYWARN volunteers in Oklahoma went on alert March 25 as   
   severe thunderstorms sparked tornadoes. The Southwest Independent Repeater   
   Association (SWIRA) and Tulsa Region SKYWARN nets were active in support of   
   tornado warnings in both the Oklahoma City and Tulsa Metropolitan areas.   
      
   TEMA AuxComm Exercise at End of Month   
      
   A Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) auxcomm exercise slated for   
   the end of this month will involve all of the Central U.S. Earthquake   
   Consortium (CUSEC) States (Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Arkansas,   
   Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi) along with other FEMA Region IV states.   
   [FEMA Region IV serves the southeastern states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia,   
   Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.]   
   Amateur Radio, the Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS) and the federal   
   Shared Resources HF Radio Program (SHARES) are all participating. The   
   exercise will be a follow-up to the Capstone 14 exercise. Winlink training   
   will be a key mission objective.   
      
   There are three pathways used for interstate contingency communications   
   under EMAC. [The Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) is a   
   state-led effort that provides a legal mechanism and framework for sharing   
   resources across state lines during a governor-declared disaster.] The three   
   pathways are LightSquared, a trunked voice/data satellite system; the   
   National Warning System (NAWAS), an automatic telephone call-up system to   
   warn federal, state and local entities of emergency/disaster issues; and   
   Winlink over various pathways all usually operated by either an agency   
   employee who is also a radio amateur, or auxiliary communications radio   
   amateur-volunteer. Participating government agencies at all levels as well   
   as public NGOs (Non-Government Organizations) are encouraged to make use of   
   volunteers. - Steve Waterman, K4CJX, Winlink 2000 Network Administrator   
      
   Hurricane Season 2015: D-STAR Hurricane Net a Resource   
      
   The Florida Hurricane Net is a D-STAR net that meets each Monday night at   
   2100 eastern time. The net is currently held on D-STAR Reflector 037C, a   
   major southeastern US network of D-STAR repeaters. The primary purpose of   
   the net is to provide training and information to D-STAR operators in the   
   three Florida ARRL Sections and greater southeastern portion of the country,   
   and to check connectivity for the Central Florida Ratflector. This net is   
   used during emergencies to supplement ARES and State EOC assets by passing   
   ARRL Radiogram messages, Ham Watch weather reports, and humanitarian   
   traffic. During emergencies, ARES and emergency traffic will be passed on   
   Reflector 046C and the Northern Florida Ratflector.   
      
   In addition to hurricanes, the net can be activated for any major emergency   
   or an event that has regional significance where it would be necessary to   
   provide ARRL routine or humanitarian communications. Although this net is   
   focused on training and support for ARES and its partner agencies to pass   
   this type of traffic, any Amateur Radio operator or organization is welcome   
   and encouraged to participate in the net.   
      
   A data base of operators has been established for the hurricane net. An   
   e-mail notice of an approaching storm or hurricane and the planned time of   
   net activation will be sent to all data base registrants. A data base map is   
   available for all data base members. Click here for the data base   
   application. Complete the form and e-mail it to Bob Jones, N6USP, net   
   manager, and to ARRL Northern Florida Section Manager Steve Szabo, WB4OMM.   
      
   Net Control operators are being sought to help run the Florida Hurricane   
   Net. If you are a Florida ARES member and wish to help with Net Control   
   duties, please send an e-mail to the net manager Bob Jones, N6USP and he   
   will provide your contact information to the appropriate Florida ARRL   
   Section contact. Net Control responsibility is rotated among the three   
   Florida ARRL Sections. - ARRL Northern Florida Section Newsletter   
      
   Hurricane Season 2015: Governor's Hurricane Conference Next Month in Orlando   
      
   While it's now been 10 years since the last hurricane crossed the Florida   
   coastline, that same period has seen storms such as Sandy, Ike, Irene and   
   Isaac devastate other areas. Learning the important operational lessons from   
   these storms is important for future response efficiencies and   
   effectiveness. The 29th Annual Governor's Hurricane Conferencer (GHC) to be   
   held in Orlando, May 10-15, is a good way to gain knowledge from lessons   
   learned.The 2015 GHC theme is "Rethink Resilience...Connecting Capabilities   
   for Stronger Communities." Over 300 hours of training and workshops covering   
   all aspects of hurricane readiness, full of the latest trends, topics, tools   
   and technologies to best improve your disaster response/recovery processes   
   will be offered.   
      
   The Evolving Emergency Communications Landscape and How Our Federal Partners   
   the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency   
   Management Agency (FEMA) Can Assist is a workshop of special interest to   
   radio amateurs to be held on Thursday, May 14, 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM. From its   
   description: With the development of the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband   
   Network (NPSBN), Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG 9-1-1), and Internet   
   Protocol-based technologies, today's emergency communications networks are   
   experiencing a wave of modernization. Learn how FEMA and the DHS Office of   
   Emergency Communications assist the emergency response community in the use   
   of these evolving emergency communications technologies, including emergency   
   alerts, NG 9-1-1, Reverse 9-1-1, social media, GETS, WPS, IPAWS, CMAS,   
   broadband, data, video and more. Conference information can be found here.   
      
   Hurricane Season 2015: Florida Statewide Hurricane Exercise Next Month   
      
   The Florida Statewide Hurricane Exercise is scheduled for next month.   
   Northern Florida Section Manager Steve Szabo, WB4OMM, reports that the ARRL   
   Northern Florida Section will be participating. An Exercise Plan (ExPlan)   
   with specific participation requests to the Section ARES leadership will be   
   released by mid-April. Szabo states that he will be asking each county ARES   
   group to activate their local group, deploy members to partner agency   
   locations in the field, and communicate specific information back to a   
   central location.   
      
   Participants should plan to use HF, VHF/UHF, Pactor, D-STAR, D-RATS, and   
   EchoLink modes, and will be required to use an ICS compliant message form   
   (that will be provided). Contact your county ARES Emergency Coordinator (EC)   
   ASAP for local information. Expect the ExPlan to be distributed before the   
   20th of April. - ARRL Northern Florida Section News   
      
   Write Now: HR-1301 Has Special Significance for Emergency/Disaster Operators   
      
   The Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2015 -- H.R.1301 -- has been introduced in   
   the US House of Representatives. The measure would direct the FCC to extend   
   its rules relating to reasonable accommodation of Amateur Service   
   communications to private land use restrictions. HR 1301 would require the   
   FCC to amend its Part 97 Amateur Service rules to apply the three-part test   
   of the PRB-1 federal pre-emption policy to include homeowners' association   
   regulations and deed restrictions, often referred to as "covenants,   
   conditions, and restrictions" (CC&Rs). At present, PRB-1 only applies to   
   state and local zoning laws and ordinances. The FCC has been reluctant to   
   extend the same legal protections to include such private land-use   
   agreements without direction from Congress.   
      
   ARES members are urged to contact their US House members and ask them to   
   sign on to the bill as a co-sponsor. We provide, on a volunteer basis,   
   public service, emergency, and disaster relief communications using radio   
   stations located in our homes. Our services cost taxpayers nothing. They are   
   provided at no cost to any served agency or to any government entity. FEMA   
   has stated that when Amateur Radio operators are needed in an emergency or   
   disaster, they are really needed.   
      
   Land use restrictions that prohibit the installation of outdoor antenna   
   systems are the largest threat to Amateur Radio emergency and public service   
   communications. -- ARRL   
      
   ARES Participates in Indiana Health Care Department Exercise   
      
   On March 14, 2015 the Hendricks County (Indiana) ARES group (HCARES) was   
   invited by the Hendricks Regional Hospital to participate in the county's   
   Family Assistance Center (FAC) exercise. This exercise was sponsored by the   
   Hendricks County Health Department.   
      
   The hospital has had an Amateur Radio station installed at its facility   
   since 2012. Administrators wanted HCARES to participate in passing health   
   and welfare messages between the hospital and the Danville Community High   
   School, where the FAC was located.   
      
   The hospital's Emergency Planning Facilitator and Hendricks County ARES   
   Emergency Coordinator and Assistant RACES Radio Officer Ron Burke, KB9DJA,   
   had put together a plan to set-up an Amateur Radio station at the high   
   school that would send health and welfare messages to the radio amateurs   
   positioned at the hospital.   
      
   Burke and operators deployed one of their remote portable go kits, (a "Pig")   
   to set up in a classroom at the high school. Commercial power was employed   
   and a Jetstream JTB3 dual band antenna was put up.   
      
   The JTB3 is a short base antenna with excellent gain for its height of six   
   feet.   
      
   All radio amateurs were positioned at their assigned posts when the exercise   
   commenced. The scenario was that a school bus of forty children overturned,   
   causing casualties and several deaths. This was a mock disaster where over   
   forty participants from local and state government along with Medical   
   Reserve Corps (MRC) volunteers played a part, including the County Coroner.   
      
   During the exercise at the high school, a walk-in tour by several local and   
   state officials involved observation of the Amateur Radio station operation.   
   Burke explained to the group what they were hearing when a hand went up and   
   an official asked, "So you can use Amateur Radio to pass messages when   
   normal lines of communication are up but busy?" Burke replied affirmatively,   
   but only if the other end of the communication had an Amateur Radio station   
   nearby to receive the message/information. Last year, the hospital was   
   trying to get through to another hospital during an exercise, when all they   
   got was a busy signal and could not reach the intended recipient with an   
   emergency statement. They used Amateur Radio instead to get the message   
   through. Burke also explained that "we would also be called on during an   
   emergency when the normal lines of communication are completely down." -   
   Thanks, Ron Burke KB9DJA, Hendricks County (Indiana) ARES EC and RACES   
   Assistant RO   
      
   Broadband-Hamnet Issues New Release of Firmware for Linksys and Ubiquiti   
      
   Broadband-Hamnet (BBHN) has released version 3.1.0 firmware for the Linksys   
   WRT54G and Ubiquiti families of products. This firmware returns to the use   
   of patch updates, while also supporting add-on tools such as HamChat created   
   by VE3NKL and a tunneling solution optimized by K5DLQ. This firmware release   
   continues support for emergency communications data networking in the 2.4   
   GHz, 5 GHz and 900 MHz bands using Ubiquiti equipment and in the 2.4 GHz   
   band using Linksys equipment. By creating solutions with Commercial Off The   
   Shelf (COTS) hardware and Broadband-Hamnet firmware, a high-speed IP network   
   can be deployed in the time required to set it in place and power it on.   
      
   There have been many requests for tunneling capability to allow interaction   
   between remote Broadband-Hamnet networks. While this has been done before,   
   the resources and complexity were quite high. With the new VTUN capability   
   this feature becomes feasible for all Broadband-Hamnet users.   
      
   The HamChat server is a real innovation that allows keyboard-to-keyboard   
   chats between any connected users on the same mesh. By using your web   
   browser instead of chat client software, the complexity is reduced and the   
   speed to deploy is increased. The HamChat server is not installed but is a   
   downloadable package option for the Broadband-Hamnet 3.1.0 firmware.   
      
   The organization hopes that hams interested in high-speed data networks will   
   look at the new Broadband-Hamnet 3.1.0 firmware. For more information, click   
   on the group's website: www.Broadband-Hamnet.org   
      
   Letters: On-Line Training Courses Compendium   
      
   I know that there have been several instances where on-line training   
   programs developed by ARES and/or RACES units in various states and counties   
   have been mentioned either in QST or the ARES E-Letter. As I recall, these   
   have generally been descriptions of individual programs, but I don't   
   remember ever seeing any list covering multiple programs all in one place.   
      
   I was wondering if there is such a list. If not, would you consider   
   soliciting such information via the ARES E-Letter and then making the list   
   available through a latter issue of the letter?   
      
   From what I have seen, many of these on-line programs are open to all   
   licensed amateurs with an interest in emergency communications, not just   
   members of the specific unit. I think a compendium of such training   
   resources would be valuable to the entire emergency communications   
   community. -- Tom Currie, N4AOF, Louisville, Kentucky [Currie is a member of   
   the Louisville-Jefferson County (Kentucky) RACES; Communications Officer,   
   Southwest Branch, Louisville Area Chapter, American Red Cross; Secretary,   
   Kentucky Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (KyVOAD); and President,   
   Louisville METRO-REACT Team].   
      
   Feedback: Lubricating Ends of Mast Sections   
      
   Regarding the following that appeared in last month's issue: "When setting   
   up a field antenna, use a spray can of silicon or graphite to lubricate the   
   ends of your mast sections. You will find it much easier to disconnect the   
   sections when you are ready to tear down. -- KB0H"   
      
   Most graphite compounds that I've seen are conductive, and should not be   
   used on any kind of electrical connection. Granted, that with extreme care   
   to insure there is NO graphite bridging the shield to the conductor in a   
   coax or other connector, it would not be a problem. BUT, with typical   
   "seepage" and lack of care when applying graphite to an RF assembly, I would   
   advise against using graphite. I use pure silicon grease, available at many   
   auto parts dealers. -- Alton Higgins, W4VFZ, ARES Emergency Coordinator,   
   Towns County, Georgia; FEMA/Georgia state EMA ESF2 for Towns County   
      
   Profiles: Connecticut Section Emergency Coordinator Wayne Gronlund, N1CLV   
      
   Wayne Gronlund, N1CLV, has been the Connecticut Section Emergency   
   Coordinator (SEC) since January 2009. CT ARES currently has over 750   
   registered members supporting the five Connecticut Division of Emergency   
   Management and Homeland Security (CT DEMHS) Regions and SKYWARN. From 2005   
   to 2008 he was the District Emergency Coordinator (DEC) for Region 4   
   (Eastern Connecticut). During TOPOFF 3 in 2005 he was the primary tactical   
   Net Control Station for the nearly 100 amateurs who supported this week long   
   national level exercise.   
      
   Annually, Wayne is the organizer of Amateur Radio support for numerous   
   public service events including AngelRide, a 135 mile charity bike ride that   
   supports Paul Newman's Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, a specialized summer camp   
   for children with life-threatening diseases. Wayne assisted Region 4 ARES in   
   obtaining grant funding to build a mobile communications unit (MCU) that   
   deploys to support public service events and is available for emergency   
   response if needed by the American Red Cross and other partner agencies.   
      
   Thanks to the Connecticut State Police Amateur Radio Club (W1SP) and many   
   other Amateur Radio clubs, individual amateurs, and a few municipalities, CT   
   ARES now has a Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) network to support emergency and   
   disaster operations. Thirty networked repeaters provide nearly complete   
   coverage of the entire state. In addition to a statewide Talk Group, several   
   user activated Talk Groups permit the configuration of tactical sub-networks   
   at the Region and local levels. More details about this network can be found   
   here.   
      
   First licensed as a Novice in 1963 with call WN2GID, Wayne currently holds   
   an Amateur Extra class license. He is active in emergency communications,   
   data, and digital voice communications. He is   
   certified as a FEMA Type 3 Communications Unit Leader (COML) and   
   Communications Technician (COMT). He is Secretarial Administrator for the   
   Region 4 Incident Management Team (CT-IMT4) and a crew member for the Region   
   4 Mobile Communications Vehicle (MCV4). He is currently Co-Chair of ESF-2   
   Communications for Region 4. In his role as CT ARES SEC, he sits as a member   
   of the state's interoperability executive committee.   
      
   Wayne is a retired U. S. Coast Guard Captain, having commanded Coast Guard   
   Cutter CAPE GULL and Coast Guard Group Atlantic City, New Jersey. He is   
   Professor Emeritus from the U. S. Coast Guard Academy where he taught   
   chemistry for 25 years. He has served as Navigator and Deck Watch Officer on   
   Barque EAGLE, the Academy's square-rigged training vessel. After retiring   
   from active duty in 2000, he was President of the Coast Guard Academy Alumni   
   Association for four years where he raised funds to support excellence at   
   the Academy. In 2004 he became Manager of the Coast Guard Marine Safety Lab,   
   the Coast Guard's forensic laboratory for fingerprinting oil spills and   
   determining their source. He retired in 2013 with a total of 48 years of   
   service to the Coast Guard.   
      
   Wayne has a Bachelor of Science in General Engineering from the Coast Guard   
   Academy. He earned a Master's in Physical Science and a PhD in Chemistry   
   from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut.   
      
   ARRL Connecticut Section Manager Betsey Doane, K1EIC, says "It's really been   
   a privilege having Wayne as my SEC. He's got lots of support here. He's   
   amazing."   
      
   What is DMR?   
      
   Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) was developed by the European Telecommunications   
   Standards Institute (ETSI) and is used worldwide by professional mobile   
   radio users. Voice and data are supported.   
      
   There are three levels of involvement in DMR. The first is as a user, where   
   you begin with a single radio, and later, possibly you'll add a second or   
   third. The next level is as a repeater operator. You generally undertake   
   this because there are no repeaters in your area or because you want better   
   coverage. The third level of DMR participation is as a network operator --   
   you purchase and manage your own c-BridgeT and build regional networks that   
   interconnect to the other DMR networks.   
      
   Amateurs are implementing MototrboT and Hytera infrastructure networks.   
   These networks, from the end user standpoint, operate the same. Amateur   
   MototrboT networks are much larger, cover many more areas, and most are   
   interconnected. Not all the amateur DMR repeaters are connected to the wide   
   area networks; some are standalone either because amateurs have yet to   
   obtain an ISP connection at their repeater site or because they just want to   
   use the repeater for local communications. Some standalone systems are   
   operating in dual-mode (analog/digital).   
      
   Talk Groups (TG) are a way for groups of users to share a "time slot"   
   (channel, one-to-many) without distracting and disrupting other users of the   
   time slot. It should be noted that only one Talk Group can be using a time   
   slot at a time. If your radio is not programmed to listen to a Talk Group,   
   you will not hear that Talk Group's traffic.   
      
   There are many sources of new and used DMR radios. As of this date, you   
   can't walk into an Amateur Radio store and buy a DMR radio, but that may   
   soon change. Presently all DMR radios are professional (commercial) radios   
   marketed primarily to commercial radio users. If you want to purchase a new   
   DMR radio for ham use, you can easily find a dealer, and some dealers are   
   "ham friendly" and will offer reasonable discounts to hams. Check with other   
   DMR users or on DMR related websites for further information.   
      
   When you make an initial transmission to announce your availability, to   
   place a call to another station, or to make a general call, you should also   
   announce what Talk Group you are on because some users may be scanning or   
   have radios without a display. When you are talking on one of the wide area   
   Talk Groups, hundreds of repeaters will be tied up. If you are unable to   
   move to a more localized Talk Group, be considerate of the other users on   
   the network. Talk Groups share time slots. When one Talk Group is active;   
   other Talk Groups on the same time slot will be blocked. Leave space between   
   transmissions so others can break in. Remember that emergency traffic always   
   has priority over all other traffic.   
      
   [The above was excerpted and reproduced from the Amateur Radio Guide to DMR   
   by John S. Burningham, W2XAB, October 2014 edition, with permission of the   
   author. You can read the entire guidebook here. - ed.]   
      
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   )\/(ark   
      
   If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until   
   you hire an amateur.   
      
   --- FMail/Win32 1.60   
    * Origin:  (1:3634/12.71)