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   http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/ares-el/?issue=2016-04-20   
      
   The ARES E-Letter   
      
   April 20, 2016   
   Editor: Rick Palm, K1CE   
      
   In This Issue:   
      
    *  Oregon Amateurs Aid SAR Mission   
    *  ARRL to offer Understanding Local MOU's webinar   
    *  Tip: FEMA Daily Operations Briefings, Other News, Alerts, Available by   
       E-Mail   
    *  Baker to Vegas Relay Challenge Supported by Mass of Southwestern Hams   
    *  Letters: ARDF and SAR   
    *  Tech Tip: ARES/RACES Powerpole Configuration   
    *  Letters: Of Tone Squelch Systems and Alerts   
    *  Letters: Check Laws before Spiking the Ground   
    *  FEMA Bulletin: Learn to Protect Yourself in a Tornado Situation   
    *  Parting Shots   
      
      
   ARES Briefs, Links   
      
   FEMA Official Tells ARRL Delaware Section Conference that Her Agency Values   
   Amateur Radio (4/14/16); Sign up for FEMA alerts, news, briefs here, see story   
   below; Ohio SEC Hoping to Expand "NVIS Antenna Day" Activity this Year   
   (4/6/2016); Hurricane Watch Net Seeks Net Control Operators (3/30/2016);   
   Washington National Guard Communications Exercise Involves Use of 60 Meters   
   (3/30/2016); Puerto Rico ARES Volunteers Take Part in Caribe Wave 2016   
   Exercise (3/21/2016)   
      
   The Florida Statewide Hurricane Exercise, tentatively scheduled for May 18,   
   includes Amateur Radio support for this year's event: the plan calls for every   
   county ARES group to send a simple message to the State EOC at Tallahassee via   
   HF or SARNet (UHF). Details will be forthcoming from ARRL section leadership.   
   An ARRL West Central Florida Section press release calls for ARES members   
   statewide to contact their local Emergency Coordinator for information on how   
   to participate.The State EOC has requested that individual amateurs are not to   
   contact the State EOC or Division of Emergency Management concerning the   
   exercise.   
      
   The ARRL Northern Florida Section ARES Communications Plan has been revised   
   and updated for NIMS compliance, new technologies and modes, and will be   
   released in time for implementation before the statewide hurricane exercise.   
   -- ARRL Northern Florida Section Manager Steve Szabo, WB4OMM   
      
   At the 25th DuPage County (Illinois) Advanced Severe Weather Seminar on March   
   12, one of the sessions was a retrospective of the event, being its 25th   
   anniversary. During that session, presenter Tom Mefferd paid tribute to Bob   
   Hajek, W9QBH (SK), whose contributions to SKYWARN in the NWS/Chicago coverage   
   area were numerous,[side-nws-sm.png] including the transmission of the NOAA   
   Weather Wire on 147.06 MHz and the Amateur Radio presence at the Weather   
   Service office during storm events. "I considered Bob a friend and mentor, and   
   it was good to hear his contribution woven into the history lesson," said ARRL   
   Illinois Section Manager Tom Ciciora, KA9QPN.   
      
   The ARRL Maine Section is promoting free critical radio-communications on-line   
   courses from Tait Radio Academy, an educational site sponsored by Tait   
   Communications, a radio and repeater source for LMR devices. The Maine Section   
   is recommending the courses on Basic Radio Awareness, Introduction to DMR, and   
   Introduction to P25. According to the ARRL Maine Section News column, those   
   that pass the final exams with 80% or better will be issued a certificate of   
   successful completion.   
      
      
   Oregon Amateurs Aid SAR Mission   
      
   Mike Moore, W7ECX, of Joseph, Oregon was relaxing with his family on Sunday   
   night, March 20, 2016 when he received a galvanizing call at 9:30 PM through   
   the local repeater: Mike Musia, KG7MVI, a member of Wallowa County Oregon   
   Search and Rescue (SAR), was calling Moore with a report of a missing   
   snowmobiler in the rugged Salt Creek Summit (SCS) area of the Wallowa   
   Mountains, 36 miles southeast of Joseph. The Wallowa County Sheriff's Office   
   (WCSO) had unreliable communications in this area and Musia wanted a solid   
   link back to SAR Incident Command. Moore immediately linked the local VHF   
   repeater to the Salt Creek Summit UHF repeater and VHF remote base. Both of   
   these facilities are owned and operated by Scott Hampton, KB7DZR. Musia was on   
   his way to the summit to check for what might be the missing snowmobiler's   
   vehicle on advice from the SAR dispatcher.   
      
   After Musia arrived at the summit, he found a vehicle, took its license plate   
   number, and radioed Moore through the SCS repeater system. Musia asked that   
   Moore relay the license number to WCSO Deputy Paul Pegano for identification,   
   who subsequently informed Moore that the vehicle registration matched the   
   identification of the missing snowmobiler. Pegano requested help from SAR to   
   mount a search and rescue mission. Pegano also requested that Moore join SAR   
   Incident Commander Jim Akenson at the SAR IC trailer in Enterprise to provide   
   ad-hoc training for rescuers on radio communications technique and their   
   multi-mode radios before they departed for the search area.   
      
   Although Moore's involvement was scheduled for only one or two hours, he   
   eventually stayed on with Incident Commander Akenson to ensure that all   
   communication systems were running properly and that the search teams were   
   versed in the use of their radios. In addition, Moore set up several SAR-owned   
   GPS trackers for each SAR member to carry as an added safety measure.   
      
   Salt Creek Summit posed temperatures in the mid-30s with winds of 10 MPH, and   
   a mix of rain and snow. The area was completely snowed in with the exception   
   of the summit access road from a nearby highway. Access to the rest of the   
   area from the summit is limited to tracked vehicles, skis, and snow shoes. The   
   SAR team operated with snowmobiles hauled up on trailers via the access road   
   to the summit.   
      
   As Musia and other SAR team members entered the search area, Musia maintained   
   contact with Moore through the remote VHF base. On advice from the missing   
   man's son, searchers started scouring the most likely route the snowmobiler   
   might have taken. At 3:00 AM, Musia radioed back to Moore that they had found   
   the missing man. Musia reported that the man was wet, cold, and dehydrated but   
   otherwise in good shape. Moore then contacted deputy Pegano who then contacted   
   the man's wife. The missing man's snowmobile ignition had failed several miles   
   down the trail and he had walked back two miles in a snow storm to a temporary   
   shelter. After a quick medical check, searchers brought the man back to the   
   summit and immediately returned to Enterprise, where the man's wife was   
   waiting.   
      
   Deputy Pegano told Moore that he was thoroughly impressed with the reliability   
   of Amateur Radio installations around the county. Pegano went on to say he was   
   gratified by the willingness of Amateur Radio operators to help out in an   
   emergency.   
      
   During the search, Scott Hampton, KB7DZR, Moore's wife Joy, K7DMK, and Musia's   
   wife Anna, KG7CWW, kept in contact via their radios and telephones, relaying   
   information and brain storming ideas to further serve the effort. -- Story   
   written by Tom Bingham, WB7EUX, Joseph, Oregon, with information provided by   
   Mike Moore, W7ECX, Joseph, Oregon   
      
      
   ARRL to offer Understanding Local MOU's webinar   
      
   ARRL Headquarters will be offering a training session for ARES Emergency   
   Coordinators, District Emergency Coordinators and Section Emergency   
   Coordinators on local, section, and state level Memorandums of Understanding   
   for ARES. The training webinar will be Tuesday May 24, 2016 at 8pm Eastern   
   Time. You may register for the webinar here. The webinar will be recorded and   
   made available online afterward. All EC's, DEC's and SEC's are encouraged to   
   participate. -- Mike Corey, KI1U, ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager.   
      
      
   Tip: FEMA Daily Operations Briefings, Other News, Alerts, Available by E-Mail   
      
   Thanks to a tip from ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager Mike Corey, KI1U, I   
   signed up last year to receive FEMA daily operations briefings by e-mail.   
   These briefings contain a quick summary of national weather forecasts, U.S.   
   fire weather outlooks, and hazards outlooks for three-day periods (examples:   
   much above normal temperatures, heavy rain or snow, severe weather). A Space   
   Weather report covers geomagnetic storms, solar radiation storms, sun spot   
   activity, and a world map and graphs of impacts on HF communications and radio   
   blackouts.   
      
   A table on disaster requests and declarations is furnished in the report. For   
   example, in the current briefing, there are three declaration requests being   
   processed: one for flooding in Louisiana, another for[logo-white.png] severe   
   drought in the Marshall Islands, and one for severe storms and flooding in   
   Illinois. Another map of the U.S. shows which FEMA field offices are open. Two   
   tables on FEMA readiness - one on deployable assets/teams, and the other on   
   national/regional teams - round out the report.   
      
   The briefing is, well, brief - a lot of valuable information is presented   
   mostly graphically, rendering the report easy and quick to scan and read. I   
   can get through it in just a minute or two. I recommend to ARES, RACES and   
   other program members to sign up for this daily FEMA mailing for national,   
   regional and local situational awareness.   
      
      
   Other FEMA Mailings   
      
   I've signed up for other FEMA mailings, too. I receive updates to emergency   
   and major disaster declarations, CERT program updates, and a host of other   
   topics. There is a wealth of information that would be of interest to ARES   
   leadership and registrants. Readers can learn more and sign up for e-mailings   
   here. Check it out! [I've reproduced a typical FEMA educatonal e-mail bulletin   
   on tornadoes below] - K1CE   
      
      
   Baker to Vegas Relay Challenge Supported by Mass of Southwestern Hams   
      
   Hundreds of Amateur Radio operators, principally from California, Nevada and   
   Arizona, came out to support the 2016 Baker to Vegas Relay Challenge, March   
   19-20. The more than one hundred hams from the ARRL Los Angeles Section made   
   up a significant number of those providing communications support. In many   
   cases the operators camped out overnight either before or after the event in   
   order to accommodate the large event schedule. As in previous years, Joy   
   Matlack, KD6FJV, was the Communication Director with significant help from   
   Margie Hoffman, KG6TBR. Together they were responsible for organizing the   
   amateur communications effort, which is no small task and involves nearly a   
   full year of planning and preparation.This event played host to 264 law   
   enforcement teams in a grueling 120 mile relay race course beginning just   
   outside Baker, California (near the south end of Death Valley) and ending in   
   Las Vegas, Nevada. Amateurs provided needed race staffing, but also filled   
   potential emergency communication gaps in remote portions of the course.   
      
   Los Angeles ARES (ARESLAX) had teams covering/operating the Relay Challenge   
   stages number three (#3), number eight (#8) and number nine (#9), led by DEC   
   Roozy Mulbury, K1EH; ARES member Jim Stoker, AG6EF; and ARES member Carina   
   Lister, KF6ZZY.   
      
   The winning teams by order were the LAPD Department Team, the LASD County Wide   
   Team and the New York Police Department Team.This event allows the   
   southwestern US amateur community to showcase its abilities to the country's   
   law enforcement community. -- ARRL Los Angeles Section Manager David Greenhut,   
   N6HD   
      
      
   Op-Ed: Evolve Our Communication or Wither   
      
   Our FCC license grants us privileges within technical standards as operators.   
   We can lash equipment together and establish networks, creating links for   
   agencies with facilities and resources. Then what? Our license takes us no   
   further than the point of pressing the transmit button, for out of the box   
   most of us are indeed operators, but we may not be communicators; often left   
   to chance, especially in the service of larger organizations and complex   
   incidents or events such as the Boston Marathon, my main focus in public   
   service. We are often weak in the communication department.   
      
   For 16 years I've volunteered as an operator/communicator at countless public   
   events and for the past three years have organized and led many of them,   
   including the extraordinary group effort involved with the Boston Marathon.   
   Impressing me the most, having served on both sides of the table, is the   
   enthusiasm that volunteers bring. But, depressing me the most, is the   
   misassumption that our FCC ticket automatically makes us experts. Training   
   certainly helps, but reading or listening to a classroom lecture is one thing,   
   applying it is another, hence the sidelining of our service sometimes for an   
   unhealthy know-it-all attitude. We sometimes fail to communicate the right   
   things -- attitude, service orientation, quiet confidence, and the willingness   
   to take direction -- with the very people we aim to communicate for. "We are   
   communicators, first" I tell my team members. We need to communicate a wanting   
   to serve the public and agency, not ourselves. We need to communicate a sense   
   of humility, not hubris.   
      
   To accomplish this, it takes empathy, leadership, listening, trust-building,   
   and learning the culture of our served partners. Our local, county, state and   
   national leadership need to recognize, embrace and work to meet this   
   communication challenge in creative and bold ways, such as retooling our own   
   culture. Leaning on old paradigms and culture, offering "when all else fails"   
   is somewhat obsolete: We need to go to work to communicate with, take   
   direction from, and support our partners before all else fails.   
      
   If you are in a position of leadership, embrace change and this challenge. If   
   you're a volunteer, press your leaders to raise the bar, to bring us to a   
   level of competence that matches the level of those we seek to serve. It   
   begins with communication. By meeting us with silence sometimes, our potential   
   partners are sending a message: "Evolve, or wither. It's up to you." -- Mark   
   Richards, K1MGY, Littleton, Massachusetts [Richards is a frequent contributor   
   to this newsletter, and a member of the Boston Athletic Association   
   Communications Committee, which supports the Boston Marathon.]   
      
      
   Letters: ARDF and SAR   
      
   I read with interest your story in last month's issue of the efforts of the   
   ARRL Maryland-DC Section ARES in supporting the search for an autistic man   
   wearing a radio beacon leg bracelet. It was another fine example of an   
   opportunity for ARES to work shoulder-to-shoulder with an agency to save lives   
   and serve the public. For the best chance of success in such incidents, there   
   needs to be advance coordination, planning and training. That is exactly what   
   has happened in some places such as San Luis Obispo County, California. I   
   wrote about the hams there who regularly support Project Lifesaver in my   
   Homing In radio direction finding column in CQ-VHF Magazine for winter 2008.   
   That article is on my web site here.   
      
   I hope this article serves as an inspiration for ARES groups in other areas   
   served by Project Lifesaver to get involved with it and to equip them in   
   advance with appropriate radio direction finding equipment for the most rapid   
   response. (For example, the "phase Doppler radio direction finder equipment"   
   mentioned in your story is not the best RDF method for this application, as my   
   article explains.) I would welcome the opportunity to correspond with hams and   
   ARES groups who seek to support Project Lifesaver in their own localities. --   
   Joe Moell, K0OV, ARRL ARDF Coordinator   
   www.homingin.com   
      
      
   Tech Tip: ARES/RACES Powerpole Configuration   
      
   I switched all of my DC power connectors to Powerpoles years ago. I found that   
   descriptions of configurations like "tongue up, hood down," etc. were not   
   clear. I ended up looking at a picture for the correct configuration. An easy   
   way to remember the ARES/RACES Powerpole orientation is: Red on Right, Letter   
   A Up on both connectors. You cannot confuse the hood or tongue, etc.-- Lew   
   Wallach, N9WL, Albuquerque, New Mexico   
      
      
   Letters: Of Tone Squelch Systems and Alerts   
      
   When Citizens Band (CB) became available in the late 1950s, operators wanted   
   to eliminate the constant chatter but still have their radios on to hear a   
   family member or a friend calling. Two-tones transmitted at the start of a   
   transmission brought up the desired station, leaving out the undesired. For   
   those who had radios without the built-in selective calling capability, they   
   used an external box that connected to the ear-phone jack, which contained the   
   tone decoder, an audio amplifier and loudspeaker. When the proper tones were   
   received, the audio signal from the radio was passed to the audio amplifier in   
   the box and out the box's speaker.   
      
   Today we have more sophisticated methods, such as Digital Code Squelch (DCS or   
   CDCSS), CTCSS (sub-audible tones), and other digital modes that could provide   
   a reliable way to activate ARES/RACES program hams for a drill or an   
   emergency. I've wondered why hams still rely on cell phones and other   
   non-amateur technology for such purposes when we could be using our own   
   amateur systems.   
      
   Having a reliable selective calling system would enable hams involved in   
   emergency communications to monitor one or more frequencies 24/7 yet not   
   disturb their families with routine ham communications. Why isn't such a   
   system currently in use? Why don't we see articles on how to implement   
   selective calling in the literature? -- Rich Stiebel, W6APZ, Palo Alto,   
   California   
      
      
   Letters: Check Laws before Spiking the Ground   
      
   As a CERT instructor, Amateur Extra class licensee and the Project   
   Facilitator/Utility Cut Inspector for the City of St. Joseph, Missouri, I read   
   your warning to check for underground facilities before driving in a ground   
   spike. In Missouri, an excavator must call the One Call Center at least two   
   and not more than ten (10) working days prior to disturbing soil. Setting up a   
   portable antenna for a disaster does not meet the definition of an emergency   
   on the excavator's part.   
      
   With all of the fiber optic and plastic lines being bored in, it would be   
   dangerous to drive the ground stake in without waiting the two day minimum.   
   This law includes homeowners working in their own yard. There are only two   
   exceptions to the law: (a) a homeowner planting a garden or (b) a farmer   
   plowing less than 16 inches deep. I am not familiar with the One Call laws in   
   other states. -- John Bowser, N0YXG, Missouri Valley Amateur Radio Club [I   
   found a homeowner's guide to California's DigAlert one call notification   
   center laws and protocols here. Other states have their own systems and laws.   
   -- ed.]   
      
      
   FEMA Bulletin: Learn to Protect Yourself in a Tornado Situation   
      
   Plan ahead! Your primary goal is to go to the safest place for protection   
   before the tornado approaches and take additional measures for personal cover.   
   If a tornado warning is issued, immediately move to the best available   
   protection.   
      
   Having advance notice that a tornado is approaching your area can give you the   
   critical time needed to move to a place with better protection. The best   
   protection in all tornadoes is to seek shelter in a structure built to FEMA   
   safe room or International Code 500 storm shelter standards.   
      
   If you're unable to get to a safe room during a tornado, move to an interior   
   windowless room on the lowest level of a building, preferably the basement.   
   Take personal cover under sturdy furniture such as a table. Cover your head   
   and neck with your arms and place a blanket or coat over your body.   
      
   The America's PrepareAthon! How to Prepare for a Tornado guide provides   
   preparedness tips if you live, work, or travel through an area that is   
   susceptible to tornadoes:   
      
    *  Know how to stay informed, including monitoring weather reports provided   
       by your local media;   
    *  Consider buying a National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration Weather   
       Radio All Hazards receiver, which receives broadcast alerts directly   
       from the National Weather Service and offers warnings, watches,   
       forecasts, and other hazard information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week;   
    *  Download the FEMA mobile application for disaster resources, weather   
       alerts, and safety tips;   
    *  Know where you would go to have the best level of protection from a   
       tornado for every place you spend a lot of time, such as home, work,   
       school, or place of worship;   
    *  Practice how you will communicate with your family members in case   
       you're not together during a tornado; complete the Family Emergency   
       Communication Plan;   
    *  Store at least a 3-day supply of food, water, medications, and items you   
       may need after the tornado passes; and   
    *  Store the important documents on a USB flash drive or in a waterproof   
       container that you will need to start your recovery.   
    *  Some locations don't provide protection from tornadoes, including:   
       manufactured (mobile) homes/offices, the open space of open-plan   
       buildings (e.g., malls, big retail stores, and gymnasiums), vehicles,   
       and the outdoors. An alternative shelter should be identified prior to a   
       tornado watch or warning.   
      
   You can find additional resources online, including a tornado checklist that   
   provides guidance on what steps to take before and after a tornado. -- FEMA   
      
      
   Parting Shots   
      
   Cape Cod (Massachusetts) ARES held its winter exercise on January 30.   
   Operations were based out of the Sandwich EOC and run by Cape Cod ARES with   
   support from the Sandwich emergency management agency. More than 30 stations   
   were contacted on VHF and HF bands, with the furthest VHF direct contact being   
   the South Shore Hospital (40.3 miles) in Weymouth and into Maine on HF. Narrow   
   Band Emergency Messaging Software (NBEMS) was used during the exercise.   
   Operations were conducted using a backup portable emergency generator. -- ARRL   
   Eastern Massachusetts Section News   
      
   The Midwest's Sioux City area is unique--there are three states separated by   
   rivers just across from each other. Until recently there has been little club   
   activity on the Nebraska side. All that changed recently when the Emergency   
   Management Director of Dakota County, Nebraska asked that the ARES program be   
   rebuilt to support county emergency communications needs.   
      
   To meet the request and add new hams and ARES members to the area, it was   
   decided to hold a Technician class; several Emergency Management and Health   
   Department officials wanted to take the class, too.   
      
   A flyer with class information was sent to other emergency managers and on   
   social media with the result that potential students from as far as 75 miles   
   away registered for the class.   
      
   Students started the two classes, including the county sheriff and a local   
   police officer.The classes were held in the South Sioux City Law Enforcement   
   Center training room, with logistics support courtesy of the Emergency   
   Management Director. Nineteen new Technician class licensees (and ARES   
   candidates) were the happy result. -- ARRL Nebraska Section News   
      
   ______   
      
      
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   )\/(ark   
      
   Always Mount a Scratch Monkey   
      
   ... All this cause a girl didn't kiss him.   
   ---   
    * Origin:  (1:3634/12.73)