| |
CX2SA > ARES 21.06.22 15:56l 495 Lines 26562 Bytes #999 (0) @ ARRL
BID : ARES062022
Read: GUEST
Subj: The ARES E-Letter - 06/2022
Path: IZ3LSV<IQ2LB<IQ5KG<IK1NHL<CX2SA
Sent: 220621/1248Z @:CX2SA.SAL.URY.SOAM #:12366 [Salto] FBB7.00e $:ARES062022
From: CX2SA@CX2SA.SAL.URY.SOAM
To : ARES@ARRL
=================
The ARES E-Letter
=================
Editor: Rick Palm, K1CE June 15, 2022
- FEMA Regions 4 and 6 Winlink Exercise -- A Major Success for At Risk Areas
- Slingshot Tips
- ARRL Section ARES News
- On EMP and Solar-Terrestrial Effects
- K1CE for a Final: My Rural County Preps for Hurricane Season; New EC
Presents at EOC Partners Meeting
- ARES© Resources
- ARRL Resources
ARES© Briefs, Links
ARES© FORUM at Dayton Hamvention© -- ARRL Director of Emergency Management
Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, reports that he moderated the ARES forum at
Hamvention this past month: "The forum was a panel discussion on overcoming
difficulties, successes, and best practices, with panelists that included
Emergency Coordinator, Public Information Coordinator and newly elected
Section Manager of Northern Florida Scott Roberts, KK4ECR; ARRL Central
Division Vice Director Brent Walls, N9BA; and Illinois Section Emergency
Coordinator Robert Littler, W9DSR. The forum was well attended and following
the panel discussions, the panel fielded a number of great questions. Some
very good discussion was shared among attendees and the positive feedback
was welcome."
The Northwest's largest amateur radio convention, SEA-PAC, held its 40th
anniversary show, June 3 - 5, 2022, and was the ARRL Northwestern Division
Convention. The convention kicked off on Friday with a series of all-day
workshops. An Emergency Communications workshop covered topics from "what to
take" during an emergency, to disaster response experiences and stories.
ARRL Director of Emergency Management Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, participated in
the workshop, offering a perspective on the role of ARES in responding to
local disasters.
WX4NHC Annual Station Test 2022 Report: "After 2 years of our dedicated
volunteer ham radio operators working remotely from home stations due to
Covid, we operated from inside the National Hurricane Center (NHC) for our
annual test event on May 28th. (All ops were fully vaccinated.) This was our
42nd year of volunteer communication services for the National Hurricane
Center. The test event was successful as all facility radios and antennas
performed well. In 8 hours, we made 289 contacts nationwide and
internationally using HF, VHF, and UHF radios and digital communications
modes. Thanks to all our volunteer operators for their continued efforts and
for all the stations worldwide that help during hurricanes. Please remember,
no matter how many hurricanes we have this season, it only takes one to
destroy your house or community; no matter how many or how few Surface
Reports we receive from an affected area, just one Surface Report can make a
big difference." -- Julio Ripoll, WD4R, Assistant Coordinator, WX4NHC, NOAA
National Hurricane Center
Kenneth Graham, WX4KEG, is the next NOAA assistant administrator for weather
services and the 17th director of the National Weather Service, effective
June 7, 2022. "Ken has the scientific integrity, trusted leadership, and
communication prowess that will take the National Weather Service to even
greater heights," said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. "I have full
confidence that he will help create a more weather- and climate-ready nation
amid more extreme weather fueled by our changing climate." Graham has served
as director of the National Hurricane Center since 2018. He has been an
ardent supporter of the NHC Amateur Radio Station WX4NHC, the Hurricane
Watch Net, and the amateur radio severe weather reporting community at large.
The ARRL Executive Committee of the Board of Directors met in formal session
on May 9. An Emergency Communications and Field Services Committee update
was provided by chairman and Great Lakes Division Director Dale Williams,
WA8EFK. Noting that there is an extensive project list, four subcommittees
were created to handle the work. The subcommittees include subject matter
experts and have been shown to be effective. Currently the committee is
working on MOUs. The MOU with FEMA has been progressing nicely, with
positive feedback from FEMA and is expected to be a 5-year agreement. Other
partners that MOUs are being worked on include the Red Cross and Salvation
Army. The committee is also in the early stages of addressing a separate MOU
format for use by groups in the field who want agreements with local served
agencies. Other items that are showing progress include updating the ARRL
Section Manager's workbook and expanding the mission of the National Traffic
System (NTS).
Updated, current Red Cross/Winlink Thursdays exercise results and
participant/clearinghouse maps are available, along with general
information, schedules, and past exercise results.
FEMA Regions 4 and 6 Winlink Exercise -- A Major Success for At Risk Areas
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The states in adjacent FEMA Regions 4 (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky,
Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee) and 6 (Texas,
Arkansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico) jointly participated in a communications
outage exercise on May31/June 1 with a cyber-attack scenario run in four
major metropolitan areas: Charlotte, North Carolina; Dallas, Texas; Miami,
Florida; and Little Rock, Arkansas.
In addition to Winlink, with CISA SHARES and amateur radio operators
providing Field Situation Reports to be exercised by the states in the two
FEMA regions, were the following additional emergency communications
systems: FNARS (FEMA National Radio System), NAWAS (National Warning
System), MSAT G2 (Multi-State Satellite talk groups), and Multi-State
linking of P25 statewide trunking networks.
The mission of the Winlink exercise was for operators/observers to send
"ground truth" information in a Winlink Template report form called "Field
Situation Report" to three separate destinations via Winlink HF/VHF/Telnet
depending on the originator's location. RF (no Internet) only was to be used
in the four communications outage (affected) areas listed. Steve Waterman,
K4CJX, DHS CISA SHARES Auxiliary Communications and FEMA Region 4 Regional
Emergency Communications Coordination Working Group auxiliary communications
committee chair, said "for the US amateur radio operator, in a real-life
event, we want to preserve the small and precious RF space for those who
have no other choice. So, when we do have Internet, we should use Telnet.
However, as an exercise, the choice of delivery was left to the individual
operator."
The scenario and task for Winlink operators was direct and simple: The
cities in the two regions were picked to suffer communications outages.
Affected emergency management agencies needed "ground truth" situation
report information from everywhere within the two FEMA Regions from the
users of the Winlink Radio Email Network System, regardless of the location
within the Regions, or the reasons for the outages. There were two separate
sets of instructions for operators: If an operator was NOT in the affected
cities, the operator configured and reported on specific configuration data
for the Field Situation Report and sent the report by using RF (over the
air) modem protocols or Telnet. If the operator was located within the
affected cities, the operator was tasked with reporting any outages on the
Field Situation Report by using RF only.
Results Speak for Themselves
There were a whopping 997 responses from operators in the field, which
provided adequate information regarding the locations of the cyber
communications issues. View the distribution of responses here. The State
governments of South Carolina and Arkansas provided Dashboard information.
Waterman reported that there was a myriad of organizations involved,
including ARRL, SHARES Regional Coordinators and others, all working
together in executing this exercise. "This was an excellent exercise, and I
thank all for the extraordinary work from those who provided input into this
entire process, including and especially all the visuals -- sizzle matters,"
he said.
Waterman said there were lessons learned, and after-action discussion will
be forthcoming. But, "we have already made some major enhancements in
Winlink Express regarding statistical information from resulting input from
our mappable forms. More importantly, we can always improve our
functionality, accuracy, etc., but getting any incentive for improvement in
what we do, and how we do it will depend on the level at which each agency
views resiliency, and their acceptance of Winlink and volunteer resources at
the tail-end of their PACE plan. Extensive feedback from areas under
investigation is a critical component of any disaster," he said.
Slingshot Tips
--------------
by Gordon Gibby, KX4Z
North Florida Amateur Radio Club
We've been using slingshots for years to place antenna supporting lines in
trees, up to about 50 feet. I'm certainly not an expert, but it has worked
well for us. Some of the Alachua County (Florida) crew have purchased or
constructed air-powered mini-potato rifles also, which have even greater
range. This article gives just a few tips on using a simple slingshot to
place lines.
Accuracy -- I think there are two key factors here. A wrist brace seems to
be key. I use a simple slingshot purchased from Amazon that has a folding
wrist brace. Without that brace, I can't keep a simple "Y" type hand-held
slingshot still during the release. The brace makes it easy. Secondly, that
very floppy leather "pocket" seems to be extremely important for accuracy
with a lead fishing weight. A replacement band with a stiffer pocket turned
out to be completely useless. Replacing the "pocket" with the old leather
one brought it back to perfect working order.
Projectile -- I prefer an "egg sinker" fishing weight in the 1-1/4 to 1-1/2
ounce range. Heavier doesn't go as far, and I get concerned about possible
accidental damage. These have a hole drilled straight through, which makes
it easy to attach a line. Acquire several.
SAFETY -- Obviously we aren't perfectly accurate, and the lead fishing
weight can often hit a branch or a tree and go somewhere we didn't expect.
Stay AWAY from power lines! Always try to avoid choosing a direction toward
windows, cars, and other expensive items. At Field Day, it's best to get
lines up and over limbs before all the cars park in risky locations.
Graded Sizes of Lines -- My usual goal is to either get the line over a
specific limb or over an entire tree if the branches are too thick. Only a
very lightweight, low-friction line can be pulled to an apex 50-60 feet by a
light fishing weight. And they are amazingly difficult to FIND on the other
side! My friend Sam Register clued me into fluorescent orange braided
fishing line -- I prefer 60- or 80- pound test. This is much easier to work
with than the usual mono-filament. Consider a version of:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MGA5WJ6 I keep a couple of spools on
hand. Spread at least twice the desired height in line out over pavement or
asphalt or a sheet in long columns in front of you if possible - if there
are twigs on the grass, the line will always get tangled and your distance
will be severely reduced. After a successful placement of the fishing line
over a desirable branch, go to the far side, cut off the fishing weight and
tie on a nylon or nylon-polypropylene mix twine, approximately #18 up to
3/32" size. Be certain that the twine you choose is fairly strong. Reel back
in all of the fishing line, pulling the line backwards over your limb. Now
tie on a stronger line, up to perhaps one-quarter inch size - paracord works
well or twisted or braided nylon. Make sure your ties between different
sized lines are strong and secure - sometimes a simple knot between a small
and a larger line can allow the smaller line to slip out, disastrously.
Finally, if the one-quarter inch size isn't up to the task, you can then
pull up 3/8" or half-inch rope to finish off the project.
Stuck -- Inevitably you will end up with a fishing weight "stuck" up a tree.
Be careful when pulling back on such a line - you don't want it to come
zinging back and kerplunk right into your face! Sometimes you'll have to
give up and simply cut it off (above nuisance height) and leave it. The
orange fishing line degrades in the sunlight and will be almost invisible in
weeks. Having extra fishing weights and braided fishing line is a good plan.
I keep a kit for this purpose in a plastic tool box. The slingshot band will
degrade after a few years, so periodically provide a spare. Just remember to
use the floppiest "pocket" you have. - QST NFL June 2022
ARRL Section ARES News
----------------------
Oklahoma Section
To help with emergency communications support following an outbreak of
tornadoes that hit this past month, the Oklahoma Department of Emergency of
Management and Homeland Security requested support from Oklahoma ARES.
During the first week of May, 12 tornadoes touched down in the central and
eastern parts of the state. The tornado that struck Seminole, Oklahoma, on
Wednesday, May 4, left EF2 damage, according to the National Weather
Service. That tornado was a mile wide, and its path totaled 31 miles.
The request for amateur radio emergency communications support was made on
Thursday, May 5, 2022. ARES was activated on Saturday, May 7. Seven amateur
radio operators were active, providing voice communications between chainsaw
and debris removal teams from their base at Seminole State College's
volunteer center. ARRL Oklahoma Section Emergency Coordinator Mark Conklin,
N7XYO, said the cleanup crews worked quickly, and ARES was needed for 8
hours until cellular and wired communications were restored. There were no
deaths or injuries during the tornado outbreak, but cleanup continues. -
ARRL News Desk
Puerto Rico Section
On Saturday, June 4, 2022, a SKYWARN training session was held at the
theater facilities of the University of Puerto Rico at Bayam˘n (UPRB),
located in the municipality of Bayam˘n, Puerto Rico. It was led by Ernesto
Morales, Warning Coordination Meteorologist of the US National Weather
Service in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The activity had a large attendance of
mostly radio amateurs from many parts of the Island. It was a very dynamic
talk where the public had the opportunity to ask questions and clarify their
doubts. Morales
Part of the ARRL Puerto Rico Section contingent present for the SKYWARN
training session were (from left to right) Jorge A. Rivera, NP4ZB; ARRL
Puerto Rico Section Manager Rene Fonseca, NP3O; ARRL Section Traffic Manager
Emmanuel J. Cruz, NP4D; NWS subdirector Ernesto Morales; SKYWARN
representative Luis E. Cruz, NP4KB; and ARRL Emergency Coordinator, Zone 10B
Alberic J. Medina, NP3MR. [Photo courtesy of WP3GW]
highlighted the importance of the community as the "eyes" of the National
Weather Service in places where it is difficult for NWS radars and sensors
to obtain data. He lectured attendees on the different weather hazards, on
what observations program participants should make, and what they should
report. The activity was coordinated by Luis E. Cruz, NP4KB, of SKYWARN, and
his daughter Vann Cruz, with special thanks to Mario Rivera, KP4NNC,
Migdalia Santiago-Albadejo, KP4MSA, and Dr. Miguel V‚lez -Rubio, Rector of
the UBPR for the use of the facilities. -- Thanks, ARRL Puerto Rico Section
Public Information Coordinator µngel Santana, WP3GW
Santa Barbara Section
The Ventura County (part of the ARRL Santa Barbara Section in California)
Board of Supervisors passed a resolution on June 7 proclaiming June 2022 as
Amateur Radio Month in honor of the more than 3,800 FCC-licensed amateur
radio operators residing in Ventura County, and ARES. -- Thanks, Ventura
County ACS Radio Officer and Ventura County ARES District Emergency
Coordinator Robert Hanson, W6RH, and ARRL Santa Barbara Section Public
Information Coordinator Jeff Reinhardt, AA6JR, who arranged for the
proclamation with the county supervisors.
Southern Florida Section
The Hurricane Charlie drill in Palm Beach County, Florida on Saturday, May
21, 2022, commenced at 9:00 AM with the use of three county repeaters --
146.625 MHz, Jupiter; 146.670 MHz, West Palm Beach; 147.225 MHz, Boynton
Beach; and the 444.325 MHz SARNET repeaters. Forty-one people checked into
the exercise repeaters. Turning to simplex frequencies, 10 operators checked
in, for a total of 51. Contacts were made on SARNET, the Florida statewide
70 cm FM network of repeaters. Checked-in station operators reported
simulated incidents such as: power lines down, flooding, trees down, roofs
damaged, and roads impassable. All transmissions started and ended with
"This is a Drill." Thanks went to the skilled net control operators, and
special thanks went to Armen Gregorian, KI4UKP, of the Palm Beach County EOC
for opening the facility on a Saturday, allowing operators to be admitted to
monitor and observe the exercise from inside the radio room. All operators
were thanked; many of those who participated in this drill exercise are
members of ARES, Red Cross, Palm Beach County auxiliary communications and
various CERTs. -- Albert Moreschi II, AG4BV, Jupiter, Florida
Letters
On EMP and Solar-Terrestrial Effects
------------------------------------
I enjoyed your article "Safety Tips for ARRL Field Day and Hurricane Season"
in the June 2022 issue of QST, pages 67-68 -- great article! Regarding EMP
and solar-terrestrial effects on electronic equipment, this is an item that
I include when writing emergency response plans for water and wastewater
utilities. It's clearly an issue when it comes to industrial control and
SCADA systems. If you're interested in the subject, two references that I
use are:
1. National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center:
Electromagnetic Pulse Protection and Resilience Guidelines for Critical
Infrastructure and Equipment, Virginia, 2019.
2. Glasstone, Samuel, and Dolan, Phillip J. The Effects of Nuclear Weapons.
United States Department of Defense. 1977.
Most of the actionable information on EMP effects is unfortunately
classified. There's been a lot of testing done using EMP simulators
producing a near-field rise time and field strength approximating a weapon
or solar event. Believe it or not, bipolar transistors and silicone diodes
can take a pretty good hit and keep on ticking, albeit with degraded
performance and shortened operating life. Microprocessors, not so much.
Microprocessors in a radio with a connected antenna is a "forget about it."
Metal equipment enclosures are a good thing. - Walt Mahoney, KC1DON,
Providence, Rhode Island
K1CE for a Final: My Rural County Preps for Hurricane Season; New EC
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Presents at EOC Partners Meeting
--------------------------------
As this is written (June 2 -- just the second day of the official 2022
hurricane season), the Florida peninsula is under a tropical storm watch.
This past week, at the gracious invitation of new Columbia County ARES
Emergency Coordinator (EC) Brad Swartz, N5CBP, I attended and observed the
county emergency management team's 2022 Pre-Hurricane Season and Community
Partners Meeting at the county EOC. The meeting was 90 minutes long, with
the Emergency Manager presiding, with representatives from the Florida
Department of Emergency Management (FDEM), Red Cross, and other agency reps
from the county Sheriff's office, United Way, schools department, Florida
Highway Patrol, VA hospital, Clay Electric, the 911 Director, and a nurse
from the Health Department -- all key stakeholders.
First up to the podium was Swartz, who presented on amateur radio, SKYWARN
and ARES capability in the county, which has a population of about 33,000
residents. The county is mostly rural/agricultural, with some industry and
tourism. Swartz discussed the dimensions of his ARES program and its
priority: planning and training for so-called Low Probability/High Impact
incidents. He gave a brief history of county responses and support for large
public events such as the
Newly appointed Emergency Coordinator Brad Swartz, N5CBP [Rick Palm, K1CE,
photo]
Olustee (Civil War battle) parade and an air show. His crew has participated
in major regional exercises such as Whirlwind Boom 2 years ago, and the ARRL
SET. There are weekly tests with the State EOC in Tallahassee via SHARES
(Swartz is a SHARES license holder) and amateur radio. ARES members
participated in a recent, large FEMA Region 4/6 exercise, which proved
highly successful - the assignment was to send damage assessments via a
template in the Winlink platform. The inclusion of senders' GPS coordinates
enabled map locations. [see related story in this issue].
Emergency Manager Shayne Morgan injected an account of a simple test
recently: the scenario was a heart attack victim in a sparsely-populated
area of the county, with all emergency communications systems down. The
solution was an amateur radio voice message to a radio amateur located
physically near the EOC, who ran a written note to the emergency management
staff there, and EMS was dispatched to the victim.
Swartz discussed the various modes of communications available to radio
amateurs, how they are prioritized, and how his program participants
communicate/coordinate with other county ARES programs and EOCs. He informed
the group on modes that can get short messages through in the presence of
poor band conditions, such as JS8.
The FDEM reps discussed their agency's needs in a disaster to have reliable
communications enabled between the State EOC and each of the affected county
EOCs, as a priority. FDEM is in the process of updating their MOUs with
community partners and preparing protocols for prepositioning assets prior
to disaster effects setting in.
The Red Cross rep informed the meeting attendees that the county's Red Cross
program is in the rebuilding stage following the loss of volunteers due to
the Covid pandemic. MOUs need to be updated, and more volunteer workers need
to be recruited. Shelters need to be assessed, and snacks and water supplies
need to be stockpiled.
Red Cross priorities during blue sky include getting smoke alarms into
residents' homes. (Home fires represent the number one disaster across the
US, according to the organization.) During gray sky, their priority is to
prepare evacuation shelters. VOADs can assist Red Cross regionally, and Red
Cross National HQ also supports its local and regional offices.
Open Forum
Following the presentations, Morgan opened the floor to questions. There was
one comment from the manager of a special needs shelter: "We need more
hams--they worked well for us but we need them to stay all night. We need
hams, and more EMS and law enforcement support, too - they make the
residents with special needs feel safe."
Takeaways
For me, the main takeaways were:
1. 27% of the 90-minute meeting was devoted to discussion of county amateur
radio capability. That stat really impressed me.
2. Agencies and Red Cross - as evidenced by the comments of the Special
Needs Shelter manager - profoundly count on the services of ARES and
volunteer Red Cross amateur radio operators. We serve a real need.
3. And lastly, it is clear that Columbia County is in good hands with new EC
Brad Swartz, N5CBP, as we head into hurricane season -- he has the knowledge
base, people skills, and management skills to motivate his ARES operators to
work appropriately with served agencies.
Have a great -- and safe -- Field Day! 73, Rick Palm, K1CE
______________________________
ARES© Resources
---------------
ú Download the ARES Manual [PDF]
ú ARES Field Resources Manual [PDF]
ú ARES Standardized Training Plan Task Book [Fillable PDF]
ú ARES Standardized Training Plan Task Book [Word]
ú ARES Plan
ú ARES Group Registration
ú Emergency Communications Training
The Amateur Radio Emergency Service© (ARES) consists of licensed amateurs
who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment, with
their local ARES leadership, for communications duty in the public service
when disaster strikes. Every licensed amateur, regardless of membership in
ARRL or any other local or national organization is eligible to apply for
membership in ARES. Training may be required or desired to participate fully
in ARES. Please inquire at the local level for specific information. Because
ARES is an amateur radio program, only licensed radio amateurs are eligible
for membership. The possession of emergency-powered equipment is desirable,
but is not a requirement for membership.
How to Get Involved in ARES: Fill out the ARES Registration form and submit
it to your local Emergency Coordinator.
ARRL Resources
--------------
Join or Renew Today! Eligible US-based members can elect to receive QST or
On the Air magazine in print when they join ARRL or when they renew their
membership. All members can access digital editions of all four ARRL
magazines: QST, On the Air, QEX, and NCJ.
Subscribe to NCJ -- the National Contest Journal. Published bimonthly,
features articles by top contesters, letters, hints, statistics, scores, NA
Sprint and QSO parties.
Subscribe to QEX -- A Forum for Communications Experimenters. Published
bimonthly, features technical articles, construction projects, columns, and
other items of interest to radio amateurs and communications professionals.
Free of charge to ARRL members: Subscribe to the ARES Letter (monthly public
service and emergency communications news), the ARRL Contest Update
(biweekly contest newsletter), Division and Section news alerts -- and much
more!
Find us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.
ARRL offers a wide array of products to enhance your enjoyment of amateur
radio.
Donate to the fund of your choice -- support programs not funded by member
dues!
Click here to advertise in this newsletter, space subject to availability.
_________
The ARES Letter is published on the third Wednesday of each month. ARRL
members may subscribe at no cost or unsubscribe by editing their Member Data
Page as described at http://www.arrl.org/ares-e-letter.
Copyright ¸ 2022 American Radio Relay League, Incorporated. Use and
distribution of this publication, or any portion thereof, is permitted for
non-commercial or educational purposes, with attribution. All other purposes
require written permission.
Read previous mail | Read next mail
| |
