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CX2SA > ARES 21.11.23 15:34l 375 Lines 19887 Bytes #999 (0) @ ARRL
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Subj: The ARES E-Letter - 11/2023
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=================
The ARES E-Letter
=================
Editor: Rick Palm, K1CE November 15, 2023
- ARES© Briefs, Links
- 2023 SKYWARNT Recognition Day is December 2
- ARRL November Sweepstakes as Personal COMMEX
- California Amateur Radio Operators Conduct Successful Simulated Emergency
Test "Red Skies"
- It Just Takes One
- K1CE for a Final: Keep Feed Line Lengths ASAP! (As Short as Possible)
- ARES© Resources
ARES¶© Briefs, Links
--------------------
The Great ShakeOut is an annual international emergency response exercise
for earthquake safety and preparedness conducted on the third Thursday of
every October. Designed to raise awareness, the Great ShakeOut provides
communities with an opportunity to prepare, plan, and educate citizens on
earthquake safety. The United States Geologic Survey (USGS), FEMA and the
National Science Foundation are national sponsors. This year's event was
held on October 19. Amateur radio operators participated. Here are some
stats on the 2023 Great ShakeOut:
USGS received and mapped over 230 DYFI entries via the ShakeOut Scenario
DYFI (Did You Feel It?) website (https://earthquake.usgs.gov/data/dyfi/).
More than 1,400 DYFI reports were sent by radio operators using
RadioMail, Winlink, and PAT.
Operators from the US and Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands, Canada,
Guatemala, Honduras, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Germany,
Austria, Italy, Poland, the Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand
submitted DYFI reports.
ARES LAX Northeast operators at Huntington Hospital, Pasadena, CA
ARES LAX Northeast operators at Huntington Hospital, Pasadena, CA. [Photo
courtesy Oliver Dully, K6OLI]
Winter Field Day is January 23-24, 2024. According to its website: "Winter
Field Day (WFD) is a communications exercise. WFD is held on the last full
weekend in January. WFD can be worked from the comfort of your home or in a
remote location. You can participate by yourself or get your friends,
family, or whole club involved. Winter Field Day is open to participants
worldwide. Amateur radio operators may use frequencies on the HF, VHF, or
UHF bands and are free to use any mode that can faithfully transmit the
required exchange intact. Similar to the ARRL Field Day, bonus points are
earned in several ways, including using non-commercial power sources,
operating from remote locations, satellite contacts, and more."
2023 SKYWARNƒ?½ Recognition Day is December 2
---------------------------------------------
The popular annual SKYWARNƒ?½ Recognition Day (SRD) will be held on December
2, 2023, from 0000Z to 2400Z. SRD was developed in 1999 by the National
Weather Service and ARRL. It celebrates the contributions that volunteer
SKYWARN radio operators make to the National Weather Service. During the
day, SKYWARN operators visit NWS offices and contact other radio operators
across the world.
SKYWARN Recognition Day Operating Instructions
Object: For all amateur stations to exchange QSO information with as
many Amateur Radio SKYWARN Spotters and National Weather Service Stations as
possible on the 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6, and 2-meter and 70-centimeter bands.
Contacts via repeaters are permitted. SKYWARN Recognition Day serves to
celebrate the contributions to public safety made by amateur radio operators
during severe weather events of the past year.
Date: NWS stations will operate December 2, 2023, from 0000 - 2400 UTC.
Exchange: Call sign, name, location, signal report, a one- or two-word
description of the weather occurring at your site ("sunny," "partly cloudy,"
"windy," etc.), temperature reading if available and SRD Number if the
station has one.
Modes: NWS stations will work various modes including SSB, FM, AM, RTTY,
Winlink, CW, FT8, FT4, and PSK31. While working digital modes, special event
stations will append "/NWS" to their call sign (e.g., N0A/NWS).
Station Control Operator: It is suggested that during SRD operations for
NWS offices a non-NWS volunteer should serve as a control operator for your
station.
Event and QSL Information: The National Weather Service will provide
event information via the SRD website. Event certificates will once again be
electronic and printable from the main website after the conclusion of SRD.
Log Submission: To submit your log summary for SRD, you can use the
online submission form that will be made available on the NWS SRD
Recognition main page when the event is completed. Deadline for log
submission is January 31, 2024.
Note on NWS Station Operations: For 2023, guidance on in-person amateur
radio operations by volunteers will be determined by each National Weather
Service Local Forecast Office. Amateur radio operators must make all
necessary inquiries ahead of SRD with the appropriate NWS staff at your
respective Weather Forecast Office before registering the NWS office for
this event.
Involving Non-Amateur Radio SKYWARN Spotters in SRD
Amateur Radio SKYWARN groups and those groups involved with their NWS
amateur radio office station setups are encouraged to actively reach out and
find ways for non-amateur radio SKYWARN spotters to participate in the
event. This can be done through social media and other ways in coordination
with the local NWS offices.
For more information on SRD:
NWS SKYWARN Recognition Day Main Page
For More Information on SKYWARN:
NWS SKYWARN
ARRL November Sweepstakes as Personal COMMEX
--------------------------------------------
Each November, ARRL runs an HF contest that tests one's ability to make
contact with all of the ARRL and RAC (Radio Amateurs of/du Canada) Sections
during the contest periods. It's called the November Sweepstakes.
Sweepstakes is split into two contest periods. The first contest period ran
November 4-6, 2023 and was for CW operations only. The second contest period
runs November 18-20, 2023 and is for Phone operations only. On-air times for
each contest period run from 2100 UTC Saturday through 0259 UTC Monday.
New for 2023 -- Limited Antennas Overlay
Any Single Operator or Single Operator Unlimited entrant may enter using the
Limited Antennas Overlay. Operation is limited to the use of single-element
antennas such as a single vertical, end-fed wire, or a single dipole antenna
no more than 50 feet above ground at its highest point. The antenna(s) may
cover multiple bands, as in the case of multiband verticals and dipoles with
fan or trap constructions. This new entry category really lends itself to
using the ARRL Sweepstakes as a personal COMMEX (communications exercise) to
test one's ability to operate an HF portable station in a manner similar to
operating in emergency or disaster conditions. A single-element antenna may
be the simplest way to get on the air quickly. So, get out those end-fed
half-wave (EFHW), end-fed random wire (EFRW), dipole (with or without
traps), and vertical (with or without traps) antennas and test them.
In addition to these types of simple antennas, Sweepstakes provides a great
opportunity to test the rest of one's portable HF grab-and-go kit. How long
can your portable HF kit operate on portable power? Did it run as long as
you expected? How well did your single-element antenna(s) work? Were they
easy to set up? You could combine operating in the contest while surviving
on just the contents of your 72-hour emergency supply kit during
Sweepstakes' 24-hour maximum operational period.
Since an emergency kit should last an individual 72 hours, one could then
gauge how well the kit was prepared. Would the remainder of the kit last an
additional 2 days?
If you do use the November Sweepstakes as a personal COMMEX, why not write
about your experience and send it along for use in a newsletter. For
additional information, see ARRL November Sweepstakes. [This article is an
excerpt from the November 2023 issue of the superb Blair ARES Alert,
newsletter of the Blair County, Pennsylvania ARES, by editor Drew McGhee,
KA3EJV - Ed.]
California Amateur Radio Operators Conduct Successful Simulated Emergency
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Test "Red Skies"
----------------
Los Angeles, CA - On September 30, 2023, about 100 amateur radio operators
living along a 500-mile-long earthquake-prone corridor in California
participated in a regional Simulated Emergency Test (SET) exercise named Red
Skies. The exercise goal was to leverage the speed and accuracy of
email-over-radio reporting to provide a common operating picture to all
levels of stakeholders in the event of a widespread disaster.
The exercise scenario called for earthquakes that damaged power lines and
sparked fires that grew quickly. Amateur radio operators used their Winlink,
PAT and Radiomail stations to provide USGS Did You Feel It? (DYFI) reports
and other situational reports, such as the Field Situation Report (FSR) and
ICS-213 General Messages. About 1,000 Winlink reports were collected and
analyzed by ARES local leadership at the county level and were then sent to
the Regional Coordinator Dennis Kidder, W6DQ, operating with a half-dozen
hams at his home superstation near Ridgecrest, CA, far outside the exercise
damage-affected area where he operated a simulated regional level Emergency
Operations Center (EOC). Kidder and the Ridgecrest-area hams who staffed the
simulated EOC always have real-life earthquake experience because they
endured an earthquake swarm in 2019 with the strongest shake having been a
magnitude 7.1 quake.
To challenge the more experienced operators with injects, exercise
organizers sent bulletins live via radio email to operators in the field
during the exercise. "The bulletins were designed to mimic an increasing
operational tempo and a decreasing safety situation for the operators," said
Oliver Dully, K6OLI, District Emergency Coordinator for ARES LAX Northeast.
"We expected operators to triage and react to the bulletins. Many stations
found it both challenging and fun. Successful stations relied on teamwork to
address the bulletins."
The exercise helped prepare radio operators and the community for real-world
emergencies by stress-testing radio networks and Winlink infrastructure and
by training operators to deal with challenging and chaotic conditions.
Focusing on hazards like earthquakes and fires injected relevant real-world
conditions into the exercise.
The SET also exposed gaps in training and limits to the technology. For
example, combining single messages into Winlink software-generated CSVs
reduced the overall traffic volume to the regional coordinator by 83%.
However, many duplicates in the CSVs meant the traffic sent over HF could
have been reduced even more.
"Clearly, sending 1.5 MB of traffic with Winlink over HF is a lot," said
Dennis, W6DQ. "We want to encourage all radio operators to reduce on-air
traffic as much as possible. Using consistent CSV file names, sending one
type of CSV per message, and using time boundaries on the exported CSV will
go a long way toward using circuit capacity more efficiently."
The unique challenge of the Red Skies SET was that many stations throughout
California operated at the same time. "This was a synchronous and time-bound
exercise," said Dully. "Similar to what we expect in the response phase of
an incident. Operators used whatever technology would be available to them,
including AREDN mesh, VHF/UHF/HF Winlink, and even StarLink. LAXNORTHEAST
net controls handled 292 local messages in 3 and a half hours. One of our
best results was that operators leaned on their teammates for support when
traffic volumes became challenging. Teamwork made the dream work." Many
participants deployed to hospitals and other facilities as part of the
exercise.
The exercise was a great success. It exceeded the objective of aggregating,
analyzing, and passing on local traffic, built positive working
relationships among the groups involved and provided fresh perspectives on
future training needs. It also brought together groups from the Mexican
border to Sacramento under a common ICS structure with a shared Incident
Action Plan (IAP).
Participants in the regional after-action meeting agreed that more training
was desirable and expressed their eagerness for the next exercises to build
on the success of Red Skies.
For an in-depth discussion of the Red Skies Exercise, see Dennis Kidder's,
W6DQ, Red Skies RATPAC presentation. -- ASEC San Joaquin Valley Section, EC
Eastern Kern County (California) ARES Dennis Kidder, W6DQ
It Just Takes One
-----------------
"It just takes one," was the mantra of Steve Smith, W9GPI, ARRL Emergency
Coordinator for Lee County, Florida. That "one" hit in late September 2022,
when Hurricane Ian slammed into southwest Florida with 160 MPH winds making
it a rare category 5 storm. The worst part of the storm passed over Lee
County with barrier islands of Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel particularly
hard hit. As destructive as the winds were, the water was worse, with
12-to-15-foot storm surge inundating much of the coast and inland area. In
the end, 150 lives were lost and damages in the state exceeded $100 billon
with much of the local area left without power and water.
Smith called Lee County ARES into service beginning on Monday before the
anticipated landfall of Wednesday. Initially, it appeared Lee County would
be brushed by the storm. When landfall became apparent, Lee County ARES
members were positioned in 12 emergency shelters, local hospitals, and at
the area's two Emergency Operations Centers (EOC). Smith took the lead at
the Lee County EOC, where he manned the net, which provided communications
with all the ARES members and sub nets. He spent over 72 straight hours at
the EOC, sleeping on a cot when necessary. He was helped by a couple of ARES
members who took over the main communications duties while Steve solved
issues for the shelters or when he took a break.
When All Else Fails
The ARES slogan "When All Else Fails" came into play following the historic
storm. During the storm, amateur radio became the only communications with
shelter staff at several of the shelters. The system had been designed to
rely on phones and internet to maintain communications with the EOC. Both
failed early into the storm. Steve's ARES members became the link back to
the county leaders.
The massive winds and storm surge washed out the causeway serving Sanibel
Island and Captiva Island. The post-storm analysis predicted it would take
months to repair. Steve and Sanibel officials came up with a plan to help
with communications for the city government. During Hurricane Irma in 2017,
the city of Sanibel lost communications. They noticed, however, that an
amateur radio repeater on the island survived. Several Sanibel employees
took classes and became licensed operators with the thought they could help
if another storm hit. Hurricane Ian was that storm.
First, an assessment was made that the repeater on Sanibel survived and
could be operated on emergency power. Second, the Sanibel city government
(having lost their city hall in the storm) set up temporary offices at a
hotel on the Florida mainland in Fort Myers. Steve worked with volunteers to
procure a radio and antenna. He and a crew were able to get the rig
installed on the hotel, and the city had communications with the island, all
run by licensed amateur operators. Yet another example of "When All Else
Fails."
Steve and the entire ARES team received high marks from local officials
including those from Lee County. When Steve took over the EC slot, he
created procedures and was instrumental in getting Lee County to fund the
creation of "go boxes" for ARES use that support VHF/UHF communications and
Winlink. He also was able to get permanent antennas installed on most of the
designated emergency shelters, funded by the county.
Steve is an electrical engineer by training and worked in marketing for
manufacturers like Square D during his career. He was also an EMT and served
part time in law enforcement. As part of the Fort Myers Amateur Radio Club
(FMARC) in addition to his EC duties, he served as Chair of the Education
and Nomination committees as well as being a member of the VE team. In mid
2023, health issues forced the former Fond du Lac, Wisconsin resident to
step down from his post as EC. Steve remains active in ARES and as a mentor
to many in FMARC. - Jim Walch, K4DIP, Fort Myers, Florida
K1CE for a Final: Keep Feed Line Lengths ASAP! (As Short as Possible)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
You can teach an old dog (I turn 70 next month) new tricks. Actually, this
isn't a new trick or even a trick at all. After moving my dipole antennas
much closer to my station, I was able to significantly shorten my feedlines
(read: 20 feet versus my previous runs of some 60 feet). I also switched to
RG-8, previously RG-58. The increase in gain was of epic proportions and I'm
so glad I did it. Think about shortening your feedline runs and switching to
the more efficient RG-8 coax. Then, watch your S-meter and signal reports
ping up a few notches!
ARES¶© Resources
----------------
Download the ARES Manual [PDF]
ARES Field Resources Manual [PDF]
ARES Standardized Training Plan Task Book [Fillable PDF]
ARES Standardized Training Plan Task Book [Word]
ARES Plan
ARES Group Registration
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.
Support ARES: Join ARRL
ARES is a program of ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio¶© . No
other organization works harder than ARRL to promote and protect amateur
radio! ARRL members enjoy many benefits and services including digital
magazines, e-newsletters, online learning (learn.arrl.org), and technical
support. Membership also supports programs for radio clubs, on-air contests,
Logbook of The World¶©, ARRL Field Day, and the all-volunteer ARRL Field
Organization.
Join ARRL or renew today! arrl.org/join
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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 at www.arrl.org/opt-in-out.
Copyright ¸ 2023 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.
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