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CX2SA > ARES 26.06.13 03:31l 386 Lines 21969 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
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Subj: ARES E-Letter June 19, 2013
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From: CX2SA@CX2SA.SAL.URY.SA
To : ARES@WW
The ARES E-Letter June 19, 2013
Editor: Rick Palm, K1CE
In This Issue:
- Hurricane Center Station Test Proves Readiness
- National Traffic System Digital Hums Along
- Southern Florida EC Wins Award for Leadership
- Georgia EMA, FEMA, ARES Test Mobile Command Vehicles
- Gulf Coast Amateur Radio Club Presents at Military Officers Meeting
- Renowned Storm Chaser Tim Samaras, WJ0G, Killed in Oklahoma Tornado
- Public Outreach with NTS Messaging
- 2013 Hurricane Season Forecast: "Active"
- 2013 Hurricane Season On-the-Air Monitoring Checklist
- Hurricane Season 2013: Keep ARRL HQ Informed, July Hurricane Webinar Planned
- K1CE for a Final: Try New Things
______________
Hurricane Center Station Test Proves Readiness
----------------------------------------------
On June 1st, the National Hurricane Center station WX4NHC was activated for
its annual on-the-air live event to test radio equipment, antennas and
computers for the 2013 hurricane season. "As part of our test, we operated
on most of the modes that are available to us at WX4NHC, including HF phone
and CW, HF/VHF APRS, EchoLink/IRLP, VHF/UHF simplex and local repeaters, and
received reports via our on-line Hurricane Report form and email," reported
Julio Ripoll, WD4R, WX4NHC Amateur Radio Assistant Coordinator. "All of our
radios, seven antennas and two dedicated computers tested well. Although the
HF propagation in the morning was very poor due to a solar storm, operators
managed to make contacts with many states, Caribbean Islands and South
America, mainly on 20 meters."
The afternoon VoIP Hurricane Net on EchoLink/IRLP was very
successful, with over 100 contacts made. "We made a special direct contact,
the first that I can remember, with Bob Robichaud, VE1MBR, at the Canadian
Hurricane Center," Ripoll said.
Amateur Radio station WX4NHC has been a permanent part of NHC for 33 years
and has 30 dedicated volunteer operators that operate the station in shifts
during hurricane situations in the Atlantic, Caribbean, Gulf and East Pacific.
National Traffic System Digital Hums Along
------------------------------------------
The National Traffic System Digital (NTSD) consists of a group of fully
automated store and forward bulletin board systems known as Mail Box
Operations (MBO) or hubs operating on HF using high speed Pactor 3 protocols
on a 24/7 basis moving formal message traffic. The goal of NTSD is to move
that traffic via digital means to the closest point of delivery at which
point it is then removed from the automated system by operators known as
Digital Relay Stations (DRS). The DRS then take this traffic to the manual
NTS system via the nets at region, section, and local levels for any
additional necessary relay and ultimate delivery.
There were a total of 12,425 pieces of message traffic handled by Eastern
(eastern portion of the United States) Area NTSD during May. This was
accomplished by 8 automated MBO stations representing NTS regions 1, 2, 3,
4, and 8 and a total of 39 individual Digital Relay Stations reporting at
regional, section, or local NTS levels. A similar level of activity for May
also existed in both the Central and Pacific Areas of NTSD.
This data for May 2013 is notable for two reasons. First it is the first
time the report includes activity data from Peter Dintelmann, DL4FN/DF0NTS,
operating in the role of German Digital Relay Station (DEU DRS). Peter's
participation along with that of Greg Mossop, G0DUB, in his position as the
Emergency Coordinator for the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) ,
Region 1, represents a new initiative towards the future development of a
fully global automated digital amateur to amateur emergency communication
messaging system. The second is that this report is the last one from Jerry
Galloway, KD8CYK, Michigan Digital Relay Station. I would like to thank
Jerry for his many years of dedicated service to NTSD and Michigan NTS. -
Dave Struebel, WB2FTX, Eastern Area Digital Coordinator, National Traffic
System Digital
Southern Florida EC Wins Award for Leadership
---------------------------------------------
May 22, 2013, Ft. Myers, Florida -- Larry Zimmer, W4LWZ, ARES EC for Lee
County was presented the General James H. Doolittle Award by Lee County EOC
Operations Chief Sandra Tapfumaneyi. The General James H. Doolittle Award is
"Presented to volunteers who exemplify the
volunteer spirit in their generous commitment of time, effort, and support
to our endeavors." The award is relatively new, with the first recipient
being John Ludlum in 2010. Larry is only the second volunteer to receive it.
- ARRL Southern Florida Section News
Georgia EMA, FEMA, ARES Test Mobile Command Vehicles
----------------------------------------------------
Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) and the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA), conducted a test deployment of Mobile Command
Vehicles (MCV) during the week of May 13 through May 16, 2013. The test at
Stone Mountain Park, Stone Mountain, Georgia, was to demonstrate and examine
the capabilities of the MCV's. ARES was called upon to test its capabilities
during field operations there.
The Georgia Statewide ARES HF Net was called into special sessions on
Tuesday, May 14, from 9 AM until 5 PM, and on Wednesday, May 15, from 8 AM
until 5 PM. A net was called each hour during the day for check-ins and
traffic. Several different Net Control Stations were used and tested.
A special session of the Georgia State Net (GSN) was called at 10:30 AM on
Tuesday, on 3549 KHz medium speed CW with a special session of the Georgia
Digital PSK31 Net called on Wednesday, on 3583 KHz at 10:30 AM. Other
special nets were called as needed.
In addition to the statewide HF Nets, Georgia D-STAR and Georgia WINLINK
2000 systems were active. Several repeaters in the metro Atlanta area were
also active in support of these operations. All ARES operators and groups
were encouraged to participate in this drill to demonstrate the capabilities
of Amateur Radio.
Tom Holcomb, K5AES, of Tucker, Georgia, operated station WX4GMA at GEMA HQ.
He reported that the DeKalb ARES VHF repeater on 145.45 MHz, located in
Exchange Park was originally listed as the main service, but the signal from
the MCV site was degraded/blocked by Stone Mountain, so the W4BOC VHF
Repeater (146.76 MHz), on top of Stone Mountain, was utilized with
permission. "The communications were basically good for the entire exercise
with the expected weaker HF signals from the MCV Teams due to the close
proximity of the State Operations Center (SOC) to Stone Mountain Park,"
Holcomb said. "However, all MCV teams were able to make contact with the SOC
on HF to verify their task completion. Most messages were comprised of MCV
Grid Coordinates for location. VHF D-STAR repeaters also provided clear
reliable communications from the MCVs to the SOC." -- ARRL Georgia Section
ARES website and other reports
Gulf Coast Amateur Radio Club Presents at Military Officers Meeting
-------------------------------------------------------------------
On March 28, 2013, Gulf Coast Amateur Radio Club (Port Richey, Florida)
president Bill Pfaff Jr., KI4QJK, gave a presentation to the Military
Officers Association of America, Sun Coast Chapter, Port Richey, Florida.
The presentation consisted of the history of Amateur Radio -- the hobby
aspects, and its long record of community service and emergency
communications. Pfaff had set-up a typical ham "shack" with all of the items
found in most stations. He handed out brochures on hurricane preparation
from the Pasco County Florida, Office of Emergency Management. Those present
were amazed at the current state of Amateur Radio and the advancement of the
hobby and its importance in providing emergency communications. The fact
that we can communicate with the International Space Station and the hobby
is growing more now than ever, was dazzling to the audience. Pfaff received
a certificate of appreciation and a gift from the MOAA Chapter President
Robert Ayers., Col U.S. Army (Ret) that showed their appreciation for his
presentation. - ARRL West Central Florida Section News
Renowned Storm Chaser Tim Samaras, WJ0G, Killed in Oklahoma Tornado
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Professional storm chasers Tim Samaras, WJ0G, his son Paul Samaras and
fellow investigator Carl Young were killed on May 31 near El Reno, Oklahoma
when an EF5 tornado suddenly changed paths and slammed into their vehicle;
they were unable to escape. According to ABC News, Tim Samaras -- an ARRL
member -- was found dead in his car, still in his seat belt; Paul Samaras
and Young were pulled from the car by the tornado; one of the men was found
a half-mile away.
National Geographic Society Vice President for Research, Conservation and
Exploration John Francis told The Washington Post that he fears that there
are too many people jamming the roadways in pursuit of twisters and that
this might have contributed to Friday's fatalities. In a May 2013 online
interview with National Geographic, Samaras told of the increase in the
number of storm chasers in recent years. "There's lots and lots of storm
chasers out there, but you can probably count on one hand the number of
people who go out into the field and collect data from tornadoes," he said.
"We run into [storm chasers] all the time. On a big tornado day in Oklahoma,
you can have hundreds of storm chasers lined up down the road. Oklahoma is
considered the Mecca of storm chasing. We know ahead of time when we chase
in Oklahoma, there's going to be a traffic jam."
The Samarases and Young were with TWISTEX (Tactical Weather Instrumented
Sampling in/near Tornadoes EXperiment), a scientific field research program
founded by Tim Samaras to "better understand tornadogenesis, maintenance and
decay processes and to gain insight and knowledge of the seldom sampled
near-surface internal tornado environment." The TWISTEX team has been
featured on The Discovery Channel's Storm Chasers. Tim Samaras holds the
Guinness World Record for recording the greatest pressure drop ever measured
inside a tornado (100 millibars near Manchester, South Dakota on June 24,
2003) and is the only person to ever record video from inside a tornado.
In his biography on The Weather Channel's website, Tim Samaras said that he
used Amateur Radio equipment when he chased storms. "Being that we are on a
scientific mission," he explained, "we carry about 8-10 probes, along with
other weather instruments, cameras, laptops, GPS navigation, cellular
telephone, ham radio equipment (I'm a ham radio operator), first aid kit --
in case we come across tornado victims (most of our crew is first aid
trained), tools, winches, saws...well...the whole garage."
"I chase the most powerful storms on the planet," Tim Samaras said in a
video on his personal website. "All my life I've been on a quest to figure
out how these things worked. Tornadoes have represented the biggest
challenge as they are very fleeting in nature and extremely difficult to
pinpoint their proposed destruction. At times I have mixed feelings about
chasing these storms: On one hand they are incredibly beautiful and on the
other hand, these powerful storms can create devastating damage that change
people's lives forever." - ARRL
Public Outreach with NTS Messaging
----------------------------------
The ARRL National Traffic System (NTS) routinely passes practice messages to
help operators build and maintain their traffic-handling skills. One way to
create such messages is to solicit them from the public at preparedness
fairs, exhibit booths and, of course, Field Day.
Click here to download a pre-formatted message form that's guaranteed to
make this process as smooth as possible. Print as many copies as you need
and put them on display along with a sign inviting visitors to send a message.
Disaster preparedness for individuals and families includes having
out-of-state contacts that can be notified in case of an emergency. When
curious visitors approach the table, explain the importance of having such
information. Be sure to emphasize the fact that in a real incident Amateur
radio may be the best way to reach their designated contacts.
The message form is easy to use. Your "intake" person simply inserts the
addressee and sender information from the visitor and passes the completed
form to the NTS operator, who adds the appropriate header information and
sends the message on a regular traffic net.
It's a terrific way to engage the public and it will heighten their
appreciation for our disaster communication capabilities. -- -- Clara Woll,
KJ6CNO, ARRL Official Relay Station
2013 Hurricane Season Forecast: "Active"
----------------------------------------
Forecasters with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
are calling for an "active or extremely active" 2013 Atlantic hurricane
season. In its initial outlook for the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season --
which begins June 1 and runs through November 30 -- NOAA's Climate
Prediction Center is forecasting a 70 percent likelihood of 13-20 named
storms (winds of 39 miles per hour or higher), of which 7-11 could become
hurricanes (winds of 74 miles per hour or higher), including 3 to 6 major
hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5 with winds of 111 miles per hour or higher).
These ranges are well above the seasonal average of 12 named storms, 6
hurricanes and 3 major hurricanes.
"With the devastation of [Hurricane] Sandy fresh in our minds, and another
active season predicted, everyone at NOAA is committed to providing
life-saving forecasts in the face of these storms and ensuring that
Americans are prepared and ready ahead of time," explained NOAA Acting
Administrator Kathryn Sullivan. "As we saw first-hand with Sandy, it's
important to remember that tropical storm and hurricane impacts are not
limited to the coastline. Strong winds, torrential rain, flooding and
tornadoes often threaten inland areas far from where the storm first makes
landfall."
According to the CPC, the three climate factors that strongly control
Atlantic hurricane activity are expected to come together, producing an
active or extremely active 2013 hurricane season. These three factors are:
ú A continuation of the atmospheric climate pattern, including a strong West
African monsoon, that is responsible for the ongoing era of high activity
for Atlantic hurricanes, which began in 1995.
ú Warmer than average water temperatures in the tropical Atlantic Ocean and
Caribbean Sea.
ú El Ni¤o is not expected to develop and suppress hurricane formation.
"This year, oceanic and atmospheric conditions in the Atlantic basin are
expected to produce more and stronger hurricanes," said CPC Lead Seasonal
Hurricane Forecaster Gerry Bell. "These conditions include weaker wind
shear, warmer Atlantic waters and conducive winds patterns coming from
Africa."
NOAA cautioned that its seasonal hurricane outlook is not a hurricane
landfall forecast and does not predict how many storms will hit land or
where a storm will strike. - ARRL Letter
2013 Hurricane Season On-the-Air Monitoring Checklist
-----------------------------------------------------
Monitor major HF hurricane networks during events this season, which is
predicted to be active to extremely active (see story above).
The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) on 14.325 MHz is one of several key players.
It serves the Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico regions and activates
when a storm is within 300 miles of land, coordinating with the National
Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami. Frequent, detailed information is issued on
nets when storms pose a threat to the US mainland. In addition to hurricane
spotting, local communicators may announce that residents have evacuated
from low-lying flood areas. Other amateurs across the country can help by
relaying information, keeping the net frequency clear and by listening. See
the HWN's website for more information. The net works closely with WX4NHC,
the Amateur Radio station at the NHC.
The SATERN Net (Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network) provides
emergency communication support to the Salvation Army and populations at
large. They also handle health and welfare traffic. SATERN holds high
profile nets on 20 meters (14.265 MHz) during major hurricanes and has a
long history of excellence, discipline and service. Refer to the SATERN
website for more information.
The Maritime Mobile Service Net (MMSN) meets on 14.300 MHz and is composed
of hams who serve and assist those in need of communications on the high
seas. According to its website, the primary purpose of the net is for
handling traffic from maritime mobile stations. The network is recognized by
the United States Coast Guard and has an excellent working relationship with
that agency. The MMSN has handled hundreds of incidents involving vessels in
distress and medical emergencies in remote locations, as well as passing
health and welfare traffic in and out of affected areas. They also work
closely with the NWS and NHC by relaying weather reports from maritime
stations.
The VoIP SKYWARN and Hurricane Net operates by combining both the EchoLink
and IRLP linked repeater networks, while handling critical wide area
communications during major severe weather and tropical events. These
operations have gained national stature in recent years and are a critical
partner with WX4NHC. Whenever tropical weather is imposing a threat to the
US mainland and certain other areas of interest, the VoIP WX net will be
fully operational. See the VoIP SKYWARN website for more information.
During hurricane events, there are usually two or three regional nets
(usually on 40 or 20 meters) that are key assets to the disaster response on
an ad hoc basis. Watch for these nets, as well as the nationally recognized
networks described above, this season. Don't transmit on their frequencies
unless you are absolutely sure you have something substantive to add, and
then only under the direction of the net control station. - K1CE
Hurricane Season 2013: Keep ARRL HQ Informed, July Hurricane Webinar Planned
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager Mike Corey, KI1U, added that when ARES
activates in response to any tropical event, it is crucial that information
flows up through the ARRL Section and is reported to ARRL Headquarters.
"These reports allow us to develop the situational awareness and disaster
intelligence that is required for us as an organization to support the
Sections that are impacted," he explained. "In this way, we are able to
respond to relevant requests from the media and finally to coordinate with
the governmental and non-governmental organizations. This information also
allows us to make the decision at Headquarters on whether to activate the
ARRL HQ Emergency Response Team to support and coordinate the operations."
Corey noted that in July, the ARRL will host a webinar on the 2013 Atlantic
hurricane season. Details will be posted on the ARRL website and in the ARES
E-Letter, the official ARRL ARES Twitter feed, as well as in The ARRL
Letter. All those interested in public service and disaster communications
are invited to participate. - ARRL HQ
K1CE for a Final: Try New Things
--------------------------------
I recently loaded the software for RMS Express/WINMOR and managed to send an
e-mail message to myself via the Telnet mode, and have moved on to adjusting
the sound card and software for transmitting e-mail messages over the air on
the HF bands. WINMOR is a sound card mode that is a less expensive
alternative to the hard multi-mode data controllers while admittedly
sacrificing some efficiencies. The RMS Express/WINMOR combo sees a lot of
use in disaster response communications planning and operations.
And finally, I've spent more time on D-STAR, thanks to a local D-STAR
repeater KJ4RYH just a few blocks away from my home here in Daytona Beach,
Florida. There are some nuances to be sure, and a bit of a learning curve to
negotiate, but it is a heck of a lot of fun, has a great deal of potential
for ARES applications and will continue to be a good summer project for me.
Diversity and the ability to perpetually find something new in ham radio
after all these years is one of its diamond facets
Have a great and safe Field Day! - 73, Rick Palm, K1CE, Editor
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