Thursday, November 26, 2009

CHECK WEB BOARD FOR LATEST ARES UPDATES.

The second part of Connecticut's SIMULATED EMERGENCY TEST will take place on Saturday, November 14, and SARA needs participants.

We have some pretty aggressive goals for this part, and it should be fun because we're actually going to get out and operate in some quasi-realistic scenarios. Our goals are:

1. Establish simplex communications between the Stamford EOC and mobile units roaming through Stamford, Darien, and parts of Greenwich. This is the first time in a long time that we've had access to the EOC for a SET, and we want to see what we can and can't reach from the EOC without using the repeater (which, after all, might not be available in a real emergency).

We'd like at least two cars, each with a mobile antenna and at least a 25 watt mobile 2m transceiver. We'll then have those cars move around testing communications at various locations including likely shelters as well as iffy areas like some of the streets off Long Ridge Rd, Hope Street, the streets west of the hospital into Greenwich (including Palmers Hill), and various sections of Darien. Our expectation is that any operating you do would be while parked/stopped so you don't have to worry about operating while driving.

In addition, we'd like two people up at the EOC -- one to operate and one to log.

2. Establish a VHF portable station from a simulated shelter site.

Actually, from the parking lot of a likely shelter site such as Westhill High, or Turn of River, or Northeast School. That would include operating from a generator, with a base station transceiver, and a tripod-mounted antenna (or other non-car mounted antenna).

This would be ideal for someone with a generator -- hint, hint. If you don't have a portable antenna, I have one that I could lend you.

3. Establish packet communications between the portable station at the simulated shelter site and the Stamford EOC.

The goal will be to pass file traffic (simulating logistics data, shelter population data, etc.) between the portable station and the EOC.

We don't have a lot of people capable of doing VHF packet at this point -- and the two of you know who you are -- so I hope that you guys will be willing to participate with one of you setting up in the EOC and one out in the field.

*****

We'd like to run this simulation from 10am to about 2am on the 14th. The whole SET runs from 10am to 10pm in three parts (10am-2pm, 2pm-6pm, and 6pm-10pm) but the important part will be the work between 10am and 2pm. Of course, we could use 1 or 2 people in the 2-6 period and in the 6-10 period (doesn't have to be the same people). Anything we do from 2-10pm would be from our home stations and would not require going out mobile, portable, or to the EOC.

*****

So,if you want to do something other than just check into a net (as if that simulates anything), we'd love to have you participate. All of the key work in the 10am-2pm period will be on UHF, so you don't have to have a General or Extra to particpate. Also, you don't have to be a SARA member or even in ARES to participate.

If you're interested, please contact me (jperelst@yahoo.com) or Frank Cassella (iceink@aol.com), or just reply to this email.

Thanks.

Frank, KB1IFX (EC) Jon, KB1QBZ (AsstEC)

 

OUTPUT	INPUT	CTCSS(PL)
147.06	147.66	114.8(2A)
224.40	222.80	114.8(2A)
447.475	442.475	114.8(2A)

 

WB2ZII nightly nets are a good place to practice and listen in on NTS TRAFFIC NETS..  Usually they are around 2000 hours 8:00 PM.
 

Jon Perlstein, KB1QBZ,  our Assistant Emergency Coordinator and Bill Libriadi, KB1IFY will be our Head Net Controllers.
 

I need you folks to look over the attached items as they are the Emergency Plan for our Region 1, Western here in Stamford, Darien, and Greenwich, CT.

 

You should program one of the banks on your radio to the attached ICS 205 radio frequencies as these are the radio frequencies for Region 1. Test your radios to make sure you can operate.  Especially make note AND ADD ON 146.540 WHICH IS NOW THE NEW REGIONAL SIMPLEX FREQUENCY.  ADD IT TO T

The ICS 205 covers HF VHF and UHF Radio Operations Tactical and Operations Frequencies. 
 

As the time and date Draws near I will forward any last moment information I have. Please also re-familiarize  yourselves with the CTSARA.ORG web site and the ARES section.  I have a way to rapidly get Flash or Urgent messages onto the web site to keep folks in the loop as well as email.
 

Go over the attached ARRL NTS FORMAT RADIOGRAM and practice taking messages.  Even if you cannot come out and help out on the SET in person you can listen in to the Net to see what messages are being passed. In an emergency situation you most likely will be at home so this is a good practice to get in shape for the what if scenario.
 

I wanted to get this message out to you early so that you may plan accordingly and or make sure you radios are programmed.
 

From now till the test I will be getting on the Stamford Repeater to see who is listening and test out QSYing to the different frequencies on the ICS 205 form.
 

Any questions just contact me by using this email address or if you prefer my home unlisted number
 

Frank Cassella, KB1IFX

Emergency Coordinator  

 

ICOM IC-7200

The ARES Group

ARES is an acronym for the Amateur Radio Emergency Services.  The service is sponsored and directed by the American Radio Relay League, the national organization of amateur radio operators, which sets the standards for it’s membership and training. They coordinate their response efforts with its trained members to major disasters in this Country, Nationally and Abroad. The ARES Group utilizes the same 6 Regions that The Connecticut State’s Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security uses to serve its Cities and Townships during weather alerts, disasters or other. The local Group coordinates their Emergency Communications Skills and equipment in efforts to serve their local agencies needs in a time of disaster.  They provide their expertise, knowledge and skills base in Radio Emergency Communications. They stand ready to provide trained communicators whenever they are requested or directed to do so.

Throughout the year the Connecticut ARES and Local Groups conducts Emergency Communications Exercises and Training Sessions on a regular basis with its membership. In addition to and when requested upon conduct joint training sessions with their serve agencies in a cooperative effort to further hone their skills and practice working together.  Because of there training and understanding of what the served agencies needs are in a time of disaster a cooperative effort exists in their working relationships in disaster preparedness.  The local served agencies may call upon the Group to augment or assist them with their agencies needs in Radio Emergency Communications.  The American Red Cross may call upon the Group to assist them with Shelter Operations and Radio Communications to their Headquarters in Hartford about their needs in times of crisis.  In addition, the local Regional ARES Group can be called upon to make notifications to the national organization to generate additional trained personnel and dispatch them in an organized manner to the marshalling point near the local scene.  In this way the volunteers on site are not stretched beyond their capabilities. 

The Stamford Amateur Radio Association and Club (SARA) support the Region 1 – West ARES Group as part of the Connecticut Amateur Radio Emergency Services. The region is part of the New York to Boston Corridor, our primary area of operational concerns for Emergency Communications are the Stamford, Darien and Greenwich Townships.

Assets & Training The Stamford EOC has HF, VHF and UHF capabilities. Monthly drills are conducted over the W1EE amateur radio repeaters system located at the Stamford Hospital and back repeater radio site at the Sterling Farms Golf Course.  Annually and under field conditions the group conducts training with their Emergency Communications Equipment at Field Day a Nationwide Emergency Training Exercise to further practice their communication skills. All of the local area repeaters operate with back up uninterruptible power sources and back up batteries.  They are frequently tested to insure their readiness for Emergency Communications should the need arise.

146.540  REGIONAL SIMPLEX FREQUENCY

147.420 PL 100Hz

445.500 PL 100Hz

Emergency Operations Centers or Sterling Farms Auxiliary EOC

Stamford Government Center

American Red Cross Darien/Stamford Chapters Emergency Operations Location

American Red Cross Greenwich Chapter Emergency Operations Location

High Frequency Operation/Very High Frequency/Ultra High Frequency

HF/VHF/UHF

Members are available for Liaison to Statewide ARES Nets Field Deployment

 

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  F/C  KB1IFX   Thursday, November 26, 2009