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LAST NOVEMBER 2019 ARES MEETING – Tuesday, 19th at 7:00PM

Posted on by Steve DeWeese
Location:  Viet Chopsticks, 19385 Promenade Dr, Leesburg, VA 20176  (EOC is not available)
Agenda:
  • Discuss Loudoun ARES Net that will soon be held Tuesdays at 8:30PM on N4FSC Repeater – 145.31 MHz (PL 77)
  • Review NCS script
  • Discuss anti-jamming techniques such as Primary, Alternative, Contingency and Emergency (PACE) and alternating PL (requires repeater coordinator)
  • Steps to complete INOVA WINLINK install
  • January SEP – Need just two more volunteers to sign up for the 8AM-2PM At Home.  See attached sheet. NB: signing up is a firm committment. You can of course participate even if you cannot sign up now.
  • Bring your Training Task Books for signature

November 12, 2019 INOVA Hospital Field Visit

Posted on by Steve DeWeese

The Kenwood D710 located on the second floor radio room  was connected via a USB-to-Serial (8 pin) cable to a laptop with WINLINK.  We successfully sent and received email over the radio.  Hospital located at 44045 Riverside Pkwy, Leesburg, VA 20176

STEPS

  • Plug the USB side of the cable into the PC.
  • Plug the 8 pin accessory plug in the back of the head unit of the D710 labeled COM (NOT in the main body, that is the programming port).
  • Start Winlink
  • Configure Winlink
  • Open a Telnet Winlink session to download any backlogged messages.
  • Open Packet Winlink session.
  • From SETUP, pick the D710 from the drop down menu. Be sure you choice the correct Band A or B.
  • Pick the correct Serial Port for your USB cable.
  • Change the Maximum frames to 2.
  • Click OK.
  • Choose CHANNEL SELECTION.
  • Pick a nearby by gateway and not the frequency.
  • Set Band A or B to that frequency.
  • Choose Start.
 To Send a message:
  1. Create New Message
  2. Post to Out box
  3. Select “Open Session”
  4. Select Start

Oct 22, 2019 Meeting Minutes

Posted on by Steve DeWeese
MINUTES
Reviewed the new ARRL ARES Training Task Book.  Signed off on educaton, participation and skill tasks. AECs can sign off on tasks, but the EC is required for level sign off. Kevin is considering becoming an AEC.
Discussed the January 18, 2020 SET – Grid Failure.  An Exercise Design Team (Rob, Joe D., Dave P, Kevin M., Kurt R., Steve D.) was established to meet three times to develop the exercise.
Kevin, can you please setup those three meetings.  You might want to use Signup Genius. Let me know if you don’t have time.
There was unanimous consent to establishing a weekly Loudoun ARES Net.  It would use a repeater three times and simplex once a month.  The NCS could use the EOC for simplex night.  Traffic would be stricly tactical. There was much interest in relaying traffic for those times the NCS on simplex night cannot hear everyone. Think Reston Bike or Oktoberfest.  That will require defining procedures, training and practice.
Loudoun ARES needs a general Ops Plan for those procuedures, a NCS script and other topics such as communication methods (PACE).
  • Primary (Voice Alpha repeater frequency)
  • Alternative (Voice Bravo simplex frequency)
  • Contingency (WINLINK)
  • Emergency (TBD)
If you are interested in being on a team that establishes our ARES Net or drafting Ops Plan, please let me know.

Crossband Repeater

Posted on by Steve DeWeese
“A vehicle with a locked-band repeater parked in a moderately favorable location provides near county-wide coverage. ” Bryan KG4UPR
Requirement: true dual-band mobile radio as opposed to dual VFO)
Recommend:  learn how to set up your true dual-band mobile radio for locked-band repeater mode.  Store the configuration in a Programmable Memory for ready access. Test it regularly.
Mobile Radio Configuration: Locked-band repeating for emergency use would typically have the mobile radio set to receive on an appropriate UHF frequency (e.g., 440.850 MHz simplex), and set to transmit on an appropriate VHF frequency (e.g., 147.480 MHz simplex). The UHF input (receive) should have Continuous Tone-Coded Squelch System (CTCSS) enabled.
HT Configuration: A dual VFO HT configured to use the locked-band repeater would have its transmit VFO set to the the UHF input frequency (with output tone configured to match the locked-band repeater CTCSS), and likewise its receive VFO would be set to the VHF frequency of interest. Typically the HT is going to be in close proximity to the locked-band repeater, so the HT should be set for the minimum power level necessary (e.g., 0.5 W). It’s possible with some radios to remotely adjust the operating configuration of the locked-band repeater using DTMF tone strings.
Gary Pearce KN4AQ has a tutorial for getting started:

http://www.lakewashingtonhamclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Crossband_Repeat.pdf

In Virginia, ARES® = RACES

Posted on by Steve DeWeese
ARRL – 07/24/2008On July 3, Virginia officials, along with representatives from that state’s ARES® and RACES groups, signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), uniting the three groups. State Coordinator, Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) Michael M. Cline; State RACES Officer Mac McNeer, K4YEF; ARRL Virginia Section Manager Carl Clements, W4CAC, and ARRL Virginia Section Emergency Coordinator Ron Sokol, K4KHZ, signed what ARRL Emergency and Preparedness Manager Dennis Dura, K2DCD, called a “precedent setting” document.

“Before the signing of the new MOU, the Commonwealth of Virginia, Virginia’s Department of Emergency Management RACES Program, the ARRL ARES program and various representations from unofficial RACES groups in Virginia led to the ineffective utilization of Amateur Radio resources,” Dura said. “In some situations, Amateur Radio was not even a part of emergency management organization’s response structure due to existing tensions and problems.”

According to Clements, the new MOU spells out that during activations that require deployment of ARES personnel, a State RACES officer at the State Emergency Operations Center will direct the Virginia Section Emergency Coordinator as to where Emergency Communications help is needed. The SEC will then assume the role of Virginia ARES-RACES Deployment Officer and will be responsible for the deployment of all Virginia ARES personnel and resources.

“The MOU formally recognizes any registered Virginia ARES member as a registered RACES member in Virginia; a volunteer does enjoy limited protection from liability to the same extent as a state employee, provided they act within the scope of their training, the limits of the MOU and the mission assigned by the agency,” said Clements.

“This MOU now provides the opportunity for all of the independent RACES units operating within the Commonwealth of Virginia to join with ARES/RACES to complete the fabric of mutual assistance that will help us cooperatively cover the entire Commonwealth,” said Clements. “We will continue to work together with emergency managers across the Commonwealth in support of their emergency communications needs in service to the citizens and guests in Virginia.”

Sokol said he was extremely pleased that the signing of the document has come to fruition: “The restoration of this MOU has taken a succession of ARES administrations to accomplish. Both Carl and I are pleased to be in leadership at this time to see this MOU to conclusion. We are fortunate to have such viable and flexible VDEM leadership and staff to work with. This document allows ARES/RACES to [work] as one in the best interests of the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia.”

http://www.arrl.org/news/in-virginia-ares-reg-races