Author: admin

All / Emergency Communications

Eastern Massachusetts ARES Net for September 2011

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Hello to all…

A reminder that the monthly ARES Net for September is rapidly approaching. The monthly ARES Net for September is Monday September 12th, 2011, at 8:30 PM on the MMRA Repeater system. This is after the RACES Nets earlier in the evening. For frequencies that will be linked into the ARES Net on the MMRA Network, please see the following link from the MMRA web site and the repeaters that will be linked in will be through Hub 1:

http://www.mmra.org/repeaters/map.html

In addition, if the Echo-IRLP node on the MMRA hub is available, we will likely link that to the New England Reflector system on IRLP 9123/Echolink Conference *NEW-ENG* Node: 9123.

Make this second Monday of the month due to a holiday on the first Monday of the month, “Emergency Communications Night” and check into your local RACES Net and then check into the ARES Net on the MMRA Repeater System. We look forward to your participation and remember, we are always looking for Net Controls to run the ARES Net.

We will have several interesting announcements for the net that evening and we look forward to everyone’s participation. Updates will be posted via email and on the Eastern Massachusetts ARES Web Site at http://ares.ema.arrl.org

Thanks for your continued support of ARES!

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator        
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://www.wx1box.org

All

10th Anniversary of the September 11th 2001 Terrorist Attacks and Vigilance During this Timeframe

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Hello to all..

Many of us recall the horrific events of the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks like it were yesterday and the impact that it had on all of us. The shock and horror of the incident and the people that were killed. The recovery efforts of first responders during the days, weeks and months after the incident. The support Amateur Radio Operators provided for several weeks after the attack through ARESMAT (ARES Mutual Aid Teams) to New York City and other attack sites and how it altered the course of the country and the world.

As we approach the 10th anniversary of these attacks on Sunday September 11th 2011, I’m sure many of us just like other American citizens will recognize this in some way, perhaps attending a 9/11 memorial events in their local area or simply watching the memorial events on television. Many of us have heard of the ‘specific, credible but unconfirmed’ threat of an attack or attacks on the country on Sunday.

The Department of Homeland Security has issued a couple of press releases regarding 9/11. See the links below for details:

http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/20110909-napolitano-urging-public-vigilance.shtm

http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/20110908-statement-press-secretary-matt-chandler.shtm

As we commeorate this anniversary, we remind Amateur Radio Operators in their areas to maintain the same vigilance as other citizens. We also advise that people take a look at their go kits and battery operated equipment and make sure it is ready just in case its required in the event, as unlikely as it may be, that an attack on the homeland occurs. These are the same preparedness steps we take for severe weather, Hurricane Irene, and other situations but its worth reiterating again as we approach the 10th anniversary of September 11th. If an incident occurs, monitoring of local ARES/SKYWARN and RACES repeaters should occur and nets would be called up as required to check in people that are monitoring and provide information on the incident and any requests from agencies that could occur in that scenario.

We appreciate everyone’s vigilance and we hope everyone commemorates and remembers what occurred 10 years ago on September 11th and that it will be a time of rememberance for all of us and no incidents occur. Thanks to all for their support!

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://www.wx1box.org

All / Emergency Communications

Eastern Massachusetts ARES Stand-By Lifted as of 330 PM 8/30/11 As the Region Recovers from Hurricane Irene

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Hello to all..

..EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS ARES STAND-BY LIFTED AS OF 330 PM TUESDAY AUGUST 30TH 2011
AS THE AREA CONTINUES TO RECOVER FROM THE IMPACT OF HURRICANE IRENE..

Hurricane Irene caused widespread pockets of tree and wire damage across the
region. Irene knocked out power to over 600,000 residents in Massachusetts.
Those numbers as of this message wirting was down to approximately 215,000
people. Eastern Massachusetts ARES supported the following activities as
Irene impacted the region:

-ARES Support of NWS Taunton SKYWARN Operations and reportds from SKYWARN
Nets from across the entire NWS Taunton County Warning Area
-ARES support of the city of Boston and town of Carver EOCs
-ARES Support of Red Cross Regional Shelters that were established
-Support and communications to the FEMA Region 1 Federal Response Center
-Cape Cod ARES supported 7 shelters, Red Cross EOC Staffing, staffing at
the Mutual Aid Coordination Center (MACC) and Nantucket ARES supported a
shelter and primary and backup EOC communication.
-CAARA (Cape Ann Amateur Radio Association) supported the Gloucester EOC with three net control operators and one operator to Addison Gilbert Hospital, (part of the Northeast Health System).
-An ARESMAT was nearly required for Franklin County Massachusetts and
Western Massachusetts ARES. Several Amateurs were nearly deployed to support
issues caused by severe flooding in Franklin County Massachusetts but the
needs were covered in Western Massachusetts and those operations were
completed by Monday Evening August 29th.

The National Weather Service in Taunton has posted their Local Storm Report
and Public Information Statement on wind meassurements, river, stream, urban
and storm surge flooding reports as well as rainfall and measured wind
gust information. This information can be seen in their reports via the
following links embedded into the Post Hurricane Irene Coordination
Message #1:

NWS Taunton Local Storm Report Link:
http://www.wx1box.org/local/LSR_8_28_11.txt

NWS Taunton Public Information Statement link:
http://www.wx1box.org/local/pns_8_28_11.txt

A Hurricane Irene Post Tropical Cyclone Report will likely follow in the
coming days or weeks. This will be covered under a Post Hurricane Irene
Coordination Message that will be posted on the WX1BOX, NWS Taunton
Amateur Radio Station Home Page via the following link:

http://www.wx1box.org

A great thank you to all the Amateur Radio SKYWARN Spotters, non-Amateur
Radio SKYWARN Spotters and Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES) members
for their support in Hurricane Irene. The efforts made by
everyone helped save lives and is greatly appreciated by the National
Weather Service, American Red Cross, and local, state and
federal emergency management.

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://www.wx1box.org

All / Emergency Communications

UPDATED: Eastern Massachusetts ARES Stand-By Status for Hurricane Irene – Requests for Assistance from Agencies

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Hello to all..

***EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS REMAINS ON STAND-BY STATUS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE DUE TO POTENTIAL IMPACTS FROM HURRICANE IRENE***
***WE HAVE RECEIVED SEVERAL REQUESTS FOR ASSISTANCE IN ADVANCE OF THE STORM AND ARE WORKING THROUGH OUR AVAILABILITY LIST.  PLEASE NOTIFY YOUR EC/DEC/ASEC/SEC OF YOUR AVAILABILITY AS OUTLINED BELOW***

Hurricane Irene made landfall this morning along the outer banks of North Carolina and slowly continues her track towards the Southern New England region.  All computer model guidance products have are now in agreement that Irene will travel up the coast overnight tonight and make landfall along Long Island and Southern CT (possibly Coastal RI) as a Category-1 Hurricane. Should the storm make landfall, this would be the first land falling hurricane in New England since Bob of 1991. Most importantly, Irene has a significantly large wind-field with strong winds being felt well away from the storm center.  For further meteorological updates, please see the NWS Taunton SKYWARN home page at http://www.wx1box.org

We are continuing to collect availability for potential deployment to some of our served agencies.  As of Saturday morning, 8/27, we have received several requests in advance of the storm including local EOC’s, American Red Cross, and hospital locations.  We are currently reviewing all submitted availability and will be sending out assignments as needed.  As a reminder, please do not self-deploy.  Check with your local ARES leadership for additional information on deployments.

Please continue to advise your local EC/DEC/ADEC of your availability to support a potential deployment anytime from Saturday morning, 8/27 through early next week. We are creating a list of availability for ARESMAT deployment if needed for various local EOC’s, Red Cross, Salvation Army, NWS Storm Survey Teams, and hospitals as required. Keep your situational awareness level high for any updates from ARES leadership by checking your email for updates and our ARES web site at http://ares.ema.arrl.org and monitoring local SKYWARN/ARES/RACES frequencies for any updates on this developing situation.

When sending your availability, please continue to send the following: Name, Call-sign, License Class, Capability (HF / VHF / UHF), Availability, and any other special notes we should be aware of. We ask that as you contact your DEC, please send a copy of the message to hurricane@nsradio.org where multiple members of the EMA ARES Leadership will be able to access your availability.

What is ARES Stand-By mode?

ARES stand-by mode is to alert Amateurs within ARES that a mobilization is possible on a wide-scale and that some localized mobilizations are or could be taking place in isolated areas. It means to take a look at your Go-Kit and have batteries and equipment ready to go and charged up and take care of any requirements at home in case a mobilization is required and you can participate. Do NOT self-deploy. Wait for guidance from leadership for any deployment. It is an honor to be ready even if you don’t deploy for the event. Hopefully, this is just another exercise of our preparedness and capabilities. If not, the ARES leadership looks forward to working with you if any wide scale mobilization is required after the impact of this major storm to the region is fully understood.

Thanks for your continued support of Eastern Massachusetts ARES!

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://www.wx1box.org

All / Emergency Communications

Eastern Massachusetts ARES STAND-BY Activation for Major Hurricane Irene Starting Thursday August 25th, 2011 at 9 AM EDT

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Hello to all..

***EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS ARES TO GO ON STAND-BY FOR ALL AREAS EFFECTIVE 9:00AM THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE DUE TO POTENTIAL IMPACTS FROM MAJOR HURRICANE IRENE***

Major Hurricane Irene has been steadily strengthening and currently sits as a major, category 3 storm currently affecting the Bahamas and is poised to become a category-4 storm in the next 24 hours.  Numerous computer model guidance products have established a track where the storm makes a direct impact to Long Island and/or New England during the day on Sunday as a Category-2 hurricane.  Should the storm make landfall, this would be the first land falling hurricane in New England since Bob of 1991. For further meteorological updates, please see the NWS Taunton SKYWARN home page at http://www.wx1box.org   

In advance of the storm, please advise your local EC/DEC/ADEC of your availability to support a potential deployment anytime from Saturday morning, 8/27 through early next week. We are creating a list of availability for ARESMAT deployment if needed for various local EOC’s, Red Cross, Salvation Army, NWS Storm Survey Teams, and hospitals as required. Keep your situational awareness level high for any updates from ARES leadership by checking your email for updates and our ARES web site at http://ares.ema.arrl.org and monitoring local SKYWARN/ARES/RACES frequencies for any updates on this developing situation.

When sending your availability, please send the following:  Name, Call-sign, License Class, Capability (HF / VHF / UHF), Availability, and any other special notes we should be aware of.  We ask that as you contact your DEC, please send a copy of the message to hurricane@nsradio.org where multiple members of the EMA ARES Leadership will be able to access your availability.

What is ARES Stand-By mode?

ARES stand-by mode is to alert Amateurs within ARES that a mobilization is possible on a wide-scale and that some localized mobilizations are or could be taking place in isolated areas. It means to take a look at your Go-Kit and have batteries and equipment ready to go and charged up and take care of any requirements at home in case a mobilization is required and you can participate. Do NOT self-deploy. Wait for guidance from leadership for any deployment. It is an honor to be ready even if you don’t deploy for the event. Hopefully, this is just another exercise of our preparedness and capabilities. If not, the ARES leadership looks forward to working with you if any wide scale mobilization is required after the impact of this major storm to the region is fully understood.

Thanks for your continued support of Eastern Massachusetts ARES!

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://www.wx1box.org

All

Massachusetts Statewide Hurricane Hannah Drill After Action Reports

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Hello to all..

We hope everyone enjoyed the Monday August 8th Hurricane Hannah Statewide Hurricane Drill. The drill is a great place to identify issues ahead of time as a drill ‘doesn’t count’ in terms of a real event and it gives us areas to look to improve on for the next drill or in the event a hurricane strikes the region. We also made some changes to the drill scenario and heard of some ideas that some did on their nets that we will try and incorporate into future drills. Feedback on issues identified and the structure of the drill is welcome through After Action Reports and we have already received a number of After Action Reports (AARs).

We would like to compile everyone’s after action reports into one large AAR and we will be keeping the orignators name of each after action report in the larger document. If possible, it would be great to receive all of the reports by Saturday 9/3/11. We’ll try and post the report to the various email groups and the Eastern Massachusetts ARES web site by 9/18/11 (hopefully sooner depending on the receipt of reports and any SKYWARN activations between now and this timeframe). When sending out your After Action Reports, feel free to copy the SECs of both the Eastern and Western Mass. section, the Region RACES Radio Officer and your ARES EC/DEC as appropriate.

We appreciate everyone’s support of this year’s exercise. Thanks to all who participated!

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator          
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://www.wx1box.org

All / NTS

TEN COMMANDMENTS OF NTS TRAFFIC OPS

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TEN COMMANDMENTS OF NTS TRAFFIC OPS

1) THOU SHALL HAVE NO OTHER DUTIES BEFORE YOU THAN TO DO EVERYTHING IN YOUR POWER AS A LICENSED AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR TO SERVE THE PUBLIC GOOD WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE NATIONAL TRAFFIC SYSTEM. (I know that this may seem extreme; after all, we have jobs and families. Right? But, we’re having fun here, so… What are jobs for, except to buy more radios and build bigger and taller antennas with which we serve the public good?)

2) ONCE YOU HAVE VOLUNTEERED TO TAKE A PIECE OF RADIOGRAM TRAFFIC, YOU BECOME RESPONSIBLE FOR ITS ACCURATE AND SAFE HANDLING UNTIL IT IS EITHER RELAYED OR DELIVERED. THOU SHALT KEEP A RECORD OF ALL TRAFFIC THAT HAS BEEN INTRUSTED TO YOUR CARE. THOU SHALT NOT KILL A RADIOGRAM.

3) THOU SHALT NOT BEAR FALSE (UNTRUE TO THE ORIGINAL) RADIOGRAMS. THOU SHALL DO EVERYTHING TO PROTECT AND PRESERVE THE CONTENT OF THE ORIGINAL RADIOGRAM. YOU MUST SEE TO IT THAT THE RADIOGRAM TEXT IS DELIVERED EXACTLY AS IT WAS ORIGINATED TO ITS INTENDED RECIPIENT AS RAPIDLY AS POSSIBLE.

4) THOU SHALT NOT CONCERN THYSELF WITH ANYTHING BUT THE LEGALITY OF THE CONTENT OF A RADIOGRAM. WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THE MESSAGE IS NOT TO BE CONSIDERED. THOU SHALL NOT COVET “REAL” RADIOGRAMS.

5) THOU SHALT NOT MISUSE THE NAME OF THE NTS. THOU SHALL ALWAYS BE AS POSITIVE AND OPTIMISTIC AS POSSIBLE IN ALL YOUR COMMUNICATIONS CONCERNING THE NTS.

6) THOU SHALT BE COURTEOUS AND COMPASSIONATELY OFFICIAL IN ALL YOUR COMMUNICATION WITH THE RECIPIENTS OF RADIOGRAMS.

7) THOU SHALL DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN TO UTILIZE YOUR RADIO SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, AND EQUIPMENT TO GET A RADIOGRAM FROM ITS PLACE OF ORIGIN TO AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE TO ITS FINAL DESTINATION. ONCE THE RADIOGRAM HAS ARRIVED AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE, THEN USE WHATEVER MEANS SEEMS BEST TO MAKE A FINAL DELIVERY. THOU SHALL BE CAREFUL NOT TO COMMIT ADULTERY WITH OTHER MODES OF COMMUNICATION.

8) THOU SHALL BE KNOWLEDGEABLE OF THE ARRL NTS MPG (METHODS, PROCEDURES, AND GUIDELINES). THOU SHALL FREQUENTLY REVIEW THE MPG.

9) THOU SHALL BE A “NET REGULAR”; ROUTINELY CHECKING-IN TO TRAFFIC NETS IN ORDER RELAY RADIOGRAMS OR TO RECEIVE RADIOGRAMS FOR LOCAL DELIVERY.

10) THOU SHALL NOT ONLY BE A TRAFFIC HANDLER, BUT THOU SHALL ROUTINELY ORIGINATE RADIOGRAMS FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE ENTIRE NTS. ALSO, YOU SHALL DO WHAT IS NECESSARY TO IMPROVE YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS THAT YOU MAY BE ABLE TO “STEP-UP” AND TAKE ON MORE RESPONSIBILITIES SUCH AS SERVING AS A NET CONTROL STATION OR NET LIAISON.

All

Massachusetts Statewide Hurricane Drill – Monday August 8th, 2011 from 7-9 PM – Updated Participants Document

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Hello to all..

The Massachusetts Statewide Hurricane Drill is Monday August 8th, 2011 from 7-9 PM. An updated participants document has been provided. The biggest change was to the Winlink Appendix A documentation. Other more minor corrections for grammar etc. were made across the document. The following is a link to the participants document for the exercise:

http://ares.ema.arrl.org/local/2011_Hurricane_Hannah_Mass_Drill_Participants_Doc_Rev_2.pdf

A link has been provided within the participants document but the RACES frequency Plan has also been provided in ICS-217a format. See links below:

http://ares.ema.arrl.org/local/ICS217A_RACES-MISC.pdf
http://ares.ema.arrl.org/local/ICS217A_RACES_2M.pdf

This should be the last update to this document. If another update is required, we will post via the various email lists and the web site. We look forward to everyone’s participation in the drill!

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator          
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://www.wx1box.org

All

Massachusetts Statewide Hurricane Drill – Monday August 8th, 2011 from 7-9 PM – Participants Document

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Hello to all..

The Massachusetts Statewide Hurricane Drill is Monday August 8th, 2011 from 7-9 PM. The following is a link to the participants document for the exercise:

http://ares.ema.arrl.org/local/2011_Hurricane_Hannah_Mass_Drill_Participants_Doc_Rev_1.pdf

This document maybe updated again on Monday August 1st with any corrections received and potentially some revised information. An update will be sent via the email lists and the Eastern Massachusetts ARES web site if updates are made and the posting will state what parts of the document have been updated.

We look forward to everyone’s participation in the drill!

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator         
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://www.wx1box.org

All / NTS

EMA Traffic Handlers Picnic, August 7, 2011

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The annual Traffic Handlers Picnic for Eastern Massachusetts will be held August 7, 2011 at the Raynham Senior Center picnic area in Raynham MA. The picnic will run from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM. Your host KW1U will provide hamburgers. Bring your own drinks. No alcohol allowed because it is on Town Property. If you wish to bring cookies or cakes to share with the group that would be great.

There are two barbecues for those who want to cook own food. There is also toilet facilities available. A great chance to eyeball people you have been hearing all year. A good time for all.

Directions: From RT 24 NORTH or SOUTH. Take Exit 13 west to Taunton RT 44. Follow 44 1.5 miles to set of lights. Rite Aid Pharmacy on corner. Take Right on to RT 104 Raynham. Follow 104 1/2 mile, take first left on to King Philip St. Follow King Philip 1/4 mile up. Raynham Senior Center on left. Pull right into parking lot. Picnic area on left.

All

Massachusetts Statewide Hurricane Drill – Monday August 8th, 2011 from 7-9 PM

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Hello to all..

As stated on the Eastern Massachusetts ARES Net on Monday July 11th, 2011, there will be the Massachusetts Statewide Hurricane Drill on Monday August 8th, 2011 from 7-9 PM. MEMA Regional stations and the State EOC, the NWS Taunton station will be active and we encourage local cities and towns, ARES/RACES/SKYWARN and MARS stations to participate. Since we will be doing the drill on the second Monday in August, the Eastern Massachusetts ARES Net for the first Monday will be cancelled as will the RACES Nets though ARES Net Manager and Middlesex County ARES DEC, Steve Telsey-N1BDA, will be on the MMRA system on the first Monday of the month to answer any questions informally concerning the drill. Region Two is expected to host their typical hurricane exercise meeting on the first Monday in August and an announcement should follow in the coming days there as well.

Drill overview participant and drill contoller documents will be dessiminated sometime between 7/26-7/28. For this year, we would like to shake up some components of the drill. Specifically, much of the drill time is spent creating mock damage reports from a hurricane. While this will still be a component of the drill, we will be working on other ways to prompt drill participants to give tactical and formal messages that would be pertinent to a hurricane scenario to see if it will drive more activity on the various nets and also help preparedness in a real hurricane scenario.

We appreciate everyone’s support for the drill and look forward to working with everyone. Thanks to all for their support!

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator         
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://www.wx1box.org

All / Emergency Communications

Reminder: Monthly Eastern Massachusetts ARES Net for July 2011

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Hello to all…

A reminder that the monthly ARES Net for July is rapidly approaching. The monthly ARES Net for July is Monday July 11th, 2011, at 8:30 PM on the MMRA Repeater system. This is after the RACES Nets earlier in the evening. For frequencies that will be linked into the ARES Net on the MMRA Network, please see the following link from the MMRA web site and the repeaters that will be linked in will be through Hub 1:

http://www.mmra.org/repeaters/map.html

In addition, if the Echo-IRLP node on the MMRA hub is available, we will likely link that to the New England Reflector system on IRLP 9123/Echolink Conference *NEW-ENG* Node: 9123.

Make this second Monday of the month due to a holiday on the first Monday of the month, “Emergency Communications Night” and check into your local RACES Net and then check into the ARES Net on the MMRA Repeater System. We look forward to your participation and remember, we are always looking for Net Controls to run the ARES Net.

We will have several interesting announcements for the net that evening and we look forward to everyone’s participation. Updates will be posted via email and on the Eastern Massachusetts ARES Web Site at http://ares.ema.arrl.org

Thanks for your continued support of ARES!

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator         
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://www.wx1box.org

All / Field Day / NTS

NTSD Available for Field Day Messages (And Beyond)

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NTSD – The National Traffic System Digital network runs alongside the traditional NTS nets and covers the entire United States with liaison into Canada. Message traffic placed into the NTSD is relayed via scanning HF Pactor 2 and Pactor 3 MBO’s throughout the country which operate 24/7 and are accessed regularly by assigned digital relay stations who remove traffic from the MBO’s for local relay or delivery. The system is managed by area digital coordinators. Station KW1U in Concord MA operates a 24/7 MBO on HF with a VHF link on 145.09 Mhz via W1JOE-7 into the N1XTB-4 BBS.

For Field Day messages in Eastern Mass, it is best to put messages on the N1XTB BBS which will then forward to KW1U for relay on HF as needed. See instructions on the ‘nts.ema.arrl.org ‘website under ‘packet procedures’ for help. If you are unable to access this BBS, station KW1U can be accessed via HF Pactor 1, 2 or 3 on one of the scanning frequencies below, all given in center frequencies: 3591.9, 3593.9, 7100.4, 7102.4 10140.9, 10142.9, 14095.9, 14097.9, 14112.4. For help contact Marcia at kw1u@arrl.net or kw1u@winlink.org.

Good luck with Field Day, and keep those messages coming!

73, Marcia KW1U

All / Emergency Communications

Reminder: Monthly Eastern Massachusetts ARES Net for June 2011

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Hello to all…

A reminder that the monthly ARES Net for June is rapidly approaching. The monthly ARES Net for June is Monday June 6th, 2011, at 8:30 PM on the MMRA Repeater system. This is after the RACES Nets earlier in the evening. For frequencies that will be linked into the ARES Net on the MMRA Network, please see the following link from the MMRA web site and the repeaters that will be linked in will be through Hub 1:

http://www.mmra.org/repeaters/map.html

In addition, if the Echo-IRLP node on the MMRA hub is available, we will likely link that to the New England Reflector system on IRLP 9123/Echolink Conference *NEW-ENG* Node: 9123.

Make the first Monday of the month, “Emergency Communications Night” and check into your local RACES Net and then check into the ARES Net on the MMRA Repeater System. We look forward to your participation and remember, we are always looking for Net Controls to run the ARES Net.

We will have several interesting announcements for the net that evening and we look forward to everyone’s participation. Updates will be posted via email and on the Eastern Massachusetts ARES Web Site at http://ares.ema.arrl.org

Thanks for your continued support of ARES!

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator        
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://www.wx1box.org

All / Emergency Communications

Eastern Massachusetts ARES Stand-By Lifted Friday June 3rd, 2011 at 1100 PM

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Hello to all..

..COMMUNICATIONS RESTORED TO REASONABLE STRENGTH AFTER INITIAL COMMUNICATIONS
PROBLEMS IN THE WAKE OF THE MASSACHUSETTS TORNADO OUTBREAK OF JUNE 1ST 2011..
..EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS ARES STAND-BY LIFTED AS OF 11 PM FRIDAY JUNE 3RD 2011..

After the worst tornado outbreak in Massachusetts since 1995, there were
initial communications issues after tornadoes ripped through the Western
Massachusetts ARRL section. Eastern Massachusetts ARES was placed on stand-by
in case support of our neighboring section was required. Since that time,
communications have been restored to tolerable levels and we have lifted
the ARES stand-by as of 11 PM Friday June 3rd, 2011.

The National Weather Service in Taunton has posted their assessment on the
tornado outbreak that hit Massachusetts. Three Tornadoes hit the state. The
complete report on the tornadoes can be seen via the following
Public Information Statement link:

http://www.wx1box.org/local/pns_6_3_11_tor_report.txt

The complete severe weather report for all of the severe thunderstorms is
listed in the link below:

http://www.wx1box.org/local/lsr_6_1_11.txt

The following is a tornado response report from John Ruggiero-N2YHK, Western
Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator:

Just a quick note about the assistance that amateur radio provided during
and after the recent series of tornadoes that affected the area from
Westfield to Southbridge in the Western MA Section:

* SkyWarn was active and amateur radio operators assisted in gathering
severe weather reports on the Mt. Tom, Paxton and other associated
repeaters. Initial reports of a tornado striking Westfield were relayed
to NWS via amateur radio and SkyWarn.

* Tom Doyle, N1MUV, DEC Hampden / Hampshire, and his team provided
assistance to the Red Cross by staffing the Springfield Chapter and three
shelters in Springfield, Monson and Brimfield.

* Tom and his team also provided assistance to several local EOCs, as well
as support to RACES operations at the MEMA Regional HQ in Agawam.

* Charlie Dunlap, K1II, EC Hampden West, and his team provided assistance
to Southwick and surrounding communities, as well as support to RACES
operations at the MEMA Regional HQ in Agawam.

* Tim Mongeau, KB1LZF, EC Worcester, staffed the Worcester Emergency
Communications Team / MEMA Region 4 Radio Room and provided assistance in
gathering reports for SkyWarn.

* Amateur radio operators were present with NWS survey teams today.

* The ARRL has posted a news article about amateur radio’s response on
their website. See link below:
http://www.arrl.org/news/central-massachusetts-experiences-rare-tornado-area-hams-hasten-to-help

* At this time, amateur radio operations are winding down and no further
requests for assistance are pending.

Thank you all for your assistance and continued support of WMA ARES!

John, N2YHK
WMA SEC

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) has setup storm assistance
centers for people in need of aid after the tornado outbreak. They have also
setup their 211 line for homeowners and businesses to report damage. Damage
Asessment teams from MEMA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
will be on site starting Monday. Links to these PR releases are listed below:

Storm Assistance Centers:
http://www.wx1box.org/local/storm_assistance_centers.pdf

211 Registration News Release:
http://www.wx1box.org/local/211_Registration_News_Release.pdf

FEMA/MEMA Damage Assessment Teams Press Release:
http://www.wx1box.org/local/News_Release_IA_PA_PDAs_6-3-11.pdf

A great thank you to all the Amateur Radio SKYWARN Spotters, non-Amateur
Radio SKYWARN Spotters and Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES) members
for their support in this horrific tornadic outbreak. The efforts made by
everyone helped save lives and is greatly appreciated by the National
Weather Service, American Red Cross, Salvation Army and local, state and
federal emergency management.

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://www.wx1box.org

All / Emergency Communications

Eastern Massachusetts ARES Stand-By Mobilization through Friday Evening 6/3/11 for Tornado Outbreak in Western and Central Massachusetts

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Hello to all..

***EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS ARES TO GO ON STAND-BY FOR ALL AREAS EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING JUNE 3RD 2011 DUE TO DAMAGE FROM MAJOR TORNADO OUTBREAK ACROSS MASSACHUSETTS.***

There has been a significant outbreak of severe weather across the region including numerous reports of tornadoes on the ground from Springfield to points as far east as Sturbridge and beyond.  Due to the significant infrastructure damage, we are activating Eastern Massachusetts ARES in stand-by mode to support any potential requests for assistance from around the area. 

Please advise your local EC/DEC/ADEC of your availability to support a potential deployment anytime from now through Friday June 3rd, 2011. We are creating a list of availability for ARESMAT deployment if needed for various local EOC’s, Red Cross, Salvation Army, NWS Storm Survey Teams, and hospitals as required.  Keep your situational awareness level high for any updates from ARES leadership by checking your email for updates and our ARES web site at http://ares.ema.arrl.org and monitoring local SKYWARN/ARES/RACES frequencies for any updates on this developing situation.

What is ARES Stand-By mode?

ARES stand-by mode is to alert Amateurs within ARES that a mobilization is possible on a wide-scale and that some localized mobilizations are or could be taking place in isolated areas. It means to take a look at your Go-Kit and have batteries and equipment ready to go and charged up and take care of any requirements at home in case a mobilization is required and you can participate. Do NOT self-deploy. Wait for guidance from leadership for any deployment. It is an honor to be ready even if you don’t deploy for the event. Hopefully, this is just another exercise of our preparedness and capabilities. If not, the ARES leadership looks forward to working with you if any wide scale mobilization is required after the impact of this major storm to the region is fully understood.

Thanks for your continued support of Eastern Massachusetts ARES!

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://www.wx1box.org

All / Emergency Communications

Reminder: Monthly Eastern Massachusetts ARES Net for May 2011

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Hello to all…

A reminder that the monthly ARES Net for May is rapidly approaching. The monthly ARES Net for May is Monday May 2nd, 2011, at 8:30 PM on the MMRA Repeater system. This is after the RACES Nets earlier in the evening. For frequencies that will be linked into the ARES Net on the MMRA Network, please see the following link from the MMRA web site and the repeaters that will be linked in will be through Hub 1:

http://www.mmra.org/repeaters/map.html

In addition, if the Echo-IRLP node on the MMRA hub is available, we will likely link that to the New England Reflector system on IRLP 9123/Echolink Conference *NEW-ENG* Node: 9123.

Make the first Monday of the month, “Emergency Communications Night” and check into your local RACES Net and then check into the ARES Net on the MMRA Repeater System. We look forward to your participation and remember, we are always looking for Net Controls to run the ARES Net.

We will have several interesting announcements for the net that evening and we look forward to everyone’s participation. Updates will be posted via email and on the Eastern Massachusetts ARES Web Site at http://ares.ema.arrl.org

Thanks for your continued support of ARES!

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator        
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://www.wx1box.org

All

Boston Marathon – Monday April 18th, 2011 Coordination Message

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Hello to all..

While this may be a bit off topic for some SKYWARN Spotters, Amateur Radio Operators and Red Cross volunteers, many of which are SKYWARN Spotters, will be involved in the Boston Marathon on Monday April 18th. To reach out to the highest level of Amateur Radio Operators involved in the event, this coordination message is being sent out to the SKYWARN email list and posted to the various Amateur Radio lists. We appreciate everyone’s patience with this message. This is likely to be the only coordination message on the Marathon unless a significant change in the weather forecast occurs. See information below:

Eastern Massachusetts ARES members not participating in the Boston Marathon should be in a heightened state of awareness for marathon activities on Monday April 18th from 7 AM-7 PM for any significant issues outside of the Boston Marathon that may require Amateur Radio Emergency Communications support and for any unexpected issues on the Boston Marathon route. With over 300 Amateur Radio Operators staffing the Boston Marathon route, the start line and the finish line, if an issue arises needing Amateur Radio support outside of the Marathon route or an unexpected issue arises in marathon operations, it is important that any ARES members not involved in the marathon can help with any response that is required. There will be two backup operation centers including the Eastern Massachusetts ARES Net Control Center at the town of Bridgewater EOC.

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) UCC (Unified Command Center) at the SEOC (State Emergency Operations Center) will be active for the Boston Marathon. Amateur Radio Operators will be at the SEOC to support backup operations while many agencies will be there performing primary operations for the marathon. A Press Release from MEMA can be seen at the following link:

http://ares.ema.arrl.org/local/News_Release_MACC_2011.pdf

The weather outlook for the Boston Marathon is one that should be favorable for volunteers and favorable to slightly warm for the runners. The Weather Forecast across the Boston Marathon is for partly to mostly sunny conditions throughout the day. There will be a 15-20 MPH breeze with gusts of 25-30 MPH along the route. Temperatures will range in the mid to upper 30s early in the morning warming to around 50 degrees by mid to late morning to the upper 50s to around 60 degrees by afternoon. This means that conditions for the runners should be reasonable with an ‘average’ amount of ambulance requests along the route versus some prior years where warmer weather conditions resulted in some of the highest amounts of ambulance requests since Amateur Radio Operators have handled the event. It is noted that conditions this year are about the same to slightly warmer than last year so ambulance requests should be similar to or slightly higher than last year’s marathon.

For Amateur Radio, Red Cross and all other volunteers along the route, it is recommended that you dress in layers for this event so that you can put on or take off clothes as needed for comfort. Be sure to drink liquids and eat properly during the event and that you are self-sufficient so that you can be of full help to the function and not distract everyone from the main purpose of supporting the runners by having a health issue on your end that can be avoided. No rain is expected at this time so there should be no need for rain gear.

Barring a significant change in the weather forecast, this will be the only coordination message on the Boston Marathon. We appreciate everyone’s support in this event and hope those that volunteer enjoy themselves and feel the self-satisifcation of supporting this historic event and those that are monitoring the Marathon or events outside of the Marathon realize that the monitoring is an important function as well and is a testament to being able to scale other incidents beyond the marathon if required. Thanks to all for their support!

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator        
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://www.wx1box.org

All

Hurricane Awareness Tour – P3 Hurricane Plane at Otis AFB in Falmouth Mass. Monday 5/2/11

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Hello to all..

The National Weather Service Taunton Massachusetts forecast office in coordination with the National Hurricane Center will be hosting the P3 Hurricane Hunter Aircraft, part of the NOAA/National Hurricane Center Hurricane Awareness Tour, on Monday May 2nd, 2011 at the Otis Air Force Base (AFB) in Falmouth Massachusetts. Public tours will be open from 230-530 PM. School tours will occur between 930 AM-130 PM. This is similar to what was done in 2007 at Quonset State Airport in Rhode Island. A flyer on the Hurricane Awareness Tour can be seen via the following link:

http://www.erh.noaa.gov/box//HAT_tour.shtml

In addition to the P3 Hurricane Hunter Aircraft, there will be numerous information booths from numerous agencies at the base for the Hurricane Awareness Tour. This will include a ‘special event’ Amateur Radio Station to make contacts via Amateur Radio nationally and internationally and will include making contact with the National Hurricane Center Amateur Radio Station in Miami Florida, WX4NHC. Amateur Operators will also be providing event communications for National Weather Service and National Hurricane Center personnel. The list of other Information booths for the Hurricane Awareness Tour is shown below:

National Weather Service Taunton
Northeast River Forecast Center (NERFC)
Two HAM stations (One sponsored by the Falmouth Amateur Radio Association with a second sponsored by Cape Cod Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES))
URI Hurricane: Science and Society
Mass Military Reservation
Stellwagen Bank
Radio Station – WQRC
UMass Lowell – AMS/NWA
Cape Cod Medical Reserve Corps
Blue Hill Observatory and Science Center
FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) – Region 1

We ask for wide distribution of this announcement and are looking forward to a great turnout for this event. This announcement will be retransmitted and updated with any changes as we draw closer to this special event.

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator        
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875 (After 6 PM)
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503 (After 6 PM)
Work Phone #: 508-346-2929 (8 AM-5 PM)
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
http://ares.ema.arrl.org
http://www.wx1box.org