Emergency Communications

John O’Neill, K1JRO, writes on the South Shore Hospital ARG mailing list: I have an exciting announcement for the EMHN. Effective immediately, thanks to the generosity of the NEDECN Trustees, we have an EMHN Talk Group on the NEDECN network. The following NEDECN DMR repeaters now have TG#8851 TS#1 (EMHN) active: Boston, Hingham, Bourne, Dennis, and Martha’s Vineyard. Other repeaters may be activated in the future if necessary. This TG is for EMHN related use only. Please use their other TG’s for general communications. I will conduct a test of the NEDECN EMHN TG after the regular Net. Also, starting …

John O’Neill, K1JRO, writes: ANNOUNCEMENT: W1SSH is interested in including packet messaging as part of the monthly [Eastern MA Hospital] Net. For those participants capable of packet messaging on 2 meters this would entail sending and receiving a packet message to others so equipped. Due to its versatility, ease of use, and acceptance by many as the “standard” program of choice we would use Winlink (RMS) Express. If this is something you would be interested in also please let us know. Also, we have Net Control openings for the first Saturday of the month for the remainder still available. April …

Kevin Fallon writes on the Billerica ARS mailing list on March 15, 2020, at 12:04 PM: This afternoon Billerica Emergency Management will be conducting a radio test from the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at some point between 1:00 and 2:00 pm. Time is a bit vague depending on when other tests conclude. Feel free to check in if you’d like. We’ll start on the Billerica repeater, .12 Thanks for the use of the repeater.   Kevin Fallon Billerica Emergency Management  

John O’Neill K1JRO, writes: Net Control for the March 7, 2020 Eastern MA Hospital Net will be W1SSH, South Shore Hospital. The net will commence at the usual time of 10: AM using the following repeaters in the order listed: 1. Plymouth 146.685 tone 131.8     2. Bridgewater 148.18 tone 67.0  3. Attleboro 147.195 tone 127.3 4. Simplex 147.42 The Net will then return to the Plymouth Repeater for final comments and net closing.     NET Protocol: Please wait for Net Control to ask for Check-ins. When asked to check in please use the standard net check-in procedure which is:  Here …

Frank O’Laughlin, WQ1O, writes: The Cape Cod and Islands District Amateur Radio Emergency Service will conduct a winter operations exercise on Saturday, January 25, 2020, to test its capability in establishing communications with stations within its district and outside it under emergency conditions. The operational exercise, dubbed “Ice Show” will test the ability of several field stations to communicate. This will also be a drill to test some of our hospital stations, primary stations, EOCs, shelters and other ARES member home stations. Version 1.2 of the exercise scenario and guidelines are available online.  Setup will begin at 8:30 AM, with …

District Emergency Coordinator Frank O’Laughlin, WQ1O, writes on Facebook: “Andrew Platt from Barnstable County and I met with the Superintendent of the [Cape Cod Regional Technical High School]. Ralph Swenson from the Barnstable County Sheriff’s office joined us to go over the new antenna installations for the new school under construction. The new school will [serve as] the new Regional shelter for the area. Public safety antennas and two new ARES dual band vertical antennas will likely be installed. My special thanks to Ralph and the Sheriff’s Office for their tireless efforts in supporting the emergency communications mission.” School construction …

ARES supported several SKYWARN activations over the last six weeks, reports Section Emergency Coordinator and ARES SKYWARN  Coordinator Rob Macedo, KD1CY. “The  biggest, a coastal storm event on October 16-17, 2019, resulted in widespread pockets of trees and wires down across the section. Hurricane force wind gusts were reported by Amateur Radio SKYWARN spotters along portions of the south coastal Massachusetts, Cape Cod and the Islands and even the North Shore of Massachusetts,” Rob writes. Hundreds of damage photos were received by Amateur Radio operators and SKYWARN spotters. At the height of the storm, approximately 250,000 were without power in …