Emergency Communications

Emergency communications and the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES®)

Emergency Communications

Falmouth ARA Participation in “Operation Shake Up”

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

Matthew Trott, KB1MLP, Falmouth Amateur Radio Association Public Relations Officer writes:

Members of the Falmouth Amateur Radio Association/Cape Cod ARES participated in ARES drill “Operation Shake Up” on February 9 with surrounding Amateur Radio clubs and home stations.

The purpose of the drill was to test the capability in establishing communications with stations both within and outside of our district. The drill also tested communications capabilities with our hospital station, primary stations, EOC, shelters, and other ARES members’ home stations. Various field sites participated across Cape Cod, including: Falmouth, Sandwich, Harwich, Joint Base Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket. In addition, home stations participated from as far away as Acushnet, Massachusetts. Communications utilized 2-meter and 70 cm FM, 75 and 40 meter SSB, and 2 meters PAC digital. ARES field teams were instructed to bring their own equipment. “Served agency” equipment was not used at any time. The Incident Command System (ICS) was assigned prior to the start of operations and used during the exercise.

Falmouth did a great job establishing operations at the Falmouth Hospital, the Falmouth EOC at Falmouth Fire Rescue Headquarters, and the Falmouth Field Site at Falmouth High School. Stations made use of various mobile transceivers, batteries, generators, amplifiers, and home brew antennas. Net control at the Falmouth Hospital did a great job in directing the operation. A lot was learned.

Drills and exercises like “Operation Shake Up” are very important in encouraging participation among  Falmouth Amateur Radio Association members and are an important part of FARA’s continuing commitment to community service.

Emergency Communications / NTS / Public Service

Local Communities Looking for RACES Officers

- by kd1cy - Leave a Comment

A few months ago, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency conducted a survey for all local community emergency management directors across the Commonwealth. The survey was specifically about the use of amateur radio and RACES locally within their community, whether each emergency manager has an appointed RACES Officer, and if not, if they would like to find one.

 

The Radio Amateurs Civil Emergency Service (RACES) is a radio service using amateur stations for emergency management communications during periods of local, regional or national emergencies. RACES is defined in law in Part 97.407 of the FCC rules. In the event the U.S. President ever needed to silence the regular Amateur Radio Service by invoking the War Powers Act of 1941, only RACES appointed stations could continue to operate and assist their appointed served agencies.

As a result of the survey conducted by MEMA, the list of communities below are interested in locating an amateur radio operator to serve as their RACES Officer.

If you are interested in any of these appointments, please inquire with that community’s emergency management director. It is also highly recommended to discuss the matter with MEMA Regional RACES Officer which services that local community’s county. We might be able to recommend you based on whatever previous amateur radio EmComm or other public service you’ve done that we’re aware of. We may also be able to give you additional insight into the role in that community.

The MEMA Regional RACES Officers are:
Region 1: Terry Stader KA8SCP
Region 2: Mike Leger N1YLQ
Region 3: Frank Morrisino K1LMY
Region 4: Gil Hayes WK1H

Communities looking for RACES Officers:

  • MEMA Region 1 (Suffolk, Middlesex and Essex Counties)
    • Nahant
    • Belmont
    • Manchester-by-the-Sea
    • North Reading
    • Revere
  • MEMA Region 2 (Norfolk, Bristol, Plymouth, Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket Counties)
    • Rochester
    • Marshfield
    • Barnstable
    • Yarmouth
    • East Bridgewater
    • Somerset
    • Chilmark
    • Edgartown
  • MEMA Region 3 (Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire and Berkshire Counties)
    • Sandisfield
    • Washington
    • South Hadley
    • Colrain
    • Stockbridge
    • Huntington
    • West Springfield
    • Russell
    • Chesterfield
  • MEMA Region 4 (Worcester County)
    • West Boylston
    • Ashburnham
    • Sterling
    • Sturbridge
    • Fitchburg
    • Grafton
    • Royalston
    • West Brookfield
    • Sutton
Emergency Communications / NTS / Public Service

February RACES nets on Monday Feb. 4 HF net at 6:45 PM EST, Region 2D VHF net at 7:30 PM EST

- by kd1cy - Leave a Comment

The first Monday of every month, unless the first Monday is a holiday, is a test of the Massachusetts RACES and ARES communication capabilities. If the first Monday of the month is a holiday, then the test is delayed one week and will be held the following Monday.

For February, the first Monday of the month is Monday Feb. 4.

********************************************************************************

6:45 PM EST HF net: using the following frequency plan:

We will start at 3930 KHz moving up to 3955 KHz until there is a clear frequency,

Marc Stern WA1R will be net control.

*********************************************************************************

Region 2D VHF net

7:30 PM EST VHF net on 146.865 MHz PL 103.5 (Sharon Repeater)

We will have a general call up of any RACES, ARES, or other interested stations. This willbe followed by a SIMPLEX test..

Jeff Marden N1JCM will be net control.

********************************************************************************

We look forward to you checking in.

—
73,
AB1PH
Don Rolph
__._,_.___

Emergency Communications

Eastern MA Hospital Net Schedule, February 2, 2019

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

John O’Neill, K1JRO writes:

Net Control for the February 2,2019 Eastern MA Hospital Net will be W1SSH, the South Shore Hospital Amateur Radio Club . The net will commence at the usual time of 10 AM using the following repeaters in the order listed. 

  1. Sharon 146.865 tone 103.5
  2. Boston 145.230 tone encode 88.5 tone decode 100.0
  3. Danvers 145.47 tone 136.5
  4. Plymouth 146.685 tone 131.8
  5. 5. Simplex 147.42

The Net will then return to the Sharon 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 is.., un-key, wait 3 seconds to check for doubling, then give your or your facilities call sign, your first name, and your facility’s name.

We extend an invitation to any health care facility or EOC of any city or town that is served by one of the participating hospitals to join the Net. We also extend an invitation to any RACES or ARES member to check in during the NET.

Any hospital wishing to join the net that needs assistance with equipment or personnel should contact us at ssharc@gmail.com. We can assist you with getting your location on the air.

We are always looking for groups or organizations to try their hand at Net Control duties. If you are interested please let us know. Our goal is to rotate Net Control practice and the experience among as many groups as possible.

We thank the repeater trustees for their generosity in allowing us to conduct the monthly nets and the use of their systems in an actual event. The following list of repeaters are available for our use. Only a few systems are used each month with the selection of those used made by Net Control for that month.  More systems are being added to the list on a regular basis.

REMINDER: The BARC Repeater is now using split tone. Boston 145.230 tone encode 88.5 tone decode 100.0

Repeaters

Attleboro 147.195 tone 127.3 (Sturdy Memorial Hospital)
Belmont 145.430 tone 146.2
Boston 145.230 tone encode 88.5 tone decode 100.0
Bridgewater 147.180 tone 67.0
Danvers 145.47 tone 136.5
Dartmouth 147.000 tone 67.0  
Fall River 146.805. tone 67.0
Falmouth 147.375 tone 110.9  
Mansfield EMA  446.925 tone 100.0
Mansfield 147.015 tone 67.0
Marshfield 145.390 tone 67.0      
Norwood 147.210 tone 100.00
Plymouth 146.685 tone 131.8
Salem 146.88 tone 118.8        
Sharon 146.865 tone 103.5    
Weymouth 147.345 tone 110.9 (South Shore Hospital)
W. Bridgewater 146.775 dcs 244 
Wrentham 147.09 tone 146.2

We look forward to hearing you all on the Net.

Respectfully,

John O’
K1JRO   

Emergency Communications / Public Information / Public Service

KD1CY Featured on WeatherBrains Podcast

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment
Rob Macedo, KD1CY featured on WILI SKYWARN interviewEastern MA Section Emergency Coordinator and ARES SKYWARN Coordinator Rob Macedo, KD1CY, was one of three featured guests on the podcast “WeatherBrains” on January 7, 2019. The 90-minute program discussed Amateur Radio, SKYWARN, and the VoIP Hurricane Net. Other guests included Jay Farlow, W9LW, and Jeff Stapel, W8SWX. The audio and YouTube video can be found at https://weatherbrains.com/?p=7531.
 
According to Macedo, “The program was well received by the meteorological panel and those that have watched/listened to date.”
 
 
 
 
 
Emergency Communications

Eastern Massachusetts ARES Net for Monday January 7 at 8:30 PM

- by kc1cic - Leave a Comment

Hello to all…

The monthly ARES Net for January is Monday the 7th, at 8:30 PM on the MMRA Repeater system. For frequencies that will be linked into the ARES Net on the MMRA Network, please see the following link from the MMRA web site detailing the repeaters that will be linked in through Hub 1: http://www.mmra.org/repeaters/repeater_index_by_linkstate.html

We look forward to your participation and remember, we are always looking for Net Controls to run the ARES Net.

As part of our relationship with MARS and our own situational awareness gathering we will be asking for any known infrastructure issues that you are aware of. The information must either be personally observed, or obtained “over the air” via amateur radio. Items considered to be infrastructure include but are not limited to: electrical power, water, medical facilities, sanitation, communications, and transportation. Examples of failure would be: small or large area power failure, water main breaks, hospitals’ ER closed, sewage issues, TV/radio station off the air (including public safety), interstate highway or major road closed. No known issues are just as important as reporting failures.

Additionally we are interested in relay of any weather information from airport ATIS/ASOS stations that you can directly receive via radio. These stations broadcast continuously in the 120.000 – 138.000 MHz frequency range using amplitude modulation. Information from the ATIS should include airport, temperature, altimeter (barometer), wind, precipitation, and visibility.

A list of stations with their frequencies and a map can be found at: https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/weather/asos/?state=MA
A brief introduction to ATIS can be found at: https://www.vatsim.net/pilot-resource-centre/general-lessons/understanding-atis

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://ema.arrl.org/ares

Thanks for your continued support of ARES!

Rob Macedo, KD1CY
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator

Emergency Communications / Operating / Public Service

Eastern Massachusetts Hospital Net – Saturday January 5th, 2019 at 1000 AM

- by kd1cy - Leave a Comment

Good Morning Everyone,

Net Control for the January 5, 2019 Eastern MA Hospital Net will be W1SSH the South Shore Hospital Amateur Radio Club. The net will commence at the usual time of 10:00 AM using the following repeaters in the order listed.

1. Plymouth 146.685 Tone 131.8
2. Boston 145.230 Tone Encode 88.5 Tone Decode 100.0
3. Norwood 147.210 Tone 100.0
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 is.., un-key, wait 3 seconds to check for doubling, then give your or your facilities call sign, your first name, and your facility’s name.

We extend an invitation to any health care facility or EOC of any city or town that is served by one of the participating hospitals to join the Net. We also extend an invitation to any RACES or ARES member to check in during the NET.

Any hospital wishing to join the net that needs assistance with equipment or personnel should contact us at ssharc@gmail.com. We can assist you with getting your location on the air.

We are always looking for groups or organizations to try their hand at Net Control duties. If you are interested please let us know. Our goal is to rotate Net Control practice and the experience among as many groups as possible.

We thank the repeater trustees for their generosity in allowing us to conduct the monthly nets and the use of their systems in an actual event. The following list of repeaters are available for our use. Only a few systems are used each month with the selection of those used made by Net Control for that month. More systems are being added to the list on a regular basis.

REMINDER: The BARC Repeater is now using split tone. Boston 145.230 tone encode 88.5 tone decode 100.0

Repeaters
Attleboro 147.195 tone 127.3 (Sturdy Memorial Hospital)
Belmont 145.430 tone 146.2
Boston 145.230 tone encode 88.5 tone decode 100.0
Bridgewater 147.180 tone 67.0
Danvers 145.47 tone 136.5
Dartmouth 147.000 tone 67.0
Fall River 146.805. tone 67.0
Falmouth 147.375 tone 110.9
Mansfield EMA 446.925 tone 100.0
Mansfield 147.015 tone 67.0
Marshfield 145.390 tone 67.0
Norwood 147.210 tone 100.00
Plymouth 146.685 tone 131.8
Salem 146.88 tone 118.8
Sharon 146.865 tone 103.5
Weymouth 147.345 tone 110.9 (South Shore Hospital)
W. Bridgewater 146.775 DCS 244
Wrentham 147.09 tone 146.2

We look forward to hearing you all on the Net.

Respectfully,

John Barbuto

KS1Q

—
—
South Shore Hospital Amateur Radio Club – W1SSH
55 Fogg Road, Box 42
South Weymouth, MA 02190

Emergency Communications

Eastern Massachusetts ARES Net for Monday December 3 at 8:30 PM

- by kc1cic - Leave a Comment

Hello to all…

We will be continuing our monthly ARES Net in November. The monthly ARES Net for November is Monday the 5th, at 8:30 PM on the MMRA Repeater system. For frequencies that will be linked into the ARES Net on the MMRA Network, please see the following link from the MMRA web site detailing the repeaters that will be linked in through Hub 1:

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

We look forward to your participation and remember, we are always looking for Net Controls to run the ARES Net.

As part of our relationship with MARS and our own situational awareness gathering we will be asking for any known infrastructure issues that you are aware of. The information must either be personally observed, or obtained “over the air” via amateur radio. Items considered to be infrastructure include but are not limited to: electrical power, water, medical facilities, sanitation, communications, and transportation. Examples of failure would be: small or large area power failure, water main breaks, hospitals’ ER closed, sewage issues, TV/radio station off the air (including public safety), interstate highway or major road closed. No known issues are just as important as reporting failures.

Additionally we are interested in relay of any weather information from airport ATIS/ASOS stations that you can directly receive via radio. These stations broadcast continuously in the 120.000 – 138.000 MHz frequency range using amplitude modulation. Information from the ATIS should include airport, temperature, altimeter (barometer), wind, precipitation, and visibility.

A list of stations with their frequencies and a map can be found at: https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/weather/asos/?state=MA
A brief introduction to ATIS can be found at: https://www.vatsim.net/pilot-resource-centre/general-lessons/understanding-atis

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://ema.arrl.org/ares

Thanks for your continued support of ARES!

Rob Macedo, KD1CY
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator

Emergency Communications

Eastern MA Hospital Net, December 1, 2018

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

John O’Neill, K1JRO writes:

Net Control for the December 1, 2018 Eastern MA Hospital Net will be  W1SSH The South Shore Hospital Amateur Radio Club . The net will  commence at the usual time of 10 AM using the following repeaters in the  order listed. 

  1. W. Bridgewater 146.775 DCS 244
  2. Salem 146.88 tone 118.8
  3. Marshfield 145.390 tone 67.0
  4. Simplex 147.42

The Net will then return to the  W. Bridgewater 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 is.., un-key, wait 3 seconds to check for doubling, then give your or your facilities call sign, your first name, and your facility’s name.

We extend an invitation to any health care facility or EOC of any city or town that is served by one of the participating hospitals to join the Net. We also extend an invitation to any RACES or ARES member to check in during the NET.

Any hospital wishing to join the net that needs assistance with equipment or personnel should contact us at ssharc@gmail.com. We can assist you with getting your location on the air.

We are always looking for groups or organizations to try their hand at Net Control duties. If you are interested please let us know. Our goal is to rotate Net Control practice and the experience among as many groups as possible.

We thank the repeater trustees for their generosity in allowing us to conduct the monthly nets and the use of their systems in an actual event. The following list of repeaters are available for our use. Only a few systems are used each month with the selection of those used made by Net Control for that month.  More systems are being added to the list on a regular basis.

REMINDER: The BARC Repeater is now using split tone. Boston 145.230 tone encode 88.5 tone decode 100.0

Repeaters
Attleboro 147.195 tone 127.3 (Sturdy Memorial Hospital)
Belmont 145.430 tone 146.2
Boston 145.230 tone encode 88.5 tone decode 100.0
Bridgewater 147.180 tone 67.0
Danvers 145.47 tone 136.5
Dartmouth 147.000 tone 67.0  
Fall River 146.805. tone 67.0
Falmouth 147.375 tone 110.9  
Mansfield EMA  446.925 tone 100.0
Mansfield 147.015 tone 67.0
Marshfield 145.390 tone 67.0      
Norwood 147.210 tone 100.00
Plymouth 146.685 tone 131.8
Salem 146.88 tone 118.8        
Sharon 146.865 tone 103.5    
Weymouth 147.345 tone 110.9 (South Shore Hospital)
W. Bridgewater 146.775 dcs 244 
Wrentham 147.09 tone 146.2

We look forward to hearing you all on the Net.

Emergency Communications / Public Service

October 2018 – Eastern Massachusetts Section ARES Report

- by kd1cy - Leave a Comment

The following is the Eastern Massachusetts Section ARES Report for October 2018 highlighting the number of community or public service events, regular ARES nets (under training and exercises) and SKYWARN Activations completed in the section in the past month. The report can be seen here:

https://ema.arrl.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/ARES-Monthly-Section-Emergency-Coordinators-Report_ARES-004_KD1CY_October_2018.pdf

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
Like us on Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/wx1box
Follow us on Twitter – http://twitter.com/wx1box


Emergency Communications

Falmouth CERT Class Begins January, 2019

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

CERT logoThe Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office has announced dates for its next winter Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program for volunteers interested in becoming a CERT member. Classes start January 15, 2019 and run six consecutive Tuesday evenings from 6:00 to 8:30 PM through February 19, 2019. Classes are held at the Harborview Conference Room, 3195 Main Street, Barnstable Village. To qualify for CERT you must be at least 16 years of age and willing to attend each session.

The BCSO CERT Program is taught by emergency personnel to train residents, community organizations or workplaces in basic response skills. CERT members are then integrated into emergency response capability for their area so that if a disastrous event overwhelms or delays the community’s professional response, CERT members can assist by applying the basic response and organizational skills that they learned during training.

There is no charge to participate in the program. All participants must complete and submit a CERT application and CORI form which can be found on the Community Programs page on the BCSO website at www.bsheriff.net. For questions please contact the BCSO Emergency Management Director Joe Gordon at (508) 563-4319 or jgordon@bsheriff.net.

Falmouth CERT manages the Falmouth High School’s shelter which is equipped with an Amateur Radio station.

Emergency Communications

Eastern Massachusetts ARES Net for Monday November 5 at 8:30 PM

- by kc1cic - Leave a Comment

Hello to all…

We will be continuing our monthly ARES Net in November. The monthly ARES Net for November is Monday the 5th, at 8:30 PM on the MMRA Repeater system. For frequencies that will be linked into the ARES Net on the MMRA Network, please see the following link from the MMRA web site detailing the repeaters that will be linked in through Hub 1:

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

We look forward to your participation and remember, we are always looking for Net Controls to run the ARES Net.

As part of our relationship with MARS and our own situational awareness gathering we will be asking for any known infrastructure issues that you are aware of. The information must either be personally observed, or obtained “over the air” via amateur radio. Items considered to be infrastructure include but are not limited to: electrical power, water, medical facilities, sanitation, communications, and transportation. Examples of failure would be: small or large area power failure, water main breaks, hospitals’ ER closed, sewage issues, TV/radio station off the air (including public safety), interstate highway or major road closed. No known issues are just as important as reporting failures.

Additionally we are interested in relay of any weather information from airport ATIS/ASOS stations that you can directly receive via radio. These stations broadcast continuously in the 120.000 – 138.000 MHz frequency range using amplitude modulation. Information from the ATIS should include airport, temperature, altimeter (barometer), wind, precipitation, and visibility.

A list of stations with their frequencies and a map can be found at: https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/weather/asos/?state=MA
A brief introduction to ATIS can be found at: https://www.vatsim.net/pilot-resource-centre/general-lessons/understanding-atis

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://ema.arrl.org/ares

Thanks for your continued support of ARES!

Rob Macedo, KD1CY
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator

Emergency Communications / NTS / Operating / Public Service

November 3, 2018 Eastern MA Hospital Net Announcement

- by kd1cy - Leave a Comment

John O’Neill-K1JRO writes:

Good Morning Everyone,

Net Control for the November 3,2018 Eastern MA Hospital Net will be W1SSH The South Shore Hospital Amateur Radio Club . The net will commence at the usual time of 10:AM using the following repeaters in the order listed.

1. Attleboro 147.195 tone 127.3 (Sturdy Memorial Hospital)
2. Boston 145.230 tone encode 88.5 tone decode 100.0
3. Danvers 145.47 tone 136.5
4. Simplex 147.42

The Net will then return to the Attleboro 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 is.., un-key, wait 3 seconds to check for doubling, then give your or your facilities call sign, your first name, and your facility’s name.

We extend an invitation to any health care facility or EOC of any city or town that is served by one of the participating hospitals to join the Net. We also extend an invitation to any RACES or ARES member to check in during the NET.

Any hospital wishing to join the net that needs assistance with equipment or personnel should contact us at ssharc@gmail.com. We can assist you with getting your location on the air.

We are always looking for groups or organizations to try their hand at Net Control duties. If you are interested please let us know. Our goal is to rotate Net Control practice and the experience among as many groups as possible.

We thank the repeater trustees for their generosity in allowing us to conduct the monthly nets and the use of their systems in an actual event. The following list of repeaters are available for our use. Only a few systems are used each month with the selection of those used made by Net Control for that month. More systems are being added to the list on a regular basis.

REMINDER: The BARC Repeater is now using split tone. Boston 145.230 tone encode 88.5 tone decode 100.0

Repeaters
Attleboro 147.195 tone 127.3 (Sturdy Memorial Hospital)
Belmont 145.430 tone 146.2
Boston 145.230 tone encode 88.5 tone decode 100.0
Bridgewater 147.180 tone 67.0
Danvers 145.47 tone 136.5
Dartmouth 147.000 tone 67.0
Fall River 146.805. tone 67.0
Falmouth 147.375 tone 110.9
Mansfield EMA 446.925 tone 100.0
Mansfield 147.015 tone 67.0
Marshfield 145.390 tone 67.0
Norwood 147.210 tone 100.00
Plymouth 146.685 tone 131.8
Salem 146.88 tone 118.8
Sharon 146.865 tone 103.5
Weymouth 147.345 tone 110.9 (South Shore Hospital)
W. Bridgewater 146.775 dcs 244
Wrentham 147.09 tone 146.2

We look forward to hearing you all on the Net.

Respectfully,

John O’
K1JRO
– – –
South Shore Hospital Amateur Radio Club – W1SSH
55 Fogg Road, Box 42
South Weymouth, MA 02190

Emergency Communications

MARS Members To Support Defense Department Radio Comms Readiness Exercise

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

Tom Kinahan, N1CPE, writes:

As part of this COMEX, MARS members will reach out to amateur radio operators (on October 24-26) for any information on real life infrastructure failures. We have been practicing this sort of reporting as part of both Western and Eastern Mass ARES nets. If there are any know local failures of infrastructure, defined as Power, Water, Medical, Sanitation, Communications or Transportation, just let the MARS operator know with information on your county name, or your zip code (which is easy to determine county name with). 

MARS operators will use non-internet connected VHF/UHF repeaters as well as 60 meter channel 1 in our area, to gather these reports.

MARS stations will be operating from Oct 22-26, but the participation of Amateur Radio operators is expected on Oct 24-26.

Amateur Radio operators are asked to monitor 60-meter channel 1 (5,330.5 kHz, USB) at 0001 UTC (8:01 PM ET) on October 24, for a high-power broadcast of updated information regarding this exercise and how the Amateur Radio community can participate.

Contact Tom Kinahan, N1CPE, with any questions.

See: http://www.arrl.org/news/mars-members-to-support-defense-department-radio-communication-readiness-exercise

Emergency Communications / Operating

Eastern Massachusetts Hospital Net for Saturday 10/6/18

- by kd1cy - Leave a Comment

Hello to All,

Net Control for the October 6, 2018 Eastern MA Hospital Net will be W1SSH, The South Shore Hospital Amateur Radio Club. The net will commence at the usual time of 10:00 AM using the following repeaters in the order listed and last approximately 1 hour.

1.Sharon 146.865 tone 103.5
2 Marshfield 145.390 tone 67.0
3.Bridgewater 147.180 tone 67.0
Simplex 147.42

The Net will then return to the Sharon 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 is.., un-key, wait 3 seconds to check for doubling, then give yours or your facilities call sign, your first name, and your facility’s name.

We extend an invitation to any health care facility or EOC of any city or town that is served by one of the participating hospitals to join the Net. We also extend an invitation to any RACES or ARES member to check in during the NET.

Any hospital wishing to join the net that needs assistance with equipment or personnel should contact us at ssharc@gmail.com. We can assist you with getting your location on the air.

We are always looking for groups or organizations to try their hand at Net Control. If you are interested please contact us at the email address listed above. Our goal is to rotate Net Control throughout the year among as many groups as possible.

We thank the repeater trustees for their generosity in allowing us to conduct the monthly nets and the use of their systems in an actual event. The following list of repeaters are available for our use. Only a few systems are used each month with the selection of those used made by Net Control for that month.

Attleboro 147.195 tone 127.3 (Sturdy Memorial Hospital)
Belmont 145.430 tone 146.2
Boston 145.230 tone encode 88.5 tone decode 100.0
Bridgewater 147.180 tone 67.0
Danvers 145.47 tone 136.5
Dartmouth 147.000 tone 67.0
Fall River 146.805. tone 67.0
Falmouth 147.375 tone 110.9
Mansfield EMA 446.925 tone 100.0
Mansfield 147.015 tone 67.0
Marshfield 145.390 tone 67.0
Norwood 147.210 tone 100.00
Plymouth 146.685 tone 131.8
Salem 146.88 tone 118.8
Sharon 146.865 tone 103.5
Weymouth 147.345 tone 110.9 (South Shore Hospital)
W. Bridgewater 146.775 dcs 244
Wrentham 147.09 tone 146.2

We look forward to hearing you all on the Net.

Respectfully,

South Shore Hospital Amateur Radio Club – W1SSH
55 Fogg Road, Box 42
South Weymouth MA 02190

Emergency Communications / NTS / Operating / Public Service

Eastern Massachusetts ARES Net for October – Monday 10/1/18 at 830 PM on MMRA Network

- by kd1cy - Leave a Comment

Hello to all…

We will be continuing our monthly ARES Net in October. The monthly ARES Net for October is Monday the 1st, at 8:30 PM on the MMRA Repeater system. For frequencies that will be linked into the ARES Net on the MMRA Network, please see the following link from the MMRA web site detailing the repeaters that will be linked in through Hub 1:

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

We look forward to your participation and remember, we are always looking for Net Controls to run the ARES Net.

As part of our relationship with MARS and our own situational awareness gathering we will be asking for any known infrastructure issues that you are aware of. The information must either be personally observed, or obtained “over the air” via amateur radio. Items considered to be infrastructure include but are not limited to: electrical power, water, medical facilities, sanitation, communications, and transportation. Examples of failure would be: small or large area power failure, water main breaks, hospitals’ ER closed, sewage issues, TV/radio station off the air (including public safety), interstate highway or major road closed. No known issues are just as important as reporting failures.

Additionally we are interested in relay of any weather information from airport ATIS/ASOS stations that you can directly receive via radio. These stations broadcast continuously in the 120.000 – 138.000 MHz frequency range using amplitude modulation. Information from the ATIS should include airport, temperature, altimeter (barometer), wind, precipitation, and visibility.

A list of stations with their frequencies and a map can be found at: https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/weather/asos/?state=MA
A brief introduction to ATIS can be found at: https://www.vatsim.net/pilot-resource-centre/general-lessons/understanding-atis

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://ema.arrl.org/ares

Thanks for your continued support of ARES!

Rob Macedo, KD1CY
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator

Emergency Communications / Operating

Operation Equinox – Portable HF Ops Event Update – 9/28/18

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Cape Ann ARES Emergency Coordinator KA1BTK-Gardi Winchester II, writes:

All:

‘Operation Equinox’ is definitely taking on a life of its own! From it’s humble beginnings as a suggestion that we try setting up a CAARA member’s new portable antenna mast to an event almost as big as Field Day itself, it has blossomed in just five days! The ideas have come down so fast that I just can’t keep up with administering it! With the numbers of people who are informed and planning to attend, I doubt making many QSOs are going to be likely.

But that is not what it’s all about!

As of right now, the basic plan is for a portable equipment test and set-up practice of our (your) remote emergency communications response plans, on a more individual level, as opposed to Field Day exercises that run more at a club level. We’ve been ‘dodging the bullet’ as of late, and the latest hurricane, Florence, was certainly a big Red-Flag. There are still areas of the Carolinas and Virginia that are relying on Amateur Radio communications for life support.

Are YOU ready?

So, come and bring your Go-Kits and exercise your emergency operations plans and test your equipment for readiness, Check out the plans of other Hams and maybe get some new and fresh ideas. Help us show the public what Ham Radio can do for their safety and well-being, and show newer Hams what the craft holds with higher license grades.

While there has been very little time to plan for this event, we’re sort of ‘winging-it’ this year. But, that works a bit in our favor, as a real emergency will give very little time to prepare and may give a more accurate assessment of our responses. Plans and possibilities for future events are endless!

Hope to see you there!

Operation Equinox:
Sunday, September 30th
12:00 Noon until 5:00PM +
Hospital Hill, Top of Summit Ave.
Rockport, MA, 01966

Semper Paratus! & 73’s ___________________#\____

Gardner H. Winchester II, KA1BTK, ARRL EC Cape Ann

“The most important tool for disaster recovery is communication”.
gardiw2@gmail.com
http://www.google.com/profiles/gardiw2

Emergency Communications / Operating

Portable HF Ops Event

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Cape Ann ARES Emergency Coordinator KA1BTK-Gardi Winchester II, writes:

Who:  All Amateur Radio Operators:

What:  Portable HF Operations and equipment exercise.
When: Next Sunday, September 30th (Weather permitting) from about 12:00 Noon – 5:00 or 6:00 PM
Where: Hospital Hill, at the top of Summit Avenue (through the stone pillars) in Rockport, MA, 01966
Why:  Fellowship, practice, making sure your go-bag plans are complete and all of your equipment is functional, and a whole host of reasons!
Come and join fellow Hams in exercising and testing your equipment and plans, and have fun walking all over one another in a remote area!  Hospital Hill is a large field area and Dog Park (Yes, bring your pets) that we have been using as our portable operations base for some time.  We have running permission to operate from there.  There are some nice hiking and walking trails to explore and beautiful vistas to see from up on the hill!  There is no power so bring a generator or hook into your vehicle power.

Please pass this along!

 
Semper Paratus!  &  73‘s  ___________________#\____
 
Gardner H. Winchester II, KA1BTK, ARRL EC Cape Ann
 
“The most important tool for disaster recovery is communication”.
 
Emergency Communications / Public Information

Cape Cod ARES Participates in Falmouth Public Safety Fair

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Cape Cod ARES District Emergency Coordinator WQ1O-Frank O’Laughlin writes:

I felt just well enough to attend the Falmouth Emergency preparedness/Safety fair day here on Cape Cod to support my new ARES ADEC Henry Brown K1WCC who headed up the event for the Falmouth ARES area of the Cape Cod and Islands ARES District. I was pleased to see the aluminum case kit that I built for him a few years back and the cooler based kit he personally built. I only brought my small camera bag radio kit. It was well attended and organized by Assistant Falmouth EMD Kim Strohm. Several Falmouth ARES folks were there. It was nice to see Henry get interviewed by Falmouth TV. It was also great to see our partners such as CERT, MRC, CC DART, Red Cross, DCR, public safety, MEMA, NWS and many others at the public safety fair.

Display of Cape Cod ARES Go Kits at the Falmouth Public Safety Fair

Close-up of Cape Cod ARES Go Kit

Close-up of Cape Cod ARES Go-Kit

Close-up of a Cape Cod ARES Go-Kit

 

Cape Cod ARES Assistant District Emergency Coordinator, K1WCC-Henry Brown being interviewed on Falmouth Cable Access Television