Joint Stow-Marlborough ARES Radio Drill and WinLink Training – Saturday 5/6/23 1000 AM-200 PM

To: Stow area ARES and Marlborough ARES Teams
From: Eric Williams, KV1J, Marlborough EMA and Bob Glorioso, W1IS, Stow ARES

We are planning a joint Stow-Marlborough radio exercise the morning of Saturday, May 6, 2023. After lunch, we are planning to hold a training session on the WinLink radio messaging tool at the Marlborough Fire Station Emergency Operations Center. Similar to previous drills, our purpose is test and practice communications capabilities within our region using multiple frequency bands and methods. We will also have a remote station setup at the Crow Island air strip.

One of the areas we want to improve our skills is the ability to communicate text style messages without the dependency of the internet or cellular systems. Over the past couple decades, the WinLink system has been an effective tool for digital message transmission. In the past Marlborough EMA has been using WinLink but the equipment at our EOC used older hardware. We have recently upgraded our equipment as have the Stow ARES group. In the afternoon, Carl Howe, WG1V, will give a presentation to the Stow and Marlborough ARES teams on the use of WinLink.

Schedule for Saturday May 6
1000 – 1030 hrs – Western Middlesex area ARES net on the W1STO Stow Remote Base frequency – 147.435 MHz PL 110.9 Hz
1030 – 1045 hrs – Marlborough EMA net with Stow check-ins – N1EM repeater – 446.675 MHz PL 88.5 Hz
1045 – 1100 hrs – Marlborough EMA secondary freq net – KV1J repeater – 147.240 MHz PL 71.9 Hz
1100 – 1200 hrs – HF tests – 75 meters 3930 or 3940 KHz+- , 60 meters 5330.5 KHz, 6 meters WC1MA MEMA repeater 53.310 MHz pl 71.9 hz
also other bands with Crow Is and also WinLink tests
1200 noon – start to congregate at the Marlborough Fire Station EOC (215 Maple St, Marlborough). Get take-out lunch from Kennedy’s Deli or McDonalds. Both only 400 ft from the station. Eat lunch at the Fire Station.
1300 – 1400 hrs – WinLink presentation by Carl, WG1V, at the Fire Station.

For the Marlborough Team, please let me know if you want to be at the EOC for the morning to operate the radios. Bob will coordinate the Stow operations.

Hope to see you, or at least hear you on the air, on Saturday May 6th. Thank you for your support of our regional emergency radio communications capabilities.

Regards,

Eric Williams, Marlborough Emergency Management, Bob Glorioso, Stow ARES

NWS Boston/Norton SKYWARN Training in New England

SKYWARN logoRob Macedo, KD1CY, writes on the SKYWARN_Announce list:

For the first time since the COVID19 pandemic started in March 2020, NWS Boston/Norton is now offering live/in-person classes for 2023. In addition, one virtual SKYWARN Class will be offered as well.

Additional SKYWARN Training classes are in planning. This includes the following locations:

New Bedford/Acushnet Mass area
Gardner MA
Walpole MA
Northeast HamXposition in Marlborough, Mass (Late August 2023)

The following is the current 2023 NWS Boston/Norton SKYWARN Training Class Schedule for the spring season. Please distribute widely to anyone interested in becoming a SKYWARN Spotter and we will update as additional classes are confirmed! We also noted that 1 class is full and waitlisted and we may consider additional classes near those areas later this year. Links to the schedule showing the full class list and the full class list appears below:

SKYWARN Training Schedule – 2023 – WX1BOX Link: https://wx1box.org/skywarn-training-schedule-2023/

SKYWARN Training Schedule – 2023 – NWS Boston/Norton Link: https://www.weather.gov/box/skywarn#fragment-2a

Full SKYWARN class list below:

Tuesday April 18th, 2023 – 630-830 PM:
Sandwich Police Department
255 Cotuit Road
Sandwich MA 02563
Taught by: NWS Forecaster
Registration is required via Eventbrite at the following link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/skywarn-weather-spotter-training-tickets-581484685347

Wednesday April 19th, 2023 – 630-830 PM:
Spencer Town Hall – Great Hall
157 Main Street
Spencer, MA 01562
Taught by: NWS Forecaster
Registration is required via Eventbrite at the following link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/skywarn-weather-spotter-training-tickets-581490302147

Thursday April 20th, 2023 – 600 PM-800 PM:
UMASS – Lowell Mark & Elisia Sabb
Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center
40 University Avenue
Lowell, MA 01854
Taught by: NWS Forecaster
Registration is required via Eventbrite at the following link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/skywarn-weather-spotter-training-tickets-581490673257

***This class is geared toward the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community***
Wednesday May 3rd, 2023 – 630-830 PM:
The Learning Center for the Deaf
848 Central Street
Framingham, MA 01701
Taught by: NWS Forecaster
Registration is required via Eventbrite at the following link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/deaf-and-hard-of-hearing-skywarn-weather-spotter-training-tickets-581492599017

***This class is geared toward the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community***

Thursday May 4th, 2023 – 500-700 PM:
Providence Emergency Management Agency
591 Charles Street
Providence, RI 02904
Taught by: NWS Forecaster
Registration is required via Eventbrite at the following link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/skywarn-weather-spotter-training-tickets-581492087487

Saturday May 6th, 2023 – 930-1130 AM:
Whitman Police Department
20 Essex Street
Whitman, MA 02382
Taught by: Amateur Radio Coordinator
Registration is required via Eventbrite at the following link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/skywarn-weather-spotter-training-tickets-597779242807

**Class Full – Join Wait List**
Tuesday May 9th, 2023 – 600-800 PM:
Springfield Public Safety Complex
1212 Carew Street
Springfield, MA 01104
Registration is required via Eventbrite at the following link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/skywarn-weather-spotter-training-tickets-581494203817

**Class Full – Join Wait List**

Saturday May 13th, 2023 – 930-1130 AM:
Virtual SKYWARN Training Webinar via GoTo Webinar
Registration is required through the GoTo Webinar process at the
following link:
https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/4366456872229693022

Tuesday May 16th, 2023 – 500-600 PM (Note: This class is limited to one
hour due to facility time constraints):
Oak Bluffs Public Library
56R School Street
Oak Bluffs, MA 02557
Registration is required via Eventbrite at the following link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/skywarn-weather-spotter-training-tickets-581495517747

Tuesday May 30th, 2023 – 600-800 PM:
Elmwood Community Center
1106 New Britain Avenue
West Hartford, CT 06110
Registration is required via Eventbrite at the following link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/west-hartford-skywarn-weather-spotter-training-tickets-597918258607

Again, we will provide updates when new SKYWARN training classes are added to the schedule. Also, if specific groups are interested in a live or virtual class, the Amateur Radio Coordinator team would be able to support those groups as needed. Thanks to all for their support of the NWS Boston/Norton SKYWARN program!

Respectfully Submitted,

Robert Macedo (KD1CY)
ARES SKYWARN Coordinator
Eastern Massachusetts ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
Home Phone #: (508) 994-1875
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
https://ares.ema.arrl.org
https://www.wx1box.org
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Reminder: Eastern Massachusetts ARES Net – Monday April 3rd 2023 at 830 PM on the MMRA Repeater System

Hello to all…

The April Eastern Massachusetts ARES section net will be Monday April 3rd, 2023 at 830 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:
https://mmra.org/repeaters/repeater_linking.html (Click the ARES box to see the repeaters and other systems linked)

We look forward to your participation and remember, we are always looking for Net Controls to run the ARES Net. We will have several announcements for the net Monday evening.

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
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
https://ares.ema.arrl.org
https://www.wx1box.org
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Reminder: April 3rd, 2023 MEMA RACES/ACS Communications Test Net

Hello to all,

      This email is a reminder that tomorrow evening, April 3rd, 2023 is the first non-holiday Monday of the month and, as such, is our RACES/ACS/Preparedness Net night. We will be holding our sector nets on the normally assigned frequencies.

      As always, I am looking for Net Control stations to staff our sector nets for the evening. I will be able to provide net control operations for the Sector 2A net. I am looking for NCS operators to lead the Sector 2B (Plymouth County) net. Sector 2D has already arranged for an NCS operator for this month’s net and Sector 2C is a Winlink only net on a monthly basis.

          The 6-meter net has generally been a very informal net. We have received an update that repairs have been implemented on the repeater. Please report any comms testing on the repeater so that those repairs can be verified.

              For any operators interested in performing the duties of Net Control Station (NCS), there are materials available to make the task fairly simple and straight forward. The net pre-amble and role call lists are available at http://wc1mab.org/RACES_R2_Interim_Preamble.pdf and http://wc1mab.org/Month.php with the role call lists on the left column near the bottom. If anyone is worried that they mess up running a net, please remember that, in many cases, a less than perfect net is WAY better than no net at all! At the conclusion of any net, any operator that acted as Net Control Operator should send a note to WC1MAB@gmail.com letting me know who ran the net and who checked in so that the proper numbers can be reported to our served agencies. We can not always count on our normal net control operators to be available in the event of a large scale emergency, so every RACES operator should be prepared to act as NCO if needed when disaster and emergency strikes!

Winlink Net Instructions From Don Rolph: 

*Winlink Net*

To participate:

– create a check-in form using the Winlink standard checkin form

– send via Winlink after 6 AM EST Mon. Apr 3rd  and before midnight EST April 4th (any mode, but include mode in check-in form) to KF1D

   I continue to ask that any operators who have the time, please try to check into sector nets from near-by sections. This will allow our Net Control Operators to practice fielding nets with a strong check-in count and will also serve to help practice with relays or modified sector assignments in the event that a single repeater is out of service. 

   For those operators who serve as Net Control Operators, please try to remember to send me a list of the stations and communities that check into your nets. The numbers are reported to MEMA to show them our level of participation. I am continuing to work on a graphical map based report to show which parts of our section have strong coverage and which areas may need a more targeted recruitment campaign to improve our ability to provide back-up communications in an emergency.

The Region #2 and State Net Schedule for this evening is as follows:

Net Frequency/Offset Time
Sector 2A 147.00 /+0.60  PL 19:30 Local
Sector 2B 145.39/-0.60  PL 67.0 20:00 Local
Sector 2C Winlink Net Check-In 6AM-Midnight Local Time
Sector 2D 146.865/-0.60  PL 103.5 19:30 Local
6-Meter State Net 53.31 / -1.0  PL 71.9  

 

Note: 53.31 has been reported as being repaired and back online. Please report tests on this repeater so that we can verify the repairs/improvements made to the repeater.

19:00 Local
MA RACES HF Net 3930 KHz LSB moving up to 3955 KHz until there is a clear frequency 18:45 Local
MA MEMA NBEMS Net Frequency:  3584.5 MHx, Center Frequency: 1500 Hz, Initial mode: THOR22 19:00 Local

    I appreciate you all answering the call to help our communities remain prepared. Thank you all for helping us keep things on track and prove that we remain a consistent source of communication capability to the Commonwealth. This net provides a monthly reminder to our communities and served agencies that we stand ready with a quiet professionalism prepared to serve as a voice to whomever needs one to get help and resources to where they need to be.

 If you know someone who would benefit from being on this list, please have them contact me at   WC1MAB@gmail.com and I will add them to this distribution. Thank you all!

      If anyone has any questions or comments I can be reached by e-mail or cell phone. Thanks for being a part of our team and I look forward to hearing back on who can participate this month.

Sincerely,

Michael Leger (N1YLQ)

MEMA Region #2 RACES Officer

C: 386-566-7666

Massachusetts RACES Nets – Monday 4/3/23 for HF, Region 2D VHF, NBEMS & Winlink – Times and Details Below

Don Rolph-AB1PH, Walpole area ARES Emergency Coordinator writes:

The MEMA RACES nets are held on the first Monday of the month, unless the first Monday is a holiday, when it is delayed one week,
For April 2023, the RACES nets will be held on Mon April 3.
The RACES nets will be held on Mon April 3 at:

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

The HF net will start at 6:45 PM ET: 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 ET 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. If there is time, we will have a simplex test.
Jim Repetti WJ1R will be net control.

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

HF NBEMS net:
7:00 PM ET
Dial Frequency: 3584.5 MHx
Center Frequency: 1500 Hz
Initial mode: THOR22
We will have checkins, followed by an ICS-213 format message using FLMSG.
Don Rolph AB1PH will be net control.

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

Winlink Net:
Between 0600 ET on Mon April 3 and 2400 ET on April 3, please send a Winlink checkin form to Bryan Marcotte KF1D

We look forward to you checking in!

73,
AB1PH
Don Rolph
_._,_._,_

Eastern Massachusetts Hospital Net – Saturday April 1st 2023 at 1000 AM ET

Jeff-N1SOM-Secretary of the South Shore Hospital (SSH) group writes:

Good evening,

On Saturday April 1, 2023, the South Shore Health Amateur Radio Group will hold an Eastern MA Hospital Net commencing at 10:00AM. We realize that the usual locations for some individuals and groups are still unavailable due to ongoing COVID restrictions. We encourage everyone who is affected by these restrictions to utilize their home or mobile stations to check into the net.

We will use the following repeaters and NEDECN DMR system in the order listed.

1. Attleboro Repeater 147.195 tone 127.3
2. Plymouth Repeater 146.685 tone 131.8​
3. DMR -Talkgroup 8851 Time Slot :1 on the following NEDECN repeaters: Boston 449.175 -5.M CC:1, Hingham 146.430 -1.5M CC:1, Bourne 145.200 –0.6M CC:10, Dennis 146.470 -1.5M CC:11, East. Falmouth 145.210 -0.600 CC:9, Martha’s Vineyard145.180 -0.600 CC:10, and Walpole 145.380 -0.600 CC:12.
4. Sharon Repeater 146.865 tone 103.5
5. Attleboro Repeater for 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, EOC of any city or town as well as RACES or ARES members to check in during the NET.

We are always looking for groups or organizations to try their hand at Net Control duties. If you are interested in trying your hand at Net Control please let us know. We can be reached by sending an email to ssharg@outlook.com or replying to this message. The goal is to rotate Net Control practice and the experience among as many individuals and groups as possible.

We thank the repeater trustees for their generosity in allowing us to conduct these monthly nets and the use of their systems in an actual event.

We hope to hear you Saturday.

Jeff N1SOM, Secretary, and the SSH group
N1SOM – W1SSH

South Shore Health Amateur Radio Group
55 Fogg Rd. Mail-Stop 42
South Weymouth, MA 02190
_._,_._,_

Reminder: March 6th, 2023 MEMA RACES/ACS Communications Test Net

Mike Leger-N1YLQ-Region 2 RACES Radio Officer writes:

Hello to all,

      This email is a reminder that tomorrow evening, March 6th, 2023 is the first non-holiday Monday of the month and, as such, is our RACES/ACS/Preparedness Net night. We will be holding our sector nets on the normally assigned frequencies.

      As always, I am looking for Net Control stations to staff our sector nets for the evening. This month I will be on my assigned shift for Acushnet EMS and will be unable to run the Sector 2A net reliably. If anyone is available and interested in covering the net, please let me know.  I am looking for NCS operators to lead the Sector 2B (Plymouth County) net. Sector 2D has already arranged for an NCS operator for this month’s net and Sector 2C is a Winlink only net on a monthly basis.

           The 6-meter net has generally been a very informal net. We have received an update that repairs have been implemented on the repeater. Please report any comms testing on the repeater so that those repairs can be verified.

              For any operators interested in performing the duties of Net Control Station (NCS), there are materials available to make the task fairly simple and straight forward. The net pre-amble and role call lists are available at http://wc1mab.org/RACES_R2_Interim_Preamble.pdf and http://wc1mab.org/Month.php with the role call lists on the left column near the bottom. If anyone is worried that they mess up running a net, please remember that, in many cases, a less than perfect net is WAY better than no net at all! At the conclusion of any net, any operator that acted as Net Control Operator should send a note to WC1MAB@gmail.com letting me know who ran the net and who checked in so that the proper numbers can be reported to our served agencies. We can not always count on our normal net control operators to be available in the event of a large scale emergency, so every RACES operator should be prepared to act as NCO if needed when disaster and emergency strikes!

Winlink Net Instructions From Don Rolph: 

*Winlink Net*

To participate:

– create a check-in form using the Winlink standard checkin form

– send via Winlink after 6 AM EST Mon. Mar 6th  and before midnight EST Mar 7th (any mode, but include mode in check-in form) to KF1D

   I continue to ask that any operators who have the time, please try to check into sector nets from near-by sections. This will allow our Net Control Operators to practice fielding nets with a strong check-in count and will also serve to help practice with relays or modified sector assignments in the event that a single repeater is out of service. 

   For those operators who serve as Net Control Operators, please try to remember to send me a list of the stations and communities that check into your nets. The numbers are reported to MEMA to show them our level of participation. I am continuing to work on a graphical map based report to show which parts of our section have strong coverage and which areas may need a more targeted recruitment campaign to improve our ability to provide back-up communications in an emergency.

The Region #2 and State Net Schedule for this evening is as follows:

Net Frequency/Offset Time
Sector 2A 147.00 /+0.60  PL 19:30 Local
Sector 2B 145.39/-0.60  PL 67.0 20:00 Local
Sector 2C Winlink Net Check-In 6AM-Midnight Local Time
Sector 2D 146.865/-0.60  PL 103.5 19:30 Local
6-Meter State Net 53.31 / -1.0  PL 71.9  

 

Note: 53.31 has been reported as being repaired and back online. Please report tests on this repeater so that we can verify the repairs/improvements made to the repeater.

19:00 Local
MA RACES HF Net 3930 KHz LSB moving up to 3955 KHz until there is a clear frequency 18:45 Local
MA MEMA NBEMS Net Frequency:  3584.5 MHx, Center Frequency: 1500 Hz, Initial mode: THOR22 19:00 Local

    I appreciate you all answering the call to help our communities remain prepared. Thank you all for helping us keep things on track and prove that we remain a consistent source of communication capability to the Commonwealth. This net provides a monthly reminder to our communities and served agencies that we stand ready with a quiet professionalism prepared to serve as a voice to whomever needs one to get help and resources to where they need to be.

 If you know someone who would benefit from being on this list, please have them contact me at   WC1MAB@gmail.com and I will add them to this distribution. Thank you all!

      If anyone has any questions or comments I can be reached by e-mail or cell phone. Thanks for being a part of our team and I look forward to hearing back on who can participate this month.

Sincerely,

Michael Leger (N1YLQ)

MEMA Region #2 RACES Officer

C: 386-566-7666

Eastern Massachusetts ARES Net – Monday March 6th 2023 at 830 PM on the MMRA Repeater System

Hello to all…

The March Eastern Massachusetts ARES section net will be Monday March 6th, 2023 at 830 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:
https://mmra.org/repeaters/repeater_linking.html (Click the ARES box to see the repeaters and other systems linked)

We look forward to your participation and remember, we are always looking for Net Controls to run the ARES Net. We will have several announcements for the net Monday evening.

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
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
https://ares.ema.arrl.org
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Massachusetts RACES Nets – Monday 3/6/23 for HF, Region 2D VHF, NBEMS & Winlink – Times and Details Below

Don Rolph-AB1PH-Norfolk County ARES Emergency Coordinator writes:

The MEMA RACES nets are held on the first Monday of the month, unless the first Monday is a holiday, when it is delayed one week, For Mar. 2023, the RACES nets will be held on Mon Mar. 6. The RACES nets will be held on Mon Mar. 6 at:

********************************************************************************
The HF net will start at 6:45 PM ET: 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 ET 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. If there is time, we will have a simplex test.

Jeff Marden N1JCM will be net control.
********************************************************************************
HF NBEMS net:
7:00 PM ET
Dial Frequency: 3584.5 MHx
Center Frequency: 1500 Hz
Initial mode: THOR22
We will have checkins, followed by an ICS-213 format message using FLMSG.

Bryan Marcotte KF1D will be net control.
*********************************************************************************
Winlink Net:
Between 0600 ET on Mon Mar. 6 and 2400 ET on Mar. 6, please send a Winlink checkin form to Bryan Marcotte KF1D

We look forward to you checking in!

73,
AB1PH
Don Rolph
_._,_._,_

Eastern Massachusetts Hospital Net (EMHN) – Saturday 3/4/23 at 1000 AM ET

Jeff-N1SOM-Secretary of South Shore Hospital Group:

Good evening,

On Saturday March 4, 2023, the South Shore Health Amateur Radio Group will hold an Eastern MA Hospital Net commencing at 10AM. We realize that the usual locations for some individuals and groups are still unavailable due to ongoing COVID restrictions. We encourage everyone who is affected by these restrictions to utilize their home or mobile stations to check into the net.

We will use the following repeaters and NEDECN DMR system in the order listed.

1. W. Bridgewater Repeater 146.775 dcs 244
2. Bridgewater Repeater 147.180 tone 67.0
3. Boston Repeater 145.230 tone encode 88.5 tone decode 100.0
4. DMR – EMHN Talkgroup 8851 Time Slot 1 on select NEDECN repeaters:
Boston 449.175 CC1, Hingham 146.430 -1.5M CC1, Bourne 145.200 CC10, Dennis 146.470 -1.5M CC11, and Martha’s Vineyard145.180 CC10, Walpole 145.380 -0.600 CC12 repeaters
5. Return to the W. Bridgewater Repeater for 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, EOC of any city or town as well as RACES or ARES members to check in during the NET.

We are always looking for groups or organizations to try their hand at Net Control duties. If you are interested in trying your hand at Net Control please let us know. We can be reached by sending an email to ssharg@outlook.com or replying to this message. The goal is to rotate Net Control practice and the experience among as many individuals and groups as possible.

We thank the repeater trustees for their generosity in allowing us to conduct these monthly nets and the use of their systems in an actual event.

We hope to hear you Saturday.

Jeff N1SOM, Secretary, and the SSH group
N1SOM – W1SSH

South Shore Health Amateur Radio Group
55 Fogg Rd. Mail-Stop 42
South Weymouth, MA 02190

Report of Sat Feb. 18, Norfolk County Emergency Preparedness (NCEP) Digital Training net

Don Rolph-AB1PH – Walpole Area ARES Emergency Coordinator writes:

We held an NCEP Digital training net on Sat Feb. 18 at 10 AM EST.

The purpose of this net was to try to smooth out some issues which surfaced during the Feb SET.

The participants were:

AB1PH Don Walpole MA NCS
WZ0C Michale Maynard MA
K1HRV Dave Millis MA
KF1D Bryan Blackstone, MA

The net was called at 10 AM EST and closed at 10:25 AM EST

We were a strictly directed net: no station transmitted unless called on. This appeared to work smoothly and appears to address some of the race conditions we saw during the Feb 4 SET NBEMS net.

We will continue with the formal directed net with stations only responding when called on for a bit and ensure that it is stable.

We passed an original message and three replies during the 25 minute net. The messages took about 1 1/2 minutes each to send.

We had a round of comments.

In addition to the four direct attendees, the following had their station on frequency but unattended and successfully copied the messages:

– Alan WA1AR
– Phil KB1CYO

The ability of the digital systems to receive messages while unattended provides a flexibility for the FLDIGI stations which we dont have with voice nets

My thanks to all who participated in this training session. I believe it clarified the situation regarding the need for strictly directed nets.

Have a great weekend, and a great holiday!

73,
AB1PH
Don Rolph

Eastern Massachusetts Hospital Net – Saturday February 11, 2023 at 1000 AM ET

Good evening,

On Saturday February 11, 2023, the South Shore Health Amateur Radio Group will hold an Eastern MA Hospital Net commencing at 10AM. We realize that the usual locations for some individuals and groups are still unavailable due to ongoing COVID restrictions. We encourage everyone who is affected by these restrictions to utilize their home or mobile stations to check into the net.

We will use the following repeaters and NEDECN DMR system in the order listed.

1. Plymouth Repeater 146.685 tone 131.8
2. DMR – EMHN Talkgroup 8851 Time Slot 1 on select NEDECN repeaters:
Boston 449.175 CC1, Hingham 146.430 -1.5M CC1, Bourne 145.200 CC10, Dennis 146.470 -1.5M CC11, and Martha’s Vineyard145.180 CC10, Walpole 145.380 -0.600 CC12 repeaters
3. Falmouth Repeater 147.375 tone 110.9
4. Sharon Repeater 146.865 tone 103.5
5. Return to the Plymouth Repeater for 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, EOC of any city or town as well as RACES or ARES members to check in during the NET.

We are always looking for groups or organizations to try their hand at Net Control duties. If you are interested in trying your hand at Net Control please let us know. We can be reached by sending an email to ssharg@outlook.com or replying to this message. The goal is to rotate Net Control practice and the experience among as many individuals and groups as possible.

We thank the repeater trustees for their generosity in allowing us to conduct these monthly nets and the use of their systems in an actual event.

We hope to hear you Saturday.

Jeff N1SOM, Secretary, and the SSH group
N1SOM – W1SSH

South Shore Health Amateur Radio Group
55 Fogg Rd. Mail-Stop 42
South Weymouth, MA 02190

Eastern Massachusetts ARES Net – Monday February 6th 2023 at 830 PM on the MMRA Repeater System

Hello to all…

The February Eastern Massachusetts ARES section net will be Monday February 6th, 2023 at 830 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:
https://mmra.org/repeaters/repeater_linking.html (Click the ARES box to see the repeaters and other systems linked)

We look forward to your participation and remember, we are always looking for Net Controls to run the ARES Net. We will have several announcements for the net this evening.

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
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
https://ares.ema.arrl.org
https://www.wx1box.org
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Reminder: Feb 6th, 2023 MEMA RACES/ACS Communications Test Net

Hello to all,

      This email is a reminder that this evening, February 6th, 2023 is the first non-holiday Monday of the month and, as such, is our RACES/ACS/Preparedness Net night. We will be holding our sector nets on the normally assigned frequencies.

      As always, I am looking for Net Control stations to staff our sector nets for the evening. This month I plan to be able to run the Sector 2A net, however, iff anyone is available and interested in covering the net, please let me know.  I am looking for NCS operators to lead the Sector 2B (Plymouth County) net. Sector 2D has already arranged for an NCS operator for this month’s net and Sector 2C is a Winlink only net on a monthly basis.

           The 6-meter net has generally been a very informal net. We have received an update that repairs have been implemented on the repeater. Please report any comms testing on the repeater so that those repairs can be verified.

For any operators interested in performing the duties of Net Control Station (NCS), there are materials available to make the task fairly simple and straight forward. The net pre-amble and role call lists are available at http://wc1mab.org/RACES_R2_Interim_Preamble.pdf and http://wc1mab.org/Month.php with the role call lists on the left column near the bottom. If anyone is worried that they mess up running a net, please remember that, in many cases, a less than perfect net is WAY better than no net at all! At the conclusion of any net, any operator that acted as Net Control Operator should send a note to WC1MAB@gmail.com letting me know who ran the net and who checked in so that the proper numbers can be reported to our served agencies. We can not always count on our normal net control operators to be available in the event of a large scale emergency, so every RACES operator should be prepared to act as NCO if needed when disaster and emergency strikes!

Winlink Net Instructions From Don Rolph: 

*Winlink Net*

To participate:

– create a check-in form using the Winlink standard checkin form

– send via Winlink after 6 AM EST Mon. Feb 6th  and before midnight EST Feb 7th (any mode, but include mode in check-in form) to KF1D

   I continue to ask that any operators who have the time, please try to check into sector nets from near-by sections. This will allow our Net Control Operators to practice fielding nets with a strong check-in count and will also serve to help practice with relays or modified sector assignments in the event that a single repeater is out of service. 

   For those operators who serve as Net Control Operators, please try to remember to send me a list of the stations and communities that check into your nets. The numbers are reported to MEMA to show them our level of participation. I am continuing to work on a graphical map based report to show which parts of our section have strong coverage and which areas may need a more targeted recruitment campaign to improve our ability to provide back-up communications in an emergency.

The Region #2 and State Net Schedule for this evening is as follows:

Net Frequency/Offset Time
Sector 2A 147.00 /+0.60  PL 19:30 Local
Sector 2B 145.39/-0.60  PL 67.0 20:00 Local
Sector 2C Winlink Net Check-In 6AM-Midnight Local Time
Sector 2D 146.865/-0.60  PL 103.5 19:30 Local
6-Meter State Net 53.31 / -1.0  PL 71.9  

 

Note: 53.31 has been reported as being repaired and back online. Please report tests on this repeater so that we can verify the repairs/improvements made to the repeater.

19:00 Local
MA RACES HF Net 3930 KHz LSB moving up to 3955 KHz until there is a clear frequency 18:45 Local
MA MEMA NBEMS Net Frequency:  3584.5 MHx, Center Frequency: 1500 Hz, Initial mode: THOR22 19:00 Local

    I appreciate you all answering the call to help our communities remain prepared. Thank you all for helping us keep things on track and prove that we remain a consistent source of communication capability to the Commonwealth. This net provides a monthly reminder to our communities and served agencies that we stand ready with a quiet professionalism prepared to serve as a voice to whomever needs one to get help and resources to where they need to be.

 If you know someone who would benefit from being on this list, please have them contact me at   WC1MAB@gmail.com and I will add them to this distribution. Thank you all!

      If anyone has any questions or comments I can be reached by e-mail or cell phone. Thanks for being a part of our team and I look forward to hearing back on who can participate this month.

Sincerely,

Michael Leger (N1YLQ)

MEMA Region #2 RACES Officer

C: 386-566-7666

Massachusetts RACES Nets – Monday 2/6/23 for HF, Region 2D VHF, NBEMS & Winlink – Times and Details Below

Don Rolph-AB1PH-Norfolk County ARES Emergency Coordinator writes:

The MEMA RACES nets are held on the first Monday of the month, unless the first Monday is a holiday, when it is delayed one week,
For Feb. 2023, the RACES nets will be held on Mon Feb. 6.

The RACES nets will be held on Mon Feb. 6 at:

********************************************************************************
The HF net will start at 6:45 PM ET: 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 ET 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. If there is time, we will have a simplex test.
Don Rolph using WA1PLE will be net control.
********************************************************************************
HF NBEMS net:
7:00 PM ET
Dial Frequency: 3584.5 MHx
Center Frequency: 1500 Hz
Initial mode: THOR22

We will have checkins, followed by an ICS-213 format message using FLMSG.
Don Rolph AB1PH will be net control.
*********************************************************************************
Winlink Net:
Between 0600 ET on Mon Feb. 6 and 2400 ET on Feb. 6, please send a Winlink checkin form to Don Rolph AB1PH
We look forward to you checking in!

73,
AB1PH
Don Rolph

Eastern Massachusetts ARES Exercise “Winter Wipeout” – Saturday 2/4/23 – 1000 AM-1200 PM ET

Hello to all…

Understanding it is short notice, Eastern Massachusetts ARES will be doing an ARES exercise for Saturday 2/4/23 at 1000 AM-1200 PM. Our scenario will be customized from the Cape Cod ARES district. The following is the Eastern Mass ARES exercise document that we wanted to deliver before this weekend. See Eastern Mass ARES Exercise – Winter Wipeout document for all of the pertinent info. We look forward to everyone that can participate understanding the short notice but also understanding given the extreme cold conditions forecast for Saturday, what could be better than “warming up” by the Amateur Radio and participating in the exercise where we will also be looking for some real world weather data reflective of the extreme cold conditions. 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
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
https://ares.ema.arrl.org
https://www.wx1box.org
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Eastern Massachusetts Hospital Net (EMHN) Moved to Saturday 2/11/23 at 1000 AM ET

Good morning,

This coming Saturday is the first Saturday of the month during which we usually hold the Eastern MA Hospital Net.

Given the weather forecast for Saturday morning with severe and dangerously cold temperatures, we decided it best to postpone the Net until the following Saturday, February 11 @ 10AM.

Stay warm
Regards,
John O’Neill – K1JRO
W1SSH Group

Eastern Massachusetts ARES Net – Monday January 9th 2023 at 830 PM on the MMRA Repeater System

Hello to all…

The January Eastern Massachusetts ARES section net will be Monday January 9th, 2023 at 830 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:
https://mmra.org/repeaters/repeater_linking.html (Click the ARES box to see the repeaters and other systems linked)

We look forward to your participation and remember, we are always looking for Net Controls to run the ARES Net. We will have several announcements for the net this evening as we kickoff 2023.

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
Home/Data #: (508) 997-4503
Email Address: rmacedo@rcn.com
https://ares.ema.arrl.org
https://www.wx1box.org
Like us on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/wx1box
Follow us on Twitter – https://twitter.com/wx1box

Massachusetts RACES Nets – Monday 1/9/23 for HF, Region 2D VHF, NBEMS & Winlink – Times and Details Below

Don Rolph-AB1PH, Norfolk County ARES Emergency Coordinator writes:

The MEMA RACES nets are held on the first Monday of the month, unless the first Monday is a holiday, when it is delayed one week,
For Jan 2023, since the first Monday Jan 2 is a state holiday, the RACES nets will be held on Mon Jan 9.
The Races nets will be held on Mon Jan 9 at:

********************************************************************************
The HF net will start at 6:45 PM ET: 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 ET 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. If there is time, we will have a simplex test.

Don Rolph using WA1PLE will be net control.
********************************************************************************
HF NBEMS net:
7:00 PM ET
Dial Frequency: 3584.5 MHx
Center Frequency: 1500 Hz
Initial mode: THOR22

We will have checkins, followed by an ICS-213 format message using FLMSG.
Don Rolph AB1PH will be net control.
*********************************************************************************
Winlink Net:
Between 0600 ET on Mon Jan 9 and 2400 ET on Jan 9, please send a Winlink checkin form to Bryan Marcotte KF1D

We look forward to you checking in!

73,
AB1PH
Don Rolph

Eastern Massachusetts Hospital Net – Saturday 1/7/23 at 1000 AM ET

John O’Neill-K1JRO EMA ARES – DEC Healthcare Liaison writes:

Hello Everyone,

Net Control for the January 2023 Eastern MA Hospital Net scheduled for Saturday 1/7/23 at 10 AM will be Nicholas Rondeau from the Mansfield Emergency Management Agency. The net will commence at the usual time of 10AM using the following repeaters in the order listed. 

1. W.Bridgewater 146.775 DCS 244
2. Attleboro 147.195 Tone 127.3 (Sturdy Memorial Hospital)
3. Dartmouth 147.000 Tone 67.0
4. Sharon 146.865 Tone 103.5 

We will not be conducting a DMR test this month. 

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. 

We are always looking for groups or organizations to try their hand at Net Control duties. If you are interested in giving Net Control a try please let us know. We can be reached by sending an email to ssharg@outlook.com. The goal is to rotate Net Control practice and the experience among as many individuals and groups as possible.

South Shore Hospital Amateur Radio Group is seeking licensed Amateur Radio Operators to join our group. For information on joining us please contact us at ssharg@outlook.com.

We thank the repeater trustees for their continued generosity in allowing us to conduct the monthly nets and the use of their systems in an actual event. The following list of repeaters is 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. 

Analog 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

Digital (DMR) Repeaters.

We have the ability to utilize a TalkGroup on some of the repeaters that are part of the NEDECN Network. Boston, Hingham, Bourne, Dennis, Walpole, and Martha’s Vineyard.

We look forward to hearing you all on the Net. 

Respectfully,

John O’Neill K1JRO
President, South Shore Health Amateur Radio Group
EMA ARES – DEC Healthcare Liaison