N1YLQ-Mike “Sparky” Leger – MEMA Region 2 RACES Radio Officer writes:
Hello to all,
As we head deeper into the summer I hope this note finds everyone well! With particularly active weather patterns we have all had quite a few opportunities to remain “radio-active” with Skywarn activations in the last month or so. This email is the typical monthly message to let everyone know that Monday evening, August 7th, 2023 will be the next RACES/ACS/Preparedness Net night.
Last month the Sector 2A net did not occur as the net control (ME) got tied up at the last minute and was unable to be on frequency at the appointed net time. While this is definitely a less than ideal situation, it really should not have caused the net to not happen at all. I’d like to remind all operators that, if there is a scheduled net and no Net Control Operator identifies themselves within a few minutes of the scheduled net time, any RACES/ACS operator on the frequency can and should take the helm and kick off the net to the best of their ability. If you don’t have the proper preamble and role call list that is OK! Just do your best, ask for check-ins (and if you can note who is a RACES/ACS operator vs General Interest operator that would be helpful, but not an absolute requirement), and have a quick net with a round of comments on the going-ons in the emergency radio community for the past month. In those cases, the simplex test can be optional. After the net or within a few days of it… just shoot an email with the check-ins and a quick blurb about the net to WC1MAB@gmail.com so it can be logged. As a group that is prepared to deal with emergencies and the unexpected… a late or absent net control operator should definitely not be something to completely derail our monthly net. Quite a few of us have other side tasks, jobs and hobbies that can take us away from the microphone unexpectedly ad the last minute so, while not common, a missing scheduled NCO shouldn’t be completely unanticipated!
As always, I am looking for Net Control stations to staff our sector nets for the evening. This month I expect to be able to run the Sector 2A net, but having a backup operator ready just incase may not be a terrible idea. I am also 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. With this repeater back in operation, please report any comms testing on the repeater and the results of those tests.
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. August 7th and before midnight EST August 8th (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: 508_995_0203 ß New Number
Are you interested in becoming an activator for the ARRL VOTA Fall operating week? The dates for the fall schedule are November 1 through 7.