All

Hello to all..

The following is a special announcement on the ARRL to Host a webinar on the Amateur Radio Response to the 2012 Hurricane Season for Tuesday July 17th, 2012 from 800-930 PM. A link to the story and the complete ARRL web story including registration instructions are listed below:

http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-to-host-webinar-on-amateur-radio-response-to-2012-hurricane-season

The ARRL will host a webinar from 8-9:30 PM EDT Tuesday, July 17 (0000-0130 UTC Wednesday, July 18) to present information about the 2012 hurricane season and the Amateur Radio response. The program will offer presentations from representatives from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) and WX4NHC (the Amateur Radio station at the NHC), the VoIP Hurricane Net, the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) and the ARRL. Webinar registration is open to all, but this informative web session will be of particular interest to those amateurs in hurricane-prone areas. If you are interested in emergency communications and hurricane preparedness and response, you are invited to attend this online presentation.

The following items will be included in the webinar:

•Opening remarks and introduction of presenters.

•Meteorological Overview of the Upcoming Season, presented by VoIP Hurricane Net Director of Operations and ARRL Eastern Massachusetts Section Emergency Coordinator Rob Macedo, KD1CY.

•Amateur Radio WX4NHC at the National Hurricane Center: Who We Are and What We Do and How to Contact WX4NHC and Submit Surface Reports During a Hurricane, presented by WX4NHC Assistant Coordinator Julio Ripoll, WD4R

•WX4NHC Weather Initiatives: APRS, ON-NHC, CARMEN and CWOP Programs and Equipment, presented by WX4NHC Coordinator John McHugh, K4AG

•ARRL Coordination and Interface, presented by ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager Mike Corey, KI1U

•VoIP Hurricane Net, presented by Rob Macedo, KD1CY

•Hurricane Watch Net, presented by Hurricane Watch Net Assistant Net Manager Tom Gerard, KB3ONZ

•Q&A Session and Closing Remarks

To register for this webinar, please click:
https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/472855454

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

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Hello all stations. 

In this message:

…  Update on RACES to ACS transition program.  Bottom line, no changes.
…  Continuation of present RACES organization
…  RACES net training schedule.  NO changes to schedule to the end of this year.
…  Exercise training with Operation “What do I do next?”

Update on RACES to ACS transition program.

As you know, we have been working with MEMA to affect changes to the RACES program since last fall.  Their main premise is for us to reduce the local government use of AR resources providing gap communications in an emergency.  They were concerned that Amateur Radio (AR) is still married to the old Civil Defense model, and that AR needed to fit better in the 21st century modern communication and response doctrine environment.

MEMA’s main goal is that AR should rather focus on situational/incident reporting as part of our response activities under the ESF-2 umbrella, based on what is done in the highly successful SKYWARN model.  They also liked the potential of folding AR personnel with other volunteers into an Auxiliary Communication Service (ACS).  We formed a stakeholder committee that met several times with MEMA personnel we were told were authorized to negotiate with us, and we were led to believe that progress was being made.

Then, inexplicably, the rapid progress to implement the program came to abrupt halt.  MEMA claimed that the AR leadership was telling its membership that “the state was terminating AR” and that “MEMA was going to close their regional offices”.  Both claims were manifestly untrue.  The implementation date slipped from the 1 April date they requested to late April/mid-May.  When it became obvious to me that even a 1 July date would not be met, I requested a meeting to clarify status.  Not only was my request not honored, I received no response for nearly three weeks.  Frankly, I would have been satisfied with MEMA to use 19th century protocols that encourage notes to be responded to.  In my judgment, no one is too busy to show good manners.

After all this effort, I was finally told that MEMA desired to “… continue to use MRAS assets as we have in the past, until the Fall.”  So we will do that with some caveats I will explain in the next section.

Continuation of present RACES organization.  We will continue our organization and manner of “doing business” with the following notatioins:

State RACES:  I will continue as the State RACES Officer until sometime into the Fall.  I will need to be relieved as I have other commitments to attend to on the first of the year.  I also believe that MEMA wants a very cursory presence in the SEOC.  As we also desire more of a local/regional emphasis for this program, I welcome this development.  I am also eager to convert the SEOC to client status, requiring them to request specific services on an as needed basis (excepting Level 4 activations).

Regional RACES:  For years, regional RACES Officers have been serving at the pleasure of the MEMA Regional Directors, coordinating AR communications from resident towns and cities.  As of this writing, many communities insist that AR is the only way they can communicate with the state to receive needed services during a disaster.

Towns and Cities: Communities that cannot avail themselves (for any number of reasons) to more robust state systems, will use AR communications and RACES operators.  We will continue this practice, but also encouraging the following practices:

Attempting to use state resources first, utilizing the plan published in the Massachusetts Interoperable Field Operating Guide (MIFOG).  Please contact me if your EMD has not received this document.

Utilizing communications with neighboring towns and cities for informational exchange and mutual support.  Please discuss this with your EMD, and set it up well before the next disaster.

Utilizing digital communications software for non-tactical communications supporting #2 above.  Please contact any RACES Leader for information

Go ahead with your own ACS conversion.  Design and implement a program to integrate other communication volunteers such as ARES, REACT, MARS, CAP, and other skilled or retired communication professionals interested in volunteer work.  Please contact any RACES Leader for information.

RACES net training schedule.  NO changes to schedule to the end of this year.

We will drill our tactical frequencies as we have since last Fall.  The dates are the first Monday of each month (the next is 7/2), except in September when it is pushed to the second Monday due to the Labor Day Holiday.

Please exercise your resource frequencies at the same time and consider staying on a little longer and play with the ARES folks!

Exercise training with Operation “What do I do next?”.  I would like you to participate in some specific communication exercises for the next three months to be prepared for a possible hurricane strike in September.  This will be detailed in a separate memo I will issue tomorrow or Saturday.

Please have a fun July 4th holiday and safe travels!

Regards and 73,

Michael P. Neilsen, W1MPN
State RACES Officer (Acting);

Member of the MEMT;
Member of the MA State Interoperability Executive Committee (SIEC), and Policies and Programs subcommittee;
Chairperson, Amateur Radio Working Group
Office Answering Service: 978.293.7858
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Steve Ross, N1IBS writes:

We’re doing a bicycle event on Sunday June 24th (Field Day). I am DESPERATE for about 3 or 4 people to help out. I will probably not need people at the water stops in Newburyport, Gloucester and Beverly but more so in positions where there is some confusion along the route. I do not forsee people between Gloucester and Newburyport so it may be more around Beverly and Salem (race starts and ends in Swampscott.

Please let me know as soon as possible if you can get some help for me. I would really appreciate it.

Thanks!

I look forward to hearing from you.

Steve Ross N1IBS
781-592-3765

Bob Salow, WA1IDA writes:

I know we get a lot of requests at this time of year, but this is like no other. We have been asked to support 5K and 10K races inside and outside Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. This is part of a big pre-Independence Day celebration to which the public is invited. The date is Tuesday, 3 July, starting (for us) about 1700.

Obviously, time is short and ham recruiting is problematic. Your assistance is needed. Please respond ASAP. A hand-held dual band radio with a good antenna and charged batteries should do the job.

The sponsor is Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. Our support will be for both concurrent races starting just outside the stadium. The 5K goes around the property and up and down the various ramps. The 10K course hits the streets of the town. Both race courses finish at the 50 yard line on the field.

The stadium ramps and the streets can be hazardous so our observations and reporting are important. There will be medical monitors and water stations along the courses. Note that the start late in the day will help lower the temperature for the runners.

Families and friends are invited to watch the runners. As the sky gets darker there will be a spectacular fireworks display which can be seen from the Patriot Place areas. Free parking will be provided for hams and other volunteers.

Because of the complexities of the two courses, we have been asked to staff many positions. If you can encourage other hams and your club to volunteer, we can show this new venue our skills and help protect the runners.

Let’s make a good showing for this very special event. I will provide specific assignments and further details as we get closer to the date. Let me know if you can help on Tuesday, 3 July as soon as you can. Ask other volunteers to also send me an email. Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

All volunteers must send me the following info:

~ Full name

~ Name on the air

~ Call sign

~ Email address

~ Postal address

~ Home phone

~ Cell phone

~ Dual band radio?

~ Shirt size

Thanks and 73,

Bob Salow, WA1IDA
wa1ida@arrl.net
508.650.9440