WMØG: “Emergency Communications”

photo of Jack Ciaccia, WM0GBy Jack Ciaccia, WMØG
ARRL New England Division Assistant Director
Emergency Communications & Public Service

I was recently appointed by Fred, AB1OC, to help the many amateur radio EmComm organizations in New England. My charter includes ARES, traffic handling, SKYWARN, RACES, and Public Service organizations. The plan is to:

  • Encourage participation in EmComm & Public Service activities
  • Encourage the development and sharing of Training Programs
  • Encourage developing and sharing resource contact information, training data, and
    preparedness exercise information.
  • Provide for publicizing these programs across the division and the ARRL.

First, some credentials: I am a New Englander, born in Rhode Island, and educated in RI and England. I’m a Vietnam-era Air Force veteran. After the Air Force, Sanders Associates hired me as an Electronic Countermeasures technical representative. Later, I worked for GTE/Sylvania, where we developed the first bar code reading systems. We lived in Nashua, New Hampshire before I made a career move and relocated my family to Colorado in 1983. I worked in the electronics industry as a sales and marketing executive for major electronics manufacturers and as the General Manager of a worldwide electronics distributor. Later, I started my business as president and owner of a custom power supply design and manufacturing company and later as a manufacturers representative for many well-known electronic companies. I retired in 2018. We decided to move back to Nashua in 2020.

I’m an Extra-Class ham with w/20 wpm code, and I’ve been a ham since I was a teenager in 1957 when I got my original Novice call sign, KN1IVY. I have emergency communications experience from my previous ARES and ARRL positions in Colorado. I was president of the Boulder Amateur Radio Club for ten years. I was Emergency Coordinator for Boulder County ARES for over ten years and a member of that organization for thirty-five years. I was appointed Assistant Section Manager for two years and then Colorado Section Manager for nine years. As the EC and as SM, during that time, I coordinated and participated in over twenty-five major wildfire events and the 2013 flood that paralyzed the Front Range of the Rockies. So, like James Taylor sang, “I’ve Seen Fire, and I’ve Seen Rain.”

I also helped create three new laws in the State of Colorado along with my SEC/SGL and Colorado state legislators from both sides. On behalf of Colorado hams, the State adopted PRB-1 as a rule for ham radio antenna ordinances to the cities and counties. Another was an amendment to a proposed law to exempt rural ham radio towers from being painted red and white according to a new FAA regulation on behalf of crop dusting aircraft that was meant for the temporary gas and oil exploration towers—and we got another amendment exempting ham radio operators from the law prohibiting the use of handheld devices in moving vehicles.

We also created Colorado Auxcomm, which gave our ARES leaders positions within the Colorado Division of Public Safety and the Colorado Department of Homeland Security. Within the law, there’s a provision for any participating Auxcomm or ARES members to be covered under Colorado State workman’s compensation for any injury incurred during any emergency- related event, including training exercises. That law also protects those hams from liability and torts in the event of any accident they might be responsible for during an emergency or practice.

Here is something I wrote a few years ago concerning the future of ARES:

ARES, as we know it, is changing dynamically and will continue to do so in the coming years. Our served agencies will continue to define our organization, mission, and purpose, and our future will depend on our mission capabilities and operators’ training, qualifications, and credentials.

It used to be that all you had to do in an emergency was to be a Good Samaritan ham radio operator with a handi-talkie on your belt, show up at the EOC and get assigned to assist with some communication needs – pretty simple. And they usually did a good job! Why was that? Because our served agencies had radios and a communications system that typically needed more flexibility and interoperability to communicate in multi-agency or multi-location events.

What changed? The first big answer to that is that 9/11 happened. Ham radio played a huge role in maintaining communication in a nightmarish interoperability scenario when the typical telephone and land mobile system infrastructure was either gone or overloaded. Federal, State, and local agencies said radio interoperability issues and land-based communication systems constructed on vast and complex communications infrastructures for our first responders would have to change, which made the guys with the “bat-wings” smile a lot. These new systems would create a need for more modern communications devices, creating more “bat-wing” smiles. What else happened? Hurricane Katrina happened – same issues as with 9/11. Then the Haiti earthquake occurred – more of the same problems, but even worse, complicated by the lack of a structured communication system.

So, what happened? In both cases, ham radio was integral in getting some communications up and running when the existing infrastructure was gone or overloaded. The onslaught of multiple agencies arrived at these disasters with interoperability issues, further exasperating the glaring weaknesses of the old or non-existent communication systems.

The Government poured a massive amount of $$$ into the problem. The $$$ went to DHS, FEMA, State EOCs, and others. Eventually, some of this $$$ even found its way to local ARES groups in a splendid example of the “trickle down” theory. But now that those ARES groups accepted the Federal or State $$$, Guess what? The agencies where the $$$ came from have defined the new rules that those ARES groups will play under from here on out.

How does that affect ARES? More reliable communication systems are available today to our served agencies. With just a handi-talkie on his belt, that Good Samaritan ham is now useless to them. The EOCs and the OEMs want and expect radio operators trained and credentialed. The modern ARES ham will have ICS and NIMS certifications, provide valued skills, possess modern radio equipment, and have accessibility to modes and frequencies that our served agencies cannot access.

The new requirements will cause a paradigm shift in how ARES members train and respond. Do you remember the large VHF /UHF repeater groups that provided Autopatch capability to hams? And do you remember what happened to their membership numbers once the cell phone became omnipresent? The ARES groups that adapt and conform to these changes will survive and thrive. The others that refuse to change may go the way of the Dodo Bird.

In a Related Issue:

Attention PIOs: ARES needs good press. What’s so crucial about Public Relations? It gives us CPR – Community Recognition, Protection, and Recruitment. When we do something good, or people we’re associated with are doing something good, we like to have it recognized. One of the reasons amateur radio exists is to provide service to the public. A positive perception of amateur radio translates into allies and helps build support for us among neighbors, educators, corporate leaders, and government officials.

WM0G Public Service article

 

Boulder Co Sherrif's Office commendation to Boulder Co. ARES (WM0G)

FEMA Award

POTA Meet Up, Allenstown NH, May 20, 2023

Eric Pfeifer N1JUR, writes on May 20, 2023 at 8:24 AM:

Looking at the forecast the rain is to start around 2:30/3pm. So I’ve decided that we’re going to move up the time an hour (12 to 4pm) to get the event in before the rain comes.

Bear Brook has a covered pavilion so you can setup there if you want. Otherwise feel free to bring an easy up.

Also if you want to come earlier I will be there around 11:30am.

Hope to see you all there.

POTA Meet Up flyerEric Pfeifer, N1JUR, writes:

We are gathering on May 20th from 1 to 4 pm at Bear Brook State Park Pavilion (399 Deerfield Road, Allenstown, NH).

This is a great way to learn more about Parks on the Air (POTA), or maybe you’re a Technician and want to get on the air (we’ll be operating our club call N1QC).

We will have at least two stations set up, so if you prefer to come and operate, you are more than welcome. But bring your gear to share what you’ve been working on.

Please free free to spread the word, and you can download our flyer here.

If you have any questions, please email me at n1jur.nh@gmail.com.

ARRL Survey Reminder

ARRL logoOn May 1st, ARRL began a survey for members to provide feedback on some changes it’s considering to ARRL dues and membership.  The ARRL survey will remain open until May 31st.  It is very important that you take a few moments and share with the League your opinions how changes could be made to ensure the long-term viability of ARRL.  Raising dues is not something any organization enjoys doing, but this will mark only the second time in 22 years that ARRL is considering it.

Your input is very important to the League.  The decisions ARRL leadership is considering should be influenced by all members. If you have already taken the survey, thank you! If you haven’t yet, please do so soon.

The results from the survey will be tabulated and shared with members on the ARRL website in June.  Responses will ultimately help guide the future of ARRL.  The survey is only available to ARRL members.  Why?  Because you have a stake in the outcome! 

Please make sure you log into www.arrl.org to participate.

Thank you for being an active member, and for your ongoing support of amateur radio and ARRL.

Assistant Director Update – Mentoring and Ham Development

AB1OC and AB1QB Hamfest Visits

This has been a busy few months for Ham Fests and Conventions in New England – Fred, AB1OC, and I have attended Hamfests in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.  The first one we visited was HAM-CON in Vermont on February 25th.  Vice Director Phil Temples, K9HI, and Assistant Director Cory Golob, KU1U, also attended HAM-CON.  It was great to meet so many Vermont Ham Radio operators at the event!  Fred gave a presentation on Building and Operating a Mobile HF Station and an ARRL Forum and both were well received.

AB1OC Speaks at HamCON
AB1OC Speaks at HamCON
Vermont and New Englanders attending AB1OC's Presentation
Vermont and New Englanders attending AB1OC’s Presentation

We traveled to Lewiston, ME, to attend the ARRL Maine State Convention on March 24th and 25th.  It was great to spend time with Cory Golob, KU1U, and Section Manager Phil Duggan, N1EP, along with the many folks we spoke to at the convention.  Fred and Phil Duggan presented an ARRL Forum and we gave a new 100th Anniversary ARRL Handbook away to an ARRL Member.  Fred also presented awards to Jerry Burns, K1GUP, for over 50 years of service as the Net Manager for the Maine Seagull Net, and to Cory Golob, KU1U, for his service as New England Assistant Director for Emergency Communications and Public Service.

KU1U Awarded for Service as New England Division Assistant Director of Emergency Communication and Public Service
KU1U Awarded for Service as New England Division Assistant Director of Emergency Communication and Public Service

We attended NEAR-Fest in Deerfield, NH on April 28 and 29.  Fred, AB1OC, did another ARRL Forum here and we helped out at the NH ARRL Section table.  The highlight of the weekend was the educational RFI training session that was given by Assistant Director Rob Leiden, K1UI, to RFI team members from several New England sections.  We also gave away a 100th Anniversary ARRL Handbook to a lucky ARRL member.

John Gotthardt, K1UAF and Fred, AB1OC at the ARRL Booth at NEAR-Fest
John Gotthardt, K1UAF, NH STM, and Fred, AB1OC at the ARRL Booth at NEAR-Fest

ARRL Membership Drive

We have been giving away ARRL Handbooks to ARRL members at hamfests in order to promote ARRL membership in New England.  Through the ARRL Club Commission program, your club can receive $15 for each new member application you submit and $5 for each renewal.  ARRL Affiliate clubs are encouraged to hold quarterly membership drives at their meetings.  All you need to do is bring the membership forms to your meetings, give a brief presentation to explain the benefits of ARRL membership and collect the forms and payments once they are completed.  Send it all into the ARRL and you will receive a rebate check.  All of the details and resources (forms and slide decks) to make this process simple for you and your club can be found at https://nediv.arrl.org/clubcomm/.

Club Commission Program
ARRL Club Commission Program

Field Day Plans

Fred, AB1OC, and I are putting together our plan to visit as many clubs as we can for Field Day 2023 on Friday, June 23rd – Sunday, June 25th.  Please contact me at AB1QB@arrl.net if you would like us to visit your Field Day site.

Rhode Island May 2023 Section News

Bob Beaudet, W1YRCRhode Island Section Manager Robert G Beaudet, W1YRC, writes:

Greetings ARRL members and friends:

May is a special month in the Amateur radio calendar. In addition to normally nice weather, it marks the start of sporadic E openings. Our friends down south see May as the start of the active tornado season but here in New England, we see it as better antenna weather and the “get ready” month for Field Day which is only a few weeks away.

ARRL sent out a survey recently asking questions about a dues increase and your views about it. If you filled it out and submitted it, thank you but if not, please do so. It is important and will only take a few minutes of your time. Surveys must be completed by May 31st.

Dayton Hamvention takes place this coming weekend. 33,000 of your best friends will be there. If you’re going, best advice I can give is to hang on tightly to your plastic cards. Temptation to exercise them will be everywhere.

HF band conditions are improving slowly. Six meters opened for a short while to tease us. I managed to snag one new entity. Watch the bands, they are improving. Read about stormy geomagnetic space weather at https://www.space.com/sun-reverse-sunspot-auroras-supercharge. Are you puzzled by the SFI, K and A indexes? You aren’t alone. G3YWX explains them in a 2002 QST article. See Understanding Solar Indices (arrl.org).

As of this writing on May 16th, I do not know if I have been re-elected or Nancy Austin, KC1NEK was elected to replace me. Either way, I thank you for your trust and support. You did vote, didn’t you?

FCC’s ruling on RF exposure takes effect May 3, 2021 with a two year transition period was implemented to allow existing amateur licensees to conduct evaluations and make any changes necessary to ensure that their station complies with the exposure rules. On May 3, 2023, the transition period ended. All licensees must now conduct evaluations of their current station and reassess compliance when making changes to their stations that would affect exposure going forward. An on-line calculator is available so you can determine your compliance. Go to ARRL Helps Radio Amateurs Comply with New RF Exposure Evaluation Rules and select http://www.arrl.org/rf-exposure to access the tools. Chances are good that you are compliant but you must check according to the FCC ruling.

ARRL publishes monthly magazines to address special interests of new hams, more advanced hams and contesters. QEX, NCJ, and On The Air are available in digital format on the www.arrl.org website. New hams in particular find On The Air very useful since it usually targets topics that are most interesting to them.

Members of the Blackstone Valley ARC participated in a Business Expo hosted by the Bellingham, MA Public Library on April 29th. Most of the exhibits were commercial and aimed at business in the community, Amateur radio captured a great deal attention. The club attracted several new members including a 14-yea-old who already holds a Technician license and wants to work lots of countries. His mother seemed fairly interested herself asking if any women are members of the club. The normal BVARC area includes northern RI and the border communities of MA to the north and east. So, setting up an exhibit over the state line in Bellingham is quite normal.

Field Day is June 24-25. As your Section Manager, if I am re-elected, I shall try to visit your Field Day site. The Field Day locator shows a location for four groups. I shall try to visit each of these groups on Saturday, June 24th. Good luck to all, including those who choose to operate from their comfortable air conditioned ham shacks.

Thanks and 73,

——————————————————————–
ARRL Rhode Island Section
Section Manager: Robert G Beaudet, W1YRC
w1yrc@arrl.org
——————————————————————–

N1HAC: “Tracking Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances Using AM Broadcast Signals” at Dayton Hamvention, May 19, 2023

David McGaw, N1HAC
David McGaw, N1HAC (photo courtesy Dartmouth College)

HamSCI will be playing a major role at the 2023 Dayton Hamvention to be held in Xenia, Ohio May 19-21, 2023 at the Greene County Fairgrounds.  Booth talks, social hours and demonstrations will be given by ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station), HamSCI and YOTA (Youth on the Air).  

Among the HamSCI booth talks at Hamvention, David McGaw, N1HAC, Canaan, New Hampshire, will present “Tracking Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances Using AM Broadcast Signals.”

A physicist and electronics engineer, David McGaw has been connected with the Dartmouth Department of Physics and Astronomy since taking courses when he was a student at Hanover High School.  McGaw is involved in designing and building scientific instruments for the study of the Earth’s ionosphere, aurora and radiation belts. He holds an Amateur Extra class license and is a member of the Twin State Radio Club.

“Rhode Island’s Radio Legacy Continues”

Photo of rhombic antenna at W1OP
Providence Radio Association’s historic Collins antenna used during the recent MARS Armed Forces Day Crossband Test, with PRA Club President Dave Tessitore, K1DT, and Vice President John Good, W1GS

Contributed by Nancy Austin KC1NEK, NCRC and Dave Tessitore, K1DT, PRA

Rhode Island is a small state with a rich history. The Providence Radio Association invests in RI’s radio legacy by maintaining a historic Collins 237B-1 rotatable 13 element log periodic antenna originally installed as part of NAVCOMMSTA Newport’s impressive transmit antenna farm on Beavertail Point, Jamestown RI from c.1964-1975. On Saturday 13 May 2023, the Providence Radio Association again participated in the MARS Armed Forces Day (AFD) Crossband Test using their historic antenna and the equally historic call sign, NAF.

NAF began operation from the Naval Torpedo Station, Newport, RI c. 1900, and was among the first US Naval Radio shore stations. Eventually, several naval radio stations were consolidated as NAVCOMMSTA Newport. NAF transmitted from c.1900 until 1975 at various coastal Narragansett Bay locations, including NAVRADSTA (T) Beavertail Point (Jamestown).

The Providence Radio Association shares the next chapter in this rich Rhode Island radio history: “The drastic curtailment of naval operations on Narragansett Bay in 1975 closed all naval activities at Sachuest Point and Beavertail Point. In 1975 the Navy allowed the Providence Radio Association to hold its annual Field Day exercises at the Beavertail Station. Following the decommissioning of the facility and turn over to land of the State, in 1983 the PRA acquired one of the Collins 237B-1 rotatable log periodic antennas used by NAF and erected it at our club facility in Johnston, RI. It has been utilized since then under the Amateur call sign W1OP. Once a year, we either operate from the original NAVRADSTA (T) location at Beavertail Pt, or we use this antenna from our clubhouse in Johnston to participate in the Armed Forces Day Crossband Test, using its original naval call sign NAF.”

Providence Radio Association club president "Tess," K1DT
Providence Radio Association club president “Tess,” K1DT

For this year’s AFD Crossband Test, the Providence Radio Association again got permission to operate as NAF and transmit on their restored original Collins antenna. The W1OP clubhouse on Neutaconkanut Hill (on the Providence/Johnston border) opened its impressive radio station to members and Amateur Radio guests, including: Dom, N1DM; David, W3DRE; Doug, K3DRE; Andy, AJ1S; John, W1GS; Dave, K1DT; Teri, W1PUP; Jeremy, K1JST; Adam, KC1KCC; and Nancy, KC1NEK. Hundreds of phone QSOs were logged on mostly 20m and 40m.

As the ARRL notes: “The AFD Crossband Test is a unique opportunity to test two-way communications between military communicators and radio stations in the Amateur Radio Service (ARS), as authorized in 47 CFR 97.111. These tests provide opportunities and challenges for radio operators to demonstrate individual technical skills in a tightly controlled exercise scenario. Military stations will transmit on selected frequencies and will announce the specific ARS frequencies monitored. All of the times are Zulu (Z), and all frequencies are Upper Side Band (USB) unless otherwise noted.”

For more on the history of call sign NAF and their restored Collins antenna, reach out to Providence Radio Association club president Dave Tessitore “Tess”, K1DT, at k1dt@verizon.net.

Radio communication has a long history in Rhode Island. By 1900, Newport’s naval officers were given instruction in wireless technology. Newport’s Torpedo Station was one of the first of a network of U.S. Navy shore radio stations, along with an adjacent site at the Naval Training Center used to train radio operators for the Navy. From c.1964 until 1975, Sachuest Point on Aquidneck Island and Beavertail on Jamestown served as key receive and transmit stations. Today, Amateur Radio offers an experiential learning gateway to 21st century workforce development opportunities in electronics and wireless radio communication, both analog and digital. This highly relevant mission is at the heart of many ARRL-affiliated RI radio clubs.

 


For more information, see also:  
https://www.arrl.org/news/annual-armed-forces-day-crossband-test-1
https://www.navy-radio.com/commsta/newport.htm
https://www.navy-radio.com/manuals/NAVCOMM-history-1958.pdf

SKYWARN Training, Wallingford CT, May 17, 2023

SKYWARN logoDouglas Sharafanowich, WA1SFH, writes:

JUST A FEW SEATS LEFT @ The Wallingford Public Library.
Last chance to reserve you place for this 1 evening class.

Train to Be a SKYWARN Storm Spotter
ALL ARES Members are encouraged to take The National Weather Service SKYWARN Spotter Training Program, and get their SKYWARN Spotter Number and Card.

SKYWARN Storm Spotter Training Program 2023 (in person only) is being offered in MID-MAY for the folks in the following Counties of Connecticut:
Fairfield, New Haven, Middlesex, New London

What is SKYWARN™?
SKYWARN™ is a nationwide network of volunteer weather spotters who report hazardous weather to local National Weather Service (NWS) offices. Amateur radio operators and weather observers, generally operating through local organizations, are ideally equipped to contribute to the SKYWARN™ program.

Volunteers are trained by NWS personnel to recognize features associated with rapidly developing, mature, and dissipating thunderstorms which cause hazardous weather. SKYWARN™ spotters also provide reports of heavy snow, heavy rain and flooding.

Spotters provide ground truth on the atmosphere that we observe from radar, satellites and various reporting stations. They are our eyes and ears, helping to provide better forecasts and warnings to the Tri-State Region.

WALLINGFORD CLASS MOVED!!!
*** NEW LOCATION *** BIGGER LOCATION *** NEW LOCATION ***
FROM: Wallingford OEM / FireHouse on Hope Hill Road.
TO: Wallingford Library (See: “WHERE”)

DATE: Wednesday – May 17, 2023.

TIME: 7pm – 10pm (Eastern)

WHERE: NEW LOCATION!!!
Wallingford Public Library – (Community Room)
200 N. Main Street,
Wallingford, CT 06492

COST: FREE
BUT… Registration IS Required

To Register, go to: https://www.weather.gov/okx/SkywarnTraining

NOTE
This is the ONLY in-person SKYWRN training program for the 4 CT Counties served by NWS NY (Brookhaven) in 2023.
DON’T MISS IT!

If you have questions, please contact:
Ed Snyder: SKYWARN EC – New Haven & Middlesex Counties

Sponsored by the Meriden Amateur Radio Club (MARC)
www.w1nrg.com/

73, Douglas Sharafanowich – WA1SFH
ARES District Emergency Coordinator (DEC)
Region 2 – Connecticut Section
email: wa1sfh “at” arrl “dit” net
AND…
ARRL Section Youth Coordinator – Connecticut Section
email: connecticutSYC “at” gmail “dit” com