Registration: VIA UTRAIN, Course number 1031331. There is no cost to take this
course.
Description: This workshop is designed for the amateur radio/auxiliary
communicator or group who provides emergency communications backup support for
planned or unplanned events at a State/Territory, Tribal, regional, or local
level. This offering is designed for amateur radio operators/organizations who
work with public safety and cross-disciplinary emergency response professionals
and coordination/support personnel with an amateur radio background.
The course focuses on educating attendees about auxiliary communications
interoperability, emergency operation center etiquette, on-the-air etiquette,
FCC rules and regulations, auxiliary communications training and planning,
certification and accreditation and emergency communications deployment. It is
intended to supplement and standardize an operator's basic knowledge of
emergency amateur radio communications in a public safety context.
Prerequisites: General Class or higher amateur radio license. Also, IS-100,
IS-200, IS-700, and IS-800. The IS courses can be completed online at:
http://training.fema.gov the FEMA Independent Study Website.
Limit is 30 people
October 26 & 27 - 8am to 5pm
Utah Valley Convention Center
220 W Center St
Provo, Utah
Soldier Creek Room - 3rd floor
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Hams Heed the Call to Help
Hams Heed the Call to Help As Isaac Makes Landfall, Downgraded to Tropical Storm
Article posted from ARRL.org dated 08/30/2012
Seven years to the day that Hurricane Katrina smashed into New Orleans, Hurricane Isaac came calling. But instead of making landfall right at New Orleans like Katrina (a Category 3 storm) did on August 28, 2005, Isaac veered slightly to the west of the city. Through it all, hams at WX4NHC -- the Amateur Radio station at the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami, Florida -- and those supporting the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) and the VoIP Hurricane Net, along with various nets within the ARRL’s Delta Division, relayed reports to their served agencies on Isaac’s progress and the damage the storm created in its wake.
“Even though Isaac has made landfall and is currently tracking slowly up Central Louisiana to Arkansas, hams in the Delta Division are not done,” explained ARRL Delta Division Director David Norris, K5UZ. “We had quite a few nets running as Isaac came ashore, and some are still going on, relaying damage reports and assisting with health-and-welfare traffic. As the American Red Cross and other served agencies venture out in the field within the next few days to assess the damage created by Isaac, hams in the Delta Division are ready to assist these teams with whatever communications support is necessary. Just because Isaac itself is over, we know that storms like this can bring tornadoes, power outages and other weather events in their wake, and we are prepared to continue to provide any support that is needed.”
The HWN ceased its operation on the afternoon of Wednesday, August 29. According to Stan Broadway, N8BHL, the HWN received numerous reports of heavy winds and flooding from hams in the affected areas, and in turn, relayed these reports to the NHC. “We were in contact with several Emergency Operation Centers and other safety service locations,” he told the ARRL. “The majority of our reports were from ham operators who were weathering the storm, yet who took the time to keep us informed. In the ham radio spirit of readiness, many of the stations we contacted were on stand-by generator power, some with temporary or storm-related antennas and most with quality weather measuring instruments. Many more stations stood by silently, waiting to relay if needed, and listening for the reports.”
Broadway said that the HWN was activated a total of 47 hours for Isaac, including a 31 hour continuous activation during the storm’s path toward landfall: “We are extremely grateful for those operators who provided reports and for those who showed us great courtesy by moving off frequency, or just allowed a clear slot for us to use. Thanks also to the nets that regularly used these frequencies for accommodating us.”
Isaac continues to weaken as it tracks to the northwest over Louisiana, and could be downgraded to a tropical depression on Thursday, August 30. Since Isaac is moving very slowly, the storm will continue to produce floods, rainfall, isolated tornadoes -- especially in Mississippi, Eastern Louisiana, Southeastern Arkansas, Southern Alabama and the far Western Florida Panhandle -- and gusty winds.
According to the NHC, Isaac should steadily weaken over the next 48 hours as it continues to move over land, and should become a tropical depression by Thursday night. At 8 AM (EDT) on Thursday, August 30, Isaac’s center was located about 35 miles southeast of Alexandria, Louisiana and about 125 miles northwest of New Orleans. According to the NHC, Isaac is a slow moving storm with a speed of about 8 miles per hour. Isaac should make a turn to the north-northwest, moving over Louisiana later on Thursday, followed by a turn to the north toward Arkansas on Friday, August 31 and then move over Southern Mississippi that night.
Even though Isaac and Katrina landed approximately in the same place and at the same time, though seven years apart, according to the Associated Press (as reported in The Miami Herald), the storms are quite different:
Seven years to the day that Hurricane Katrina smashed into New Orleans, Hurricane Isaac came calling. But instead of making landfall right at New Orleans like Katrina (a Category 3 storm) did on August 28, 2005, Isaac veered slightly to the west of the city. Through it all, hams at WX4NHC -- the Amateur Radio station at the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami, Florida -- and those supporting the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) and the VoIP Hurricane Net, along with various nets within the ARRL’s Delta Division, relayed reports to their served agencies on Isaac’s progress and the damage the storm created in its wake.
“Even though Isaac has made landfall and is currently tracking slowly up Central Louisiana to Arkansas, hams in the Delta Division are not done,” explained ARRL Delta Division Director David Norris, K5UZ. “We had quite a few nets running as Isaac came ashore, and some are still going on, relaying damage reports and assisting with health-and-welfare traffic. As the American Red Cross and other served agencies venture out in the field within the next few days to assess the damage created by Isaac, hams in the Delta Division are ready to assist these teams with whatever communications support is necessary. Just because Isaac itself is over, we know that storms like this can bring tornadoes, power outages and other weather events in their wake, and we are prepared to continue to provide any support that is needed.”
The HWN ceased its operation on the afternoon of Wednesday, August 29. According to Stan Broadway, N8BHL, the HWN received numerous reports of heavy winds and flooding from hams in the affected areas, and in turn, relayed these reports to the NHC. “We were in contact with several Emergency Operation Centers and other safety service locations,” he told the ARRL. “The majority of our reports were from ham operators who were weathering the storm, yet who took the time to keep us informed. In the ham radio spirit of readiness, many of the stations we contacted were on stand-by generator power, some with temporary or storm-related antennas and most with quality weather measuring instruments. Many more stations stood by silently, waiting to relay if needed, and listening for the reports.”
Broadway said that the HWN was activated a total of 47 hours for Isaac, including a 31 hour continuous activation during the storm’s path toward landfall: “We are extremely grateful for those operators who provided reports and for those who showed us great courtesy by moving off frequency, or just allowed a clear slot for us to use. Thanks also to the nets that regularly used these frequencies for accommodating us.”
Isaac continues to weaken as it tracks to the northwest over Louisiana, and could be downgraded to a tropical depression on Thursday, August 30. Since Isaac is moving very slowly, the storm will continue to produce floods, rainfall, isolated tornadoes -- especially in Mississippi, Eastern Louisiana, Southeastern Arkansas, Southern Alabama and the far Western Florida Panhandle -- and gusty winds.
According to the NHC, Isaac should steadily weaken over the next 48 hours as it continues to move over land, and should become a tropical depression by Thursday night. At 8 AM (EDT) on Thursday, August 30, Isaac’s center was located about 35 miles southeast of Alexandria, Louisiana and about 125 miles northwest of New Orleans. According to the NHC, Isaac is a slow moving storm with a speed of about 8 miles per hour. Isaac should make a turn to the north-northwest, moving over Louisiana later on Thursday, followed by a turn to the north toward Arkansas on Friday, August 31 and then move over Southern Mississippi that night.
Even though Isaac and Katrina landed approximately in the same place and at the same time, though seven years apart, according to the Associated Press (as reported in The Miami Herald), the storms are quite different:
- Maximum Sustained Winds
- Katrina: Hurricane Katrina made landfall on August 28, 2005 as a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds near 125 miles per hour.
- Isaac: A Category 1 storm, Isaac had maximum sustained winds near 80 miles per hour as it came ashore in Southeast Louisiana on August 28, 2012.
- Size
- Katrina: Katrina was a large storm with hurricane force winds extending outward up to 125 miles from its center.
- Isaac: Isaac has been much less organized with a less-defined eye. As it neared Louisiana’s coast, Isaac’s hurricane-force winds extended outward only about 60 miles from its center.
- Storm Surge
- Katrina: The 2005 storm brought devastating storm surge of 15-20 feet as it came onto land.
- Isaac: The worst of Isaac’s storm surge was about 6-12 feet.
- Evacuations
- Katrina: Evacuation orders were issued for millions around the region -- including the city of New Orleans -- ahead of Hurricane Katrina. Many did not heed the evacuation order and later had to be rescued from flooded homes.
- Isaac: As the storm closed in, tens of thousands were told to evacuate. Some decided to leave, while others have decided to hunker down and ride out the relatively weaker storm.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Sometimes We Get Noticed
I wanted to share this story of interest to others who volunteer and support their communities in times of need. After recent major forest fires in the mountains above Colorado Springs with the loss of several lives and 350 homes lost, and a resulting 32,000 evacuees, flash flooding became our next urgent concern. Our local RACES team was activated by the Sheriff's Office to act as spotters for rising streams and possible flash flooding.
On a recent night as I stood in rain on the center span of the steel pedestrian bridge about 20' above a dark raging torrent of Monument Creek's muddy water, a passerby stopped to observe with me and comment about how amazingly fast the water had come up. I quickly agreed and said "Yeah, my buddy and I have been here awhile watching it and you should have seen it -- it went from just ankle deep to chest high in a matter of seconds!" Seeing my yellow safety vest he asked if I was with the city works or other agency. I said, "No, we're just a bunch of ham radio operators who volunteer our time to the county; we're actually with the El Paso County Sheriff Office." I then went on to explain there was similar flash flood spotter teams strategically placed throughout the county watching streams rise and then using our radios to report observations back to the EOC. He said, "It's great to know someone's out here watching our backs!" He then turned and extended his hand to shake mine and said "Nice to meet someone on the front lines." He thanked me for being there and then went on his way.
I must say I wore a proud smile as I walked back across the bridge in the drizzle realizing that yep, that's what we do alright; we're out here watching our community's back while they sleep, watch TV, and live their lives. It sure felt great and meant a lot to be paid a huge unsolicited thanks, especially from someone who probably is sleeping a little better tonight knowing that someone has his back! -- Steve Galchutt, WG0AT, Monument, Colorado
Article posted from 'The ARES E-Letter for July 11, 2012'
To receive all articles, sign up at www.ARRL.org.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
ARRL Offers Online ARES Training
 ARRL offers online training for
hams who want to participate in the Amateur Radio Emergency Service.
Two courses make up the ARRL ARES® training program. Enroll Today! | |||
|
The former Amateur Radio Emergency
Communications (AREC) series of three training courses has been reconfigured
into two courses: An introductory course and a course for leaders and
managers.
The course is offered online using the Moodle learning platform. The Introduction to Emergency Communication course has six sections with 29 lesson topics and a 35 question final assessment. Participants should plan on completing the course in approximately 45 hours over a nine week period. This is a mentored course, in which you may work according to your own schedule. Cost is $50 for ARRL members and $85 for non-members.
For start dates, registration deadlines and
more visit www.arrl.org/online-course-catalog
Now Accepting Enrollments for July and August Sessions. Register Today!
|
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Training Comment for the SLC SE Division Net
for the Salt Lake City
By T. Mike Smith, KM7TMS
Awakening this morning to a cooler,
moist day was an unusual and pleasant experience. After so many days of high temperatures and
dry air, you probably savored the day as I did.
It has been a time of heat and fire.
Checking this morning I found active large fires spread across the state. The Church Camp, Clay Springs Millville American Fork Canyon
We have seen campfires, fireworks,
shooting, access and vehicle restrictions, along with various admonitions from
important people because of the extreme fire danger. We have seen thousands evacuated from their
homes and extensive property damage and public expense. This morning’s total acreage for Utah
Since our last Southeast Division Net, we have had a major Salt Lake Valley Utah CERT individuals responding. The
rapid response is credited for significantly reducing the fire damage. If you haven’t taken occasion to see some of
the many fine pictures, you might Google Herriman Fire 2012 for some great
response and fire-line images. A person
cannot view the latter and not be impressed with the life-threatening dangers
this type emergency poses. Having fought
grassland fires before, I know them as dangerous, hot and dirty.
As radio operators and CERT -trained responders -- for those of
us who are also the latter-- we are again reminded of the importance of our
skills which are repeatedly needed, especially when the emergency arrives in
our own neighborhood.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Ham radio still going strong
Ham radio still going strong -- and still useful -- in the age of the smartphone
A radio crackles.
“Victor echo three, radio charlie.”
Crackle, buzz.
“Victor echo, three, radio charlie. This is Victor echo three, radio charlie.”
More crackle, more buzz. Then, is that the faintest sound of a man’s voice?
“One bravo Illinois, is that a QSL?”
Crackle, buzz.
And then that voice again, this time clearer.
“One bravo Illinois, over.”
Greg Danylchenko smiles, pleased by this connection with another amateur radio enthusiast.
“Good luck to you,” he tells the disembodied voice of Illinois.
Crackle, buzz.
Scenes like this played out all weekend long as radio amateurs — or hams, as they are often known — participated in the annual Field Day activities, which saw them use off-the-grid power sources to communicate for 24 hours with other stations across North America in a simulation of what radio amateurs might do in the event of an emergency when normal lines of communication are either knocked out or overloaded.
The Ottawa Amateur Radio Club, one of several such groups in the area that participated in the event, set up behind the Oblate Fathers Les Deschâtelets building on Main Street, near the lush banks of the Rideau River.
It was a curious site, with a mishmash of tents and pop-up shelters, half a dozen homemade antennas and the constant hum of a generator, which powered all of the radio equipment and computers during the day (they used car batteries overnight so as not to keep the neighbours up).
From here, the goal was simple — reach as many stations and operators as possible. And so it was the Ottawa hams reached other hams in Puerto Rico, California, Arizona and Nevada, as well as closer to home in Eastern Ontario, Western Quebec and northern New York state.
The group made about 950 contacts last year and hoped to do the same this time around.
Although this is a hobby for most, radio amateurs can play an important role during times of crisis.
In 1998, when the ice storm paralysed much of the city — and its ability to communicate — they provided an important link between individuals and took some of the strain off the official communications channels. A ham would contact a ham in another part of the city, pass on a message and that ham would deliver it in person to the recipient.
The same would likely happen again if there were an earthquake, tornado or some other situation that struck down communications systems.
“Towers and power all blow down, but we’ve got our antennas and generators and we can often have them up following a disaster in a couple of hours,” Danylchenko said.
But in the age of Twitter — when a person in Ottawa can get instant updates from Tahrir Square or the soccer pitch in Ukraine — are hams still relevant?
Danylchenko and Glenn MacDonell, the club’s president, smile wanly. It’s a question they’ve heard before.
Smartphones, social media websites and the like all depend on infrastructure most people take for granted, Danylchenko said. “If they’re overloaded or have been destroyed, you don’t have any of that stuff.”
McDowell mentions a recent incident in the Belleville area to underscore the point. Telephone service in parts of Hastings County was disrupted after a fibre optic cable was cut, so the emergency planning co-ordinator called up some hams to drive to several communities that were cut off and establish radio contact, so there would be coverage in case of an emergency.
Radio amateurs must pass an Industry Canada test to be licensed and obtain a unique call sign. There are more than 70,000 active licences in Canada.
Operators also provide communications assistance at a range of events, including the CN Cycle for CHEO and the Canadian Ski Marathon, much of which occurs in places where cellphone coverage is spotty.
Danylchenko and MacDonell acquired their enthusiasm for ham radio honestly. Both had shortwave radios when they were young and could tune in to stations and public broadcasters from around the world.
“From there, you want to get on the other end of the microphone,” said Danylchenko, known on-air as VE3YTZ.
Article posted from http://www.ottawacitizen.com
A radio crackles.
“Victor echo three, radio charlie.”
Crackle, buzz.
“Victor echo, three, radio charlie. This is Victor echo three, radio charlie.”
More crackle, more buzz. Then, is that the faintest sound of a man’s voice?
“One bravo Illinois, is that a QSL?”
Crackle, buzz.
And then that voice again, this time clearer.
“One bravo Illinois, over.”
Greg Danylchenko smiles, pleased by this connection with another amateur radio enthusiast.
“Good luck to you,” he tells the disembodied voice of Illinois.
Crackle, buzz.
Scenes like this played out all weekend long as radio amateurs — or hams, as they are often known — participated in the annual Field Day activities, which saw them use off-the-grid power sources to communicate for 24 hours with other stations across North America in a simulation of what radio amateurs might do in the event of an emergency when normal lines of communication are either knocked out or overloaded.
The Ottawa Amateur Radio Club, one of several such groups in the area that participated in the event, set up behind the Oblate Fathers Les Deschâtelets building on Main Street, near the lush banks of the Rideau River.
It was a curious site, with a mishmash of tents and pop-up shelters, half a dozen homemade antennas and the constant hum of a generator, which powered all of the radio equipment and computers during the day (they used car batteries overnight so as not to keep the neighbours up).
From here, the goal was simple — reach as many stations and operators as possible. And so it was the Ottawa hams reached other hams in Puerto Rico, California, Arizona and Nevada, as well as closer to home in Eastern Ontario, Western Quebec and northern New York state.
The group made about 950 contacts last year and hoped to do the same this time around.
Although this is a hobby for most, radio amateurs can play an important role during times of crisis.
In 1998, when the ice storm paralysed much of the city — and its ability to communicate — they provided an important link between individuals and took some of the strain off the official communications channels. A ham would contact a ham in another part of the city, pass on a message and that ham would deliver it in person to the recipient.
The same would likely happen again if there were an earthquake, tornado or some other situation that struck down communications systems.
“Towers and power all blow down, but we’ve got our antennas and generators and we can often have them up following a disaster in a couple of hours,” Danylchenko said.
But in the age of Twitter — when a person in Ottawa can get instant updates from Tahrir Square or the soccer pitch in Ukraine — are hams still relevant?
Danylchenko and Glenn MacDonell, the club’s president, smile wanly. It’s a question they’ve heard before.
Smartphones, social media websites and the like all depend on infrastructure most people take for granted, Danylchenko said. “If they’re overloaded or have been destroyed, you don’t have any of that stuff.”
McDowell mentions a recent incident in the Belleville area to underscore the point. Telephone service in parts of Hastings County was disrupted after a fibre optic cable was cut, so the emergency planning co-ordinator called up some hams to drive to several communities that were cut off and establish radio contact, so there would be coverage in case of an emergency.
Radio amateurs must pass an Industry Canada test to be licensed and obtain a unique call sign. There are more than 70,000 active licences in Canada.
Operators also provide communications assistance at a range of events, including the CN Cycle for CHEO and the Canadian Ski Marathon, much of which occurs in places where cellphone coverage is spotty.
Danylchenko and MacDonell acquired their enthusiasm for ham radio honestly. Both had shortwave radios when they were young and could tune in to stations and public broadcasters from around the world.
“From there, you want to get on the other end of the microphone,” said Danylchenko, known on-air as VE3YTZ.
Article posted from http://www.ottawacitizen.com
Ham radio field day turns into real life training
The Mississippi Coast Amateur Radio Association scheduled a field day for this weekend in Gulfport. And the Jackson County Amateur Radio association had its exercise in Gautier. The idea was for ham radio operators to set up radio stations in unusual locations, and make contact with others to practice their emergency communication capabilities.
During the middle of the training, the National Hurricane Center issued a tropical storm warning for the coastal waters of Mississippi, and for large chunk of Louisiana. Suddenly, the ham radio field day has a lot more significance.
"The hams provide emergency communications for many government and civic organizations in disasters," public information officer Harry Samuelson said. Just in the last few months, ham radio operators have played critical roles reaching out to people trapped by wildfires, floods, storms, tornados and other crises.
Both amateur radio associations will wrap up their field day training exercises Sunday morning.
Article posted from www.WLOX.com
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