Ohio SEC Notes & Stuff - Week 42 - 2013
For public distribution.
Please forward as appropriate.
These notes will also be available on the ARES page at www.arrl-ohio.org Ohio Digital Emergency
Net (OHDEN) Tues at 8PM. 3585 kHz and
7072 kHz Upper Side Band.
Ohio HF Net by W8SGT.
Tues at 7PM on 3875 kHz and 7240 kHz Lower Side Band.
Preparedness Leads to Readiness
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that
participated in the Statewide Simulated Emergency Test last Saturday, October
12th. I trust you learned something
about yourself, your equipment, and/or your ARES team. Although official reports are still coming
in, the SET revealed excellent participation.
I know it takes time and effort to participate and I cannot thank you
enough for joining us last Saturday.
I would like to thank Team W8SGT for keeping the Ohio HF
Net on the air for the full 12 hours during SET. I'd also like to thank all the Net Control
Stations for keeping Ohio Digital Emergency Net on the air for the full 12
hours. All of you did a great job doing
what you do best.
I'd also like to thank Mahoning County ARES. I checked into their two meter net. I observed them conducting proper net
discipline, proper net protocol, and clear/concise directions from the Net
Control Station. They also had a great
turn out on their net. 36+ checked into
their two meter net on the repeater.
Almost equally the same number on their simplex nets! The only thing that I saw that needed some
improvement was following instructions from the net control station. The net control asked for stations to
identify phonetically and most did. Some
did not. I am not sure if net control
recognized this at the time but they were my link to W8SGT at the State of Ohio
EOC. Although, there had not been an HF
Net liaison established yet in their county, two amateur radio operators from
Trumbull County stepped up to serve as HF liaison for Mahoning County. Thus, allowing my two messages to be passed
to the State of Ohio Emergency Operations Center. Nice job everyone! For those who do not know, Mahoning County
ARES was "reborn" in the beginning of this year. I think they have come a long way and I
encourage them to keep up the good work.
I'd like to recognize Robert Webster WR8RW, of Canfield,
Ohio. Mr. Webster currently serves as an
Assistant Emergency Coordinator in Mahoning County ARES. He's also Vice President of the Western
Reserve Amateur Radio Club. He
volunteers for public service events and he is an elmer to all. Mr. Webster is preparing to move out of state
and I'd like to wish him safe journey. I
understand he will remain with us until the closing of his home but I didn't
want to miss the opportunity to thank him.
I thank him for all he has done for Mahoning County ARES and the amateur
radio community. Although he will be
missed, I have no doubt he will be an asset to the ARES team wherever he moves
to.
I'd also like to recognize Perry County ARES. Some great kind-spirited people have brought
Perry County ARES back to life. They now
have regular meetings, participate in public service events, and they are
recognizing the need for some more organization such as suggested gear lists,
communications plans, and operations plans.
I am truly thankful for the leadership and hard work amateur radio
operators in and around Perry County have put into getting ARES up and running
in Perry County. Keep up the good work
and I look forward to seeing what ya'll come up with next.
If you haven't heard by now, starting in 2014, I am
looking at holding a weekend long ARES Training Camp in late Summer or early
Fall. I am aiming to facilitate this
event in the Central Ohio area in hopes to maximize participation from around
the State. I am exploring a few possible
locations as we speak but I am open to suggestions. Some possible suggestions received so far are
boy scout / girl scout camps, church camps, state park campgrounds, and county
fairgrounds. If you have access to any
of these types of facilities, please contact me directly at w8dec@arrl.net. What I am looking for is a place where 100+
ARES volunteers can eat, sleep, train, and have fun. Also, training camp will require staff. There is no way I can organize, manage, and
train a whole training camp by myself.
Therefore, consider this my call for help. I am looking for volunteers to help me train
volunteers. Contact me directly at w8dec@arrl.net if you have something you'd
like to teach, demonstrate, or show-off, or if you're interested in serving on
staff for ARES Training Camp.
Training. Ohio
Section ARES Structure. Part 1.
ARES in the Ohio Section starts with the Emergency
Coordinator (EC). The ARRL Emergency
Coordinator is a key team player in ARES on the local emergency scene. Working
with the Section Emergency Coordinator, the DEC and Official Emergency Stations
(OES), the EC prepares for, and engages in management of communications needs in
disasters. Each Emergency Coordinator is
appointed by the ARRL Ohio Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC) at the
recommendation of the District Emergency Coordinator (DEC). There is only one Emergency Coordinator
appointed per county in the Ohio Section.
An emergency or disaster could have a significant impact
on manpower availability. The Emergency
Coordinator might not have the manpower available. Why not?
Because those volunteers could very well be taking care of their family,
home, or property. What if the Emergency
Coordinator does not have enough resources to efficiently and effectively
manage communications needs? Think about
that and we'll talk about that next week.
That's all I have for this week. As always, I thank you for everything you do
for amateur radio.
73 de Matt W8DEC