The following links were added 03/14/2012. They include some fascinating tips and techniques.
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From the "XYZ For Dummies" series...
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/operating-your-ham-radio-in-an-emergency.html
Public Safety, Ham Radio, and Homeland Security
http://transition.fcc.gov/pshs/services/amateur.html
Emergency Amateur Radio Communication Kit by KH7O (Video 2 Min 28 Seconds)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmnnf0xUWNM
Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness (Video 4 Min 43 Seconds)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLA8p-N3ujA
Emergency Ham Radio Portable Go-Kit Revealed (Interesting Pictures)
http://sanantoniohams.org/blog/?p=2534
San Antonio Hams
http://sanantoniohams.org/
Installing Ground Rods the Easy Way
http://www.hamradio.me/installations/installing-ground-rods-the-easy-way.html
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Hams are needed to help out with the Scouting For Food project on Saturday, March 24th. All the details can be found at WWW.ARPSE.ORG. There are events listed there through Oct 20 as of today. The signup for the Days of '47 Parade are there on page 4 and several have already signed up. Lots more are needed. Scouting For Food could probably use almost double the number they have signed up.
The nation has had some very unexpected weather this year and I'm sure there will be more weather emergencies as the year goes along. In spite of the tornadoes we have already had, tornado season hasn't even started yet!
Here is a drill for this week. The disaster is over and the 145.45 repeater is down. So are most of the repeaters in the valley. Lots of traffic is on simplex voice, plus packet and other digital modes.
Some of the newer hams may not know what to do with the 145.45 repeater down. How can you contact them or answer their questions? This is when you want to remember some of the things you learned when studying for your Tech Exam. The 145.45 repeater TRANSMITS on a frequency of 145.45, but it LISTENS on 144.850, 600 KiloHertz down from the transmit frequency.
When those new hams key up on the 145.45 frequency, nobody tuned to 145.45 will hear them because of the offset. On your radio there is some way to put your radio in "Reverse" mode which causes it to switch the Transmit and Receive frequencies. Now you are listening on 144.850 and transmitting on 145.45. If anyone within simplex range is trying to reach others on 145.45, you can communicate with them by placing your radio into the Reverse mode.
Remember how to do that? It is very easy on most mobile radios, they have a single button for reverse although on some mobile radios (and just about ALL handi talkies) it is a two button operation involving the Function key + the reverse key.
Once you get everybody checked in and onto a free simplex frequency, you can get out of the reverse mode by pressing the same key or keys you used to get into reverse mode.
Once everybody is on the same frequency, you can, with a few button presses, remove the offset altogether and just place your radio in the simplex mode, while still on the 145.45 Frequency.
You should have a "cheat sheet" in your grab and go that tells how to get into VFO mode, enter a frequency, offset and PL Tone and save it into memory. There are several portable repeaters that will come online in an actual emergency but they almost certainly will NOT operate on any of the repeater frequency pairs you have programmed into your radio.
If you do not know how to put in a new pair (maybe even one with an odd split) you aren't going to be able to communicate.
More next week.
-N7OZH, O. D. Williams-
