KE7ORB - slcfoothillnet.blogspot.com
Take a look at Dave's blog. Lots and Lots of useful information on there!
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There is a Preparedness Expo coming to the Salt Lake Expo Center October 7 and 8. The following link gives info and gets a $2.00 discount on all tickets. Adults $9, Seniors $7, 12 & under FREE. With the discount, Adults are $7 and Seniors are $5. http://www.selfrelianceexpo.com/
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Fantastic ham radio and emergency prep pages. These are FASCINATING!
http://www.ke7hlr.com/emcomm/ecw08/personal_go-kit_handout.pdf
http://www.fabulousrocketeers.com/WA4DQS_Go_Kit_Ideas.htm
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RESCUE TAPE - Can be used to repair leaks in car radiator hoses. Withstands temps to 1500 degrees and pressures up to 750 PSI. Where to get it - RV SHOW - SPORTSMANS
SHOW - STATE TRAILER SUPPLY - TRUCK STOPS, etc.
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KJ7ABC - 9PM Thursdays - SE Div Comm Net - 147.50 Simplex
OCT 15 SLC Emerg Exercise - Sgrhse Park
NOV 12 Incident Command Seminar KM7TMS
For more info, contact KJ7ABC - ssmithrph@aol.com
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N7OVT - Ham Radio Tech Class October 21,22,28,29 - 4 DAYS $45 which covers manual+registration+door prizes.
contact N70VT@ARRL.NET
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The following abilities will be VERY handy during an actual wide spread emergency. On the Wednesday night MARA net (9PM on 146.74 and 448.10 each with a tone of 114.8) we will be practicing these sometime during October. The date of the test will not be given in advance - it's like a pop quiz. These three actions need to be on a "cheat sheet" that you have in your grab and go kit AND at your home operating position so that you can do them instantly.
Radio Features for disaster Prep.
1. Ability to punch in a VFO simplex frequency
2. Ability to punch in a VFO repeater frequency with offset and tone.
3.Ability to enable/disable Squelch Codes.
(CTCSS & DCS = Continuous Tone Coded Squelch System & Digital Coded Squelch) CTCSS is a sub-audible tone of a particular frequency. 42 freqs from 67.0 to 254.1. numbered 1 to 42.
DCS is a sub-audible tone that represents a 3 digit octal number (0 thru 7). There are 104 predefined sets from 023 to 754
The three features listed above and MANY more are on cheat sheets that various places have for sale. There are pocket sized cheat sheets for all radios made in the last 10 years. Search eBay or aesham.com for Mini Manuals.
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Small & Medium Sized Businesses often do not recover from a major disaster. Families can also lose valuable information or items that cannot be replaced. Most college campuses now have cell phone emergency notification procedures in place. REVERSE-911 CALLS ALL CELL & LAND LINE PHONE
To get on a Reverse 911 system for Salt Lake City, contact Beth Todd fire mgr btodd@vecc9-1-1.com
KJ7ABC says that if you want to be registered for alert systems - u of u & u hosp - visit www.slcgov.com/em There you can sign up for SLC alerts.
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The following info can be VERY handy after an emergency when some cell towers may be damaged or destroyed. There will also be portable emergency cell towers placed in service after a disaster.
How to Update Cell Tower Codes.
Verizon and Sprint use what is called a CDMA network. While using a CDMA network, there are times when a user has to manually update their PRL, or preferred Roaming List. This is usually when your cell phone provider is building new towers or you find yourself getting poor service in places you use to get good service.
Dial *228 and then press option 2 on your Verizon cell phone. You will hear music to confirm that the new PRL is downloading.
Call customer service and get approved for a PRL update if you are using Sprint. After being approved, dial *2 and follow the prompts. Once complete, your PRL will be up-to-date.
Use the "Update PRL" option in your settings if you are using an Android device. This can be found by going to your home screen, pressing the "Menu"
button then "Settings," "System Updates" and "Update PRL." Your device will automatically download the new PRL.
The PRL Update info needs to be in your Grab and Go kit and also in your travel luggage.
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More info from KJ7ABC - WATER BOB - WWW.WATERBOB.COM - Emergency water storage device made from food grade plastic - funnel on top - siphon on bottom - holds 100 gal buy 4 - get one free. search on google - some sites resell these for 1/2 the listed price.
Water Bob is not for storing water long term. Normally, the Water Bob is just stored deflated in a closet. Once disaster hits, place Water Bob in the tub and fill it from the tub spigot. Now you have 100 gallons of water to use during the emergency. Discard after the emergency is over.
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The MOST incredible antenna I have ever used. Covers 2 Meters and 70 CentiMeters with a single feed line. Just $39.00.
Arrow Antenna - http://www.arrowantennas.com/osj/j-pole.html
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Harbor Freight
Trickle Battery Chargers - $4.99, regularly $12.99 Magnesium Fire
Starters - $ 1.99 in flyer or $2.99 off the shelf - $8.00 and up elsewhere. I saw them in Ace Hardware today for $8.99. The exact same ones that are at Harbor Freight for $1.99 to $2.99.
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The ham radio term for this post is SWAMPING. Swamping is a more powerful signal that is close by and overloads your receiver front end so that you cannot receive weaker signals on the frequency that you are tuned to. For example, if a 100 Watt police car radio is transmitting within about 50 feet of your handy talky, it will "swamp" your radio and you will not hear the frequency you are tuned to.
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I have received several excellent Ham Radio links and info from AD7LO and W7OXZ which I will be adding soon.
That is it for today, more soon. Hope to see you at the Emergency Preparedness Expo.
N7OZH
Showing posts with label emergency communications. Show all posts
Showing posts with label emergency communications. Show all posts
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
Oct to Dec - SET Drills!
SERVICE PROJECT
SEP 18TH SERVICE ACTIVITY - MULTIPLE LOCATIONS - HAMS NEEDED
Contact Eugene at 801-541-1871 or N7OVT@ARRL.NET
0800 PARKVIEW ELEMENTARY - 15 different areas (locations) of service - hams needed for all. Free continental breakfast before and free lunch after!
---------------------
There are lots of local and national SET (Simulated Emergency Test) drills coming up. Quoting from the latest issue of QST - The 2010 ARRL SET is just around the corner. October 2-3 is the focal point weekend but RACES, ARES and other local nets can conduct their drills anytime September through December. Contact your ARRL section manager for more details (www.arrl.org/sections/). Or, click HERE.
ERC is doing a SET drill on November 6th on 147.56 Simplex. Any repeater traffic that they need to pass will be on the MARA 146.74 repeater. More info will follow. MARA has been invited to participate in this drill with ERC, and it is a great learning oppportunity. This is ERCs entry in the Utah State SET drill.
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The state of Utah is doing a Mega-SET drill this year. More info can be found at www.utahset2010.org. This one is an everything-at-once scenario. A record breaking snow storm all over the state of Utah with accumulations up to 65 inches in the higher elevations plus 4 earthquakes. The one at Antelope Island will cause 6 foot waves that will leave downtown SLC in water two feet deep. All power lines and phone lines will be down. The power outages will trigger failsafe devices that will knock out power in all surrounding states, so we get no outside help.
The state would like ALL ham radio operators to participate. All local groups are asked to communicate on all their regular and alternate frequencies. The state will try to contact all counties and all relief organizations and each county will be trying to contact all their local relief agencies plus other counties plus the state.
They want to see how the system handles a major overload. One really original part of the scenario is that organizations and individuals with generators are to assume that the only fuel they will get is what they have on hand. The roads are so torn up that fuel trucks cannot get through. They also assume that every single overpass is down and that I-15 and I-80 are closed all over the state. Of course, they will also toss in some additional challenges that are not in the documentation.
This is going to be FUN! Please go to the web site and download the forms and plan to participate.
One other thing about the forms, they are excellent for your use in an actual emergency. Both the message forms as well as the details for the Post Incident Review.
If you know of other drills, please let us know so that we can monitor them or even participate if there are openings for hams from "outside" the group.
We can all learn from these drills and we can all improve our operating techniques and procedures and readiness. Hope to see you there!
---------------------
MARA will have an exercise on Nov 6th as part of the State SET drill. Our participation will be timed to NOT conflict with the ERC net that day.
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For additional info, visit the DCARC web page at http://www.dcarc.net/go/ or just click HERE.
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DCARC CLUB SWAP MEET- Saturday 9/18/10
This is the DCARC Annual Swap Meet on September 18th at 8:00 am till 10 am. We are inviting UARC and OARC to join with us. This year it will be at the Bountiful City Park (same place as last year) which is at 100 West and 400 North in Bountiful. You can find it on Google Maps by clicking HERE.
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The annual ARES/RACES Conference will be held on Saturday, November 13th, 2010, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. This will be held at the Red Lion Hotel in Salt Lake City. This is a great opportunity to receive training and also meet with fellow communication specialists from across the state.
You do need to pre-register for the conference. In order to do this you will need to utilize the U-Train system which is found at https://www.utah.train.org. Once at the website, the first thing you need to do is set up an account in U-Train as a new user (if you have not already done so previously). Once your U-Train account registration is completed you will then proceed to log in and then either do a course search for the keyword(s) ARES or RACES or on the right side of the home page key in the actual course number, which is 1011069 for the ARES/RACES Conference. Once you have the course listed on the screen, click on that to bring you to the registration/information page and click on the registration tab to register. The system will indicate that your request has been submitted and has to be approved. U-Train notifies the State Training Staff and they will acknowledge by email that you are signed up for the ARES/RACES Conference.
-N7OZH-
SEP 18TH SERVICE ACTIVITY - MULTIPLE LOCATIONS - HAMS NEEDED
Contact Eugene at 801-541-1871 or N7OVT@ARRL.NET
0800 PARKVIEW ELEMENTARY - 15 different areas (locations) of service - hams needed for all. Free continental breakfast before and free lunch after!
---------------------
There are lots of local and national SET (Simulated Emergency Test) drills coming up. Quoting from the latest issue of QST - The 2010 ARRL SET is just around the corner. October 2-3 is the focal point weekend but RACES, ARES and other local nets can conduct their drills anytime September through December. Contact your ARRL section manager for more details (www.arrl.org/sections/). Or, click HERE.
ERC is doing a SET drill on November 6th on 147.56 Simplex. Any repeater traffic that they need to pass will be on the MARA 146.74 repeater. More info will follow. MARA has been invited to participate in this drill with ERC, and it is a great learning oppportunity. This is ERCs entry in the Utah State SET drill.
---------------------
The state of Utah is doing a Mega-SET drill this year. More info can be found at www.utahset2010.org. This one is an everything-at-once scenario. A record breaking snow storm all over the state of Utah with accumulations up to 65 inches in the higher elevations plus 4 earthquakes. The one at Antelope Island will cause 6 foot waves that will leave downtown SLC in water two feet deep. All power lines and phone lines will be down. The power outages will trigger failsafe devices that will knock out power in all surrounding states, so we get no outside help.
The state would like ALL ham radio operators to participate. All local groups are asked to communicate on all their regular and alternate frequencies. The state will try to contact all counties and all relief organizations and each county will be trying to contact all their local relief agencies plus other counties plus the state.
They want to see how the system handles a major overload. One really original part of the scenario is that organizations and individuals with generators are to assume that the only fuel they will get is what they have on hand. The roads are so torn up that fuel trucks cannot get through. They also assume that every single overpass is down and that I-15 and I-80 are closed all over the state. Of course, they will also toss in some additional challenges that are not in the documentation.
This is going to be FUN! Please go to the web site and download the forms and plan to participate.
One other thing about the forms, they are excellent for your use in an actual emergency. Both the message forms as well as the details for the Post Incident Review.
If you know of other drills, please let us know so that we can monitor them or even participate if there are openings for hams from "outside" the group.
We can all learn from these drills and we can all improve our operating techniques and procedures and readiness. Hope to see you there!
---------------------
MARA will have an exercise on Nov 6th as part of the State SET drill. Our participation will be timed to NOT conflict with the ERC net that day.
---------------------
For additional info, visit the DCARC web page at http://www.dcarc.net/go/ or just click HERE.
---------------------
DCARC CLUB SWAP MEET- Saturday 9/18/10
This is the DCARC Annual Swap Meet on September 18th at 8:00 am till 10 am. We are inviting UARC and OARC to join with us. This year it will be at the Bountiful City Park (same place as last year) which is at 100 West and 400 North in Bountiful. You can find it on Google Maps by clicking HERE.
---------------------
The annual ARES/RACES Conference will be held on Saturday, November 13th, 2010, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. This will be held at the Red Lion Hotel in Salt Lake City. This is a great opportunity to receive training and also meet with fellow communication specialists from across the state.
You do need to pre-register for the conference. In order to do this you will need to utilize the U-Train system which is found at https://www.utah.train.org. Once at the website, the first thing you need to do is set up an account in U-Train as a new user (if you have not already done so previously). Once your U-Train account registration is completed you will then proceed to log in and then either do a course search for the keyword(s) ARES or RACES or on the right side of the home page key in the actual course number, which is 1011069 for the ARES/RACES Conference. Once you have the course listed on the screen, click on that to bring you to the registration/information page and click on the registration tab to register. The system will indicate that your request has been submitted and has to be approved. U-Train notifies the State Training Staff and they will acknowledge by email that you are signed up for the ARES/RACES Conference.
-N7OZH-
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Emergency Features On Your Radio
We all have our radios set up to work our favorite nets and friends. How useful are those settings in an emergency?
There are two main considerations for emergency configurations of your radios.
1. Power consumption.
2. Useful emergency-only features.
Your Handi-Talky radio turns on with NO illumination on the display. This is to conserve power. Your mobile rig turns on with the display brightly illuminated. Not a problem in your car on the way to work, big problem in an emergency situation.
What about operating modes? The ARRL has put a big push behind WINLINK for use in emergencies. EchoLink and MT63 have also been found to be useful in certain situations. Some mobile rigs are now EchoLink capable right out of the box.
In an actual emergency, there will be lots of traffic on the FRS & GMRS frequencies. Our ham radios can monitor that traffic, but not transmit on those frequencies. Since most newer radios have hundreds or thousands of memory channels, it makes sense to program in the FRS & GMRS frequencies so that you can listen for people calling for help in an emergency. One of the very best and most complete listings I have ever seen of those frequencies is located at
http://ba-marc.org/writeups/gmrs-frs-freq.htm
The information given there will also let you know which modes are allowed on which channels and which frequencies are GMRS repeater inputs.
Another group of useful frequencies to place in your radio are the aircraft frequencies. Fun to listen to when you have spare time, very informative during an emergency. The Salt Lake City listings are found at
http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?aid=2958
By going to the home page of that site (http://www.radioreference.com), you can get the frequencies for any city and also find a wealth of ham radio information for all types of services.
The one feature that could be more useful than any other in an emergency is IRLP. If you haven't tried it, jump in and learn how it works. You may need it when the problem strikes. All you have to do is tune to your local IRLP frequency and (if there is no traffic) simply announce your call sign and the word "Listening" or "Monitoring". I've had fascinating conversations on IRLP by announcing that I was interested in discussing Ham Radio Emergency Communications. Try it, you'll be hooked!
Two very handy optional features for your HT radio are a battery pack that takes AA size batteries and a Speaker-Microphone. AAs are plentiful and a great reserve battery. You can put a pack of 48 of them (Costco) in your Grab And Go pack and operate for a long time without recharging anything. The Speaker-Mic makes emergency operation so much easier because you can have both hands free most of the time and you do not have to hold the radio, which can become very hot during extended QSO's. This is especially true of the newer mini or "pocket size" radios that have a much smaller chassis to dissipate the heat.
That's all for now.
N7OZH
There are two main considerations for emergency configurations of your radios.
1. Power consumption.
2. Useful emergency-only features.
Your Handi-Talky radio turns on with NO illumination on the display. This is to conserve power. Your mobile rig turns on with the display brightly illuminated. Not a problem in your car on the way to work, big problem in an emergency situation.
What about operating modes? The ARRL has put a big push behind WINLINK for use in emergencies. EchoLink and MT63 have also been found to be useful in certain situations. Some mobile rigs are now EchoLink capable right out of the box.
In an actual emergency, there will be lots of traffic on the FRS & GMRS frequencies. Our ham radios can monitor that traffic, but not transmit on those frequencies. Since most newer radios have hundreds or thousands of memory channels, it makes sense to program in the FRS & GMRS frequencies so that you can listen for people calling for help in an emergency. One of the very best and most complete listings I have ever seen of those frequencies is located at
http://ba-marc.org/writeups/gmrs-frs-freq.htm
The information given there will also let you know which modes are allowed on which channels and which frequencies are GMRS repeater inputs.
Another group of useful frequencies to place in your radio are the aircraft frequencies. Fun to listen to when you have spare time, very informative during an emergency. The Salt Lake City listings are found at
http://www.radioreference.com/apps/db/?aid=2958
By going to the home page of that site (http://www.radioreference.com), you can get the frequencies for any city and also find a wealth of ham radio information for all types of services.
The one feature that could be more useful than any other in an emergency is IRLP. If you haven't tried it, jump in and learn how it works. You may need it when the problem strikes. All you have to do is tune to your local IRLP frequency and (if there is no traffic) simply announce your call sign and the word "Listening" or "Monitoring". I've had fascinating conversations on IRLP by announcing that I was interested in discussing Ham Radio Emergency Communications. Try it, you'll be hooked!
Two very handy optional features for your HT radio are a battery pack that takes AA size batteries and a Speaker-Microphone. AAs are plentiful and a great reserve battery. You can put a pack of 48 of them (Costco) in your Grab And Go pack and operate for a long time without recharging anything. The Speaker-Mic makes emergency operation so much easier because you can have both hands free most of the time and you do not have to hold the radio, which can become very hot during extended QSO's. This is especially true of the newer mini or "pocket size" radios that have a much smaller chassis to dissipate the heat.
That's all for now.
N7OZH
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