Tag Archives: ARRL

Coconino ARES to participate in statewide emergency exercise Saturday

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FLAGSTAFF – The Coconino Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) will be participating in a statewide disaster exercise this weekend conducted by the Pima County Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES). The exercise will be held in the morning hours of Saturday January 13. Coconino ARES is a component of the Coconino Amateur Radio Club (CARC) in Flagstaff.

The southern Arizona ARES group in Tuscon will be collecting information on 3865-KHz lower side band (LSB). Net control for the group is N7OEM and they will start taking reports about 7:15 a.m.

In Flagstaff, the Coconino ARES will use the ARES 146.980 repeater (CTCSS 162.2 – offset) and the Utah Intertie 448.875 repeater (CTCSS 100 – offset). Joe Hobart W7LUX, District Emergency Coordinator for ARES in Coconino County, will be Net Control for the Utah Intertie repeater and 3390-KHz high frequency. Glen Davis, KG7YDJ in Williams, will be Net Control for the 146.980 ARES repeater. Williams may monitor the 146.780 repeater on Bill Williams Mountain, but it is not part of the exercise.

The people involved in the exercise may send drill emergency messages. People with real emergencies may, of course, call in for help.

ARES is a component of the Amateur Radio Relay League. RACES is an emergency organization formed by the FCC during the sixties and codified in 47 C.F.R. Part 97.

Get Set for the SET

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During the Cascadia Rising earthquake exercise in the Pacific Northwest, Island County Amateur Radio Club members John Acton, K7ACT (seated, in yellow vest), types a Red Cross emergency message via a 2 meter packet link, while Bill Frederick, KF7BMK (standing, with handheld), monitors a VHF simplex voice net at a field triage and treatment facility on Whidbey Island. Red Cross volunteers Kendra O'Bryan (left) and Patty Cheek (right) help coordinate the message traffic flow. [Vince Bond, K7NA, photo]

During the Cascadia Rising earthquake exercise in the Pacific Northwest, Island County Amateur Radio Club members John Acton, K7ACT (seated, in yellow vest), types a Red Cross emergency message via a 2 meter packet link, while Bill Frederick, KF7BMK (standing, with handheld), monitors a VHF simplex voice net at a field triage and treatment facility on Whidbey Island. Red Cross volunteers Kendra O’Bryan (left) and Patty Cheek (right) help coordinate the message traffic flow. [Vince Bond, K7NA, photo]

The primary focal point of the 2016 ARRL Simulated Emergency Test (SET) is just ahead — Saturday and Sunday, October 1 and 2. The national emergency exercise is aimed at testing the skills and preparedness of the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and other organizations that are called into action in actual emergency situations.

“Every local ARES team and/or ARRL Section will come up with their own scenarios and work with served agencies and partner organizations during the SET,” ARRL Field Organization Team Supervisor Steve Ewald, WV1X, said, noting that not all SETs will take place on October 1 and 2.

“SETs can be scheduled at the local and Section levels and conducted throughout the fall to help maximize participation,” he said. “But ARRL Field Organization leaders have the option of conducting their SETs on another weekend, if October 1 and 2 is not convenient.”

ARRL Field Organization leaders are among those tasked with developing plans and scenarios for this year’s SET, Ewald explained.

“The SET invites all radio amateurs to become aware of emergency preparedness and available training,” Ewald said. “ARES, Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES), National Traffic System™, SKYWARN, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN), and other allied groups and public service-oriented radio amateurs are encouraged to participate.”

The object of the annual nationwide exercise is to test training and skills and to try out new methods.

“It’s a time to work with partner organizations and served agencies to get to know them better and to determine their needs before an emergency or disaster strikes,” Ewald said. “Knowing who to contact within partner groups and knowing the planned procedures will help everyone to accomplish their goals and succeed in their missions.