05/23/2013
After an EF5 tornado swept through Oklahoma on May 20, radio amateurs in that state assisted the American Red Cross with its communications efforts. “Amateur Radio operators were asked to support voice communications from the American Red Cross Oklahoma City Chapter Headquarters to their feeding station at the Incident Command Post located in Moore,” explained ARRL Oklahoma Section Emergency Coordinator Mark Conklin, N7XYO. Moore, located about halfway between Norman and Oklahoma City, suffered the brunt of the tornado damage. As of 8:30 CDT on May 22, all Amateur Radio operations in support of the American Red Cross ceased.

At least 24 people, including nine children, were killed when the 1.3-mile wide tornado moved through Moore, Oklahoma’s seventh largest city. The National Weather Service stated that the tornado traveled an estimated 17-mile-long path for 50 minutes, with an estimated peak wind that ranged from 200-210 miles per hour, making it an EF5 storm, the most powerful category of tornados possible.

In addition to the American Red Cross, members of the Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN) were also in Moore, ready to support and assist with the Amateur Radio response. According to ARRL Oklahoma Section Manager Kevin O’Dell, N0IRW, the tornados disrupted cellular service in the affected areas.

“I have been in regular contact with Oklahoma Section officials since yesterday morning,” said ARRL Emergency Preparedness Manager Mike Corey, KI1U. “Through the ARRL EmComm Twitter feed and regular communication with our national partners, the ARRL has been sharing information on the Amateur Radio response to the Moore tornado. Our folks in Oklahoma who have been assisting the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army have been doing a great job and they have my heartfelt thanks for the work they are doing for their community.”

“We have had a very difficult couple of days with some very devastating tornados hitting several communities in Oklahoma,” explained Richard Norman, Chairman of Oklahoma VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster). “We know you all are seeing and hearing about the devastation and want to assist as soon as possible. Many unsolicited volunteers are showing up at the Incident Command Center in Moore. Please…do not self-deploy. Best practices include a collaborative response, so people are directed when needed and where needed so their help and skills are most needed and will be most effective.”

Corey also stressed that those who wish to assist with response efforts in Oklahoma should not self-deploy. “The ARES leadership in the Oklahoma Section has everything under control and there is no need for volunteers from outside the Section,” he said. “As of now, there are enough radio amateurs to fulfill their mission to their served agencies. Keep in mind that each ARRL Section has different requirements on how they locate, credential and deploy volunteers, and what is the norm in your Section might be different in another. Anyone who attempts to self-deploy will be turned away.”

Just a reminder about our monthly meeting Thursday the 23rd at 7p.m. This month’s topic is Disaster Preparedness Strategies . There will be a brief presentation followed by an open discussion about how we prepare our selfs for unforeseen events, disasters, electricity and water outages. So bring your own ideas on how you prepare for the unforeseen. Do you have a disaster kit ? Meeting starts at 7 p.m. with time to network starting at 6:30 p.m. Station 2 4800 NE 122nd.
Hope to see you all there.

Bruce Harris N4PDX
Multnomah County A.R.E.S
Public Information Officer
e-mail n4p...@me.com
971.645.3744

http://www.multnomahares.org

Goal

The Multnomah Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) operational structure is intended to guide the organization and response of the organization in the case of activation, planned or otherwise.

It is implemented prior to activation and maintained by the membership to ensure readiness of the membership (both knowledge and equipment) and a robust command and control structure for the organization.

Usage

The Operational Organization Structure is applicable to all Multnomah ARES Amateur Radio Operators (AROs). It is designed to coordinate ARES AROs into teams based on geographic subunits of Multnomah County.
SOP101.0OperationalOrgStructureMultcoARES

Here’s a good list of things we should be able to do with our hand held radios and a go kit suggestion. From Nate N9VCU from his Feb. training presentation.

You HT Go-Kit might contain:
Manual, Cloning Cable
Whip Antenna/Counterpoise
Aftermarket External Antenna (Roll-Up J-Pole or other)
Method to Deploy Antenna, SMA/BNC/PL-259 adapters, Feed Line
Spare Batteries (Alkaline is always nice)
Storage Box/Bag
Belt Holder (Tres Chic!)
Speaker/Mic – (No VOX please)
Headphones
Chargers -12VDC is great too.
Small RF Amp? Extra Power?

Things you should be able to do:
Set Simplex Frequency and program to Memory (146.480, 146.52)
Set radio for repeater operation, with tone and set to memory [146.84(-); 147.28(+, 167.9)]
Switch between memory and VFO
Adjust RF Power out
Open Squelch
Monitor Repeater Input Frequency

Here’s the Portland Amateur Radio Club’s Schedule for 2013 unless noted all meeting are held at One Liberty Center (lower level auditorium) 650 NE Holladay Street Portland.

February  16^th and 23^rd  -Tech License Classes and Exam.  Class Full  22^nd – Club Meeting Training Topic – Antennas and Propagation.  Antenna design, construction and installation for all uses.   Concentrating on Field Antennas for HF.  Propagation discussion for the new amateur.

March   22^nd – Club Meeting:  Training Topic – Operating on VHF (voice) for the New Amateur.  Station setup, Your First QSO, Talking on Nets, Programming HTs and mobile radios.

April 26^th – Club Meeting:  Training Topic – Operating on a Tactical Net.  How to operate during a service event or emergency on a tactical net.  Expectations, troubleshooting of problems and hints on good communications.

May   11^th - Saturday PARC:  Hands on Build: Portable multiband HF Antenna.  0800 until completed. Cost to be determined (antenna materials).  Number of participants limited.  ContactN9V...@arrl.net.  24^th – Club Meeting:   Training Topic – Operating on HF and Contesting.  How to keep a contest log, tips and trick for scoring/placing well.  Station and antenna setup on HF bands.

June   15^th – Saturday PARC:  Field Day Preparation.  Antenna and equipment maintenance for upcoming Field Day. Location TBD.  28^th – No Meeting.  Club members will be at Kelly Butte preparing for Field Day (Antenna Erection).  29^th-30^th – Field Day.  Activities at Kelly Butte all weekend.

July   13^th (Tentative) – Saturday PARC:  Club Picnic.  Time and Loc TBD.  Potential tour of broadcast site.  26^th - Club Meeting:  Training Topic – Automated Packet Reporting System (APRS).  Map your location with your GPS and Radio.

August   3rd-4^th - PARC Expedition:  UHF Contest.  Head into the hills to camp out and compete during the ARRL UHF Contest.  Location TBD.  23^rd Club Meeting:  Training Topic – DSTAR Digital Protocol

September    4^th-15^th – PARC Expedition  VHF Contest.  Head into the hills to camp out and compete during the ARRL VHF Contest.  Location TBD.

27^rd – Club Meeting:  Training Topic –  Troubleshooting your QSO.  Recognizing and correcting common audio transmission or reception problems, especially on VHF FM.

October    6^th – Service Event:  Portland Marathon.  Please Join PARC in providing volunteer communications support for the Portland Marathon.        25^th – Club Meeting:    Training Topic –  VHF Packet.  Operations, gear and uses.

November    9^th – Saturday PARC:  Hands On Training – Benchtop Skills for the Amateur Radio Operator.  Soldering, Crimping, Troubleshooting.  Electrical Fundamentals.  Multi-Meter and Oscilloscope Operation. 0800 until complete. Potential cost to be determined (if build is involved).  Number of participants limited.  Contact N9V...@arrl.net.   22^nd – Club Meeting:   Training Topic –  TBD.  Left open for schedule flexibility.

December  12^th – PARC Social:  Join us in celebrating a great year.  Location TBD 27th – NO MEETING.

Greetings All,
The new Multnomah County ARES/RACES shirts are ready for order. Please see the attachment to see what they look like. You can order your shirt at any of our monthly meetings or send me an e-mail kk7...@arrl.net
The costs are:
short sleeve T-shirt=$12
long sleeve T-shirt = $14
short sleeve polo = $17
long sleeve sweatshirt=$18
long sleeve 1/4 zip sweatshirt=$25
The shirts are available in mens sizes S-M-L-XL-XXL
and women sizes S-M-L-XL-1X-2X
The shirts are available to all members but are NOT required!
73,
Deb Provo kk7deb
Multnomah County ARES/RACES Membership Manager

QST,QST,QST

Dust off that license and dig out that radio. Put ‘em to work!
Would you like to be a part of emergency communications?
Would you like to learn more about your radio?
Would you like to help your neighbors when a natural disaster strikes?
Give back to your community, serve in an exciting field, and
work with emergency management professionals.
Join MC ARES now!

If you received a postcard from us, please come on down to a regular meeting at the Portland Fire Bureau Training Station Two, 4800 NE 122nd Ave Portland, Oregon 97230 at 6:30 P.M.

For ALL interested hams, consider this an invitation to the meeting!

The next regular meeting is April 26th, 2012 at 7:00P.M. Featuring training on how to become a weather spotter for the National Weather Service!

For more information send an E-mail to qui...@multnomahares.org See you there!
DE AF7RF

Hello all,

Bruce, N4PDX, and I are very interested in exploring digital modes of communication. Our idea is to get a group of interested people together where we all can learn what’s out there to use, get proficient with practice and maybe start figuring out where this all fits in emcom.

If anyone one would to start playing, we are planning on running our first net Wednesday 4/27 at 19:30 right after the voice net.

For our first try we are going to use simplex

146.44

and the mode will be:

MT63-2000

Fear not if that mode sounds cryptic. You can get all the information you need at http://panbems.org/

They have links to download the software, we are using FLdigi, and instructions to get it set up.

You don’t need any special equipment for this to work. Believe it or not, you can use acoustic coupling, which basically means you can hold your HT next to the mic on your computer and the software will pick up the transmission. For sending, just hold the push to talk with your HT near the speakers.

If you have any questions feel free to contact either me or Bruce.

Cheers,
Mark
KF7DHH

Colleagues,

In addition to concern for victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, please use this event to ensure that your own safety is attended to.

Note the following:
1) The Sendai tsunami wave was approximately 27 feet high. Current research indicates that when The Big One strikes the Oregon Coast – when, not if – it is estimated that it will be 50 to 90 feet in height.

2) The Sendai tsunami wave hit shore approximately 35 minutes after the quake. Thus, 35 minutes to evacuate. It is estimated that when The Big One strikes the Oregon Coast, we could have as little as 15 minutes to evacuate.

So, to ensure your survival, if you are at the coast when the event occurs:

1) Be sure you know the difference between a local and distant event tsunami.
2) Be sure you have basic quake survival skills.
3) Be sure you know your best evacuation route, safe elevation, and evacuation time. If you fail on any of these three counts, you are not likely to survive.

Number 3 is critical. The majority of deaths in Japan, reported to date, have been caused by the tsunami.

Survival comes first.

Helen/KE7SCS

RACES is a radiocommunication service, conducted by volunteer licensed amateurs, designed to provide emergency communications to local or state civil-preparedness agencies. It is a part of the Amateur Radio Service that provides radio communications for civil-preparedness purposes only, during periods of local, regional or national civil emergencies. These emergencies are not limited to war-related activities, but can include natural disasters such as fires, floods and earthquakes.

The Multnomah County Office of Emergency Management has requested that James Bryant (ARES EC) be appointed Radio Officer, and Garrett Lang (ARES AEC) be appointed Deputy Radio Officer for RACES.