The March 7 “Cascadia Slips a Bit” field exercise was a great success. We had 45 members willing to brave the cold and rain to send Winlink messages from all parts of the county. The digital go kits got a good workout and the quad gateway (Frankengate) continues to prove that it is a valuable asset.
This exercise was done to hone our ability to send and receive local Winlink without the internet. The VHF to HF gateway allows us to also send Winlink messages out of the area to other parts of the country where internet still works.
Thanks to everyone who participated and a special thanks to the teams that deployed early to set up special equipment.
We received safety vests as part of the last UASI grant so if you need a vest or your current vest has seen better days let me know. I will bring one to the next meeting for you if you email me. We have a limited supply and hope to supply vests to our new members when they complete their ARRO training.
The new digital kits (photo above) are almost complete! The new design will make the kits lighter and easier to pack around. The batteries have been upgraded to two 35AH batteries for a total of 70AH for each kit. You can see the whole kit at the next ARES meeting.