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Simulated Emergency Test

Posted: Fri Sep 19, 2008 8:22 am
by k4rgg
The ARRL (http://www.arrl.org) sponsored Simulated Emergency Test has been postponed for Madison County till Oct 11th.

You may still want to listen in to some of the HF traffic on the 4th when other Al counties are doing their SET.

73 de K4RGG
Rolf
EC Madison County

Re: Simulated Emergency Test

Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2008 5:39 pm
by kk5h
Could you post some of the freqs, that might be used during this time?
thanks,
tim
kk5h

Re: Simulated Emergency Test

Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2008 9:38 am
by wb5rmg
ARES UPDATES (News Regarding SET 2008)
Posted by: "Les Rayburn" les<at>highnoonfilm<dot>com
Date: Thu Oct 2, 2008 1:23 pm ((PDT))

Please disseminate this as widely as possible on e-mail lists, Yahoo Groups,
etc. where it would be of interest:

Alabama State EMA On the Air for SET 2008

During Saturday's Simulated Emergency Test, the Alabama EMA in Clanton, AL
(Chilton County) will be active and on the air. Their callsign is KF4LQK. The
Alabama Section Emergency Coordinator will be on site in Clanton, and looking
for situation reports from you area or group as the event unfolds.

We'll be attempting to provide real time updates, including received situation
reports on two web sites:

http://www.arrl-al.org/SET_2008_status.htm (Primary)

http://al-ares.blogspot.com/ (Secondary)


The following modes and frequencies can be used to contact the EMA:

HF Voice: 3965khz LSB (Alternate is 7243khz LSB)
HF Digital: 3570khz LSB- Only one low band antenna is available, so we'll move
from the voice frequency to the digital net to pick up traffic as directed by
the net control station.

D-Star Voice: The Montgomery repeater is the primary for the EMA. That's W4AP,
Port C with a frequency of 146.920. The Montgomery repeater is connected to
the gateway, so you should be able to link to us through your repeater if it's
connected to the gateway.

We'll be attempting to use reflector REF002-B during SET in an effort to link
as much of the state as possible. This is the reflector commonly used for the
Alabama State D-Star Net on Tuesday evenings. Note that reflectors cannot be
"reserved" for any exclusive use, so if it's not working, then please use
normal point to point routing through the gateway.

D-Star Slow Speed Data: The EMA will be equipped for slow speed data using the
D-RATS software. ( http://d-rats.danplanet.com/wiki/). Please download V2.6.

Be advised that the software developer, Dan Smith is still working out bugs
associated with using the D-Rats software through repeaters and reflectors.
You should use D-Star slow speed data only when directed to do so by the net
control station, or the party you're attempting to pass traffic to. Use of
D-Star slow speed data during SET 2008 is experimental purposes. It may not be
the best time to try to "show off" this capability to your served agency.

APRS Messaging: Thanks to the efforts of the Montgomery Amateur Radio Club,
the EMA is equipped for APRS messaging. Callsign is W4AP-3.

Winlink 2K: The Alabama State EMA can be reached on Winlink at:
KF4LQK<at>winlink.org

VHF/UHF Repeaters: The EMA will also be active on a number of local VHF/UHF
analog repeaters during SET. This include 2M, 440, and the 222mhz band.

E-Mail: During SET, I can be reached on my personal e-mail account at:
alsec<at>arrl-al.org


Cellular Phones: One form of communication that does not work well at the
State EMA are cell phones. The radio room is located well underground, and
most cell phones simply don't function.

Special thanks to Greg Gross, K4GR, Greg Sarratt, W4OZK, and Jay Isbell,
KA4KUN, and Neil Taylor, N4ION for their help in final prep at the EMA.

State EMA to be activated during Sunday ARES Nets

Thanks to the efforts of Neil Taylor, N4ION, Greg Gross, K4GR, and many
others, we hope to activate the Alabama State EMA Station, KF4LQK on a regular
basis during our regular Sunday ARES training Nets, which currently begin at
3:45PM CST for the Digital Net and 4:00PM for the voice net.

3570khz- (LSB) Alabama Digital Emergency Net (Using PSK-31 and RTTY) Net
Control is Mike Watkins, WX4AL

3965khz- (LSB) Alabama ARES Net. This is the voice net, and we often attract
check ins from around the Southeast. WX4AL is often the net control for this
net as well.

We encourage all ARES volunteers to check in often, and if possible to
activate the stations at your county EMA office, Red Cross, or other served
agencies. It's also a great time to test out your mobile HF rig, and make sure
that you've ready to go on PSK-31 and RTTY. The Alabama State EMA station,
KF4LQK should become a "regular" on the net starting this month.

This is only a drill....

Some of our served agencies have expressed concern about the general public
overhearing our message traffic this Saturday, and possibly becoming alarmed.
Their concern is valid...and it's important to remember that any simulated
emergency traffic must include the words, "EXERCISE" or "TEST MESSAGE".

If you're acting as the Net Control Station for a local or regional net,
please be sure to keep this in mind. Pause often to remind listeners that this
is only a drill.

While it's vital that we test our capabilities, we must always be mindful of
our "audience" equipped with scanners and shortwave radios who may tune in
late, and get caught up in the excitement. Even though it's October, we don't
want a repeat of Orson Welles famous "War of the Worlds" broadcast!

Have fun!

The purpose of the Simulated Emergency Test is to do just that...test our
capabilities. You should expect to make mistakes, and for things to go wrong.
That's how we learn and improve.

Part of the problem with selling emergency communications to our fellow hams
is that compared to activities like DXing, contests, or moonbounce, it can
sound a lot like work. They're always hearing how you have to take courses,
show up for meetings, and participate in exercises. Too often, we're guilty of
leaving out the part about how much FUN it is!

Working side by side with served agencies means becoming a trusted "insider".
Often you'll know the inner workings of your local first responders, and the
Mayor may even call you by your fist name! And nothing beats the thrill and
excitement of passing traffic knowing that it's vital to protecting your
community.

So, this year, during SET...please remember to smile, laugh, and have fun.
It's serious work, but it doesn't have to be serious all the time. I'm looking
forward to getting some photos with your after action reports, and I expect to
see some smiles out there!

Good luck to all.

73,

Les Rayburn, N1LF
ARES AL Section Emergency Coordinator
NCS-SHARES NCS-047
---------------------------------------------

# 4 In the State

Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2010 2:36 pm
by k4rgg
You'll be proud to know that Madison County score #4 in the Alabama Set in 2009

Good work folks!