The Edmond Amateur Radio Society will hold its fall TRY HAM RADIO event at Edmond North High School on September 10th from 9:00 a.m. to noon. The event is free and open to the public. HF operations in the south parking lot will work as a GOTA staton. Know someone interested in ham radio? We'd love to show them around.
EARS Technician Licensing Class starts 9/20/11 at 6:30 p.m. at the Community Center, Main and Littler, in downtown Edmond. $40 cost covers text and test. More details at K5EOK.org.
Welcome to the American Radio Relay League Oklahoma Section. The Leadership of the Oklahoma Section hopes you enjoy what the League is doing. Please feel free to send comments.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Hello Oklahoma!
A couple of new things to add to the section news……
First, I would like to congratulate the following list of stations that sent their logs to the League for Field Day credit. It’s always fun to see “how we did” compared to similar stations. Even if you only made 10 contacts, you get your station in QST!! So, here they are…..again Congrats and thanks for participating!
Station GOTA CLUB Class
AA5CK 1B
AF5Q 1C
K5CM NN5Q 2A
K5EOK KE5VOF Edmond ARS 3A
KD5RSS 1E
KE5BWG Pontotoc Co. ARA 3A
KK5JY 1E
KO5D Durant ARA 3A
ND5MS 4F
NM5I 1D
NN5Z 2A
W5GHZ 1B
W5MEL NE5S Oklahoma City Autopatch Assn. 3A
W5NOR WB5ULK South Canadian ARS 2A
W5PAA KW5FAA Aeronautical Center ARC 2A
WD5IYF K5WPN Chisholm Trail ARC 3A
WG5F 1B
WX5EOC 2F
Also, I received a URL to a special event station web site to commemorate 9/11. I wanted to pass it on so everyone in the section has the opportunity to try to contact them….they are the Northeast Wireless Radio Club in Queens County, New York.
http://www.nw2c.org/911.html
Well, the move to Perry is complete, Field Day is over and Ham Holiday 2011 is in the books. Not to mention, Wilma (the XYL), W5WRO and I are new grandparents. Wilma’s daughter gave birth to a baby boy on July 20, 7 lbs. 2 oz. and 19” long. I’m already planning to expose him to CW, RF and classic rock and roll ASAP.
Plano Hamfest – ARRL National Convention
The first weekend in June was the Plano Hamfest and ARRL National Convention. Wilma and I traveled to Plano Thursday morning to help with setup and get squared away. The West Gulf Division played host to the crew from Newington as well as many volunteers helping to man the ARRL Expo. Thursday evening we were treated to a dinner at Southfork Ranch. So the folks from back east got a good dose of southern hospitality.
The hamfest was a great success. Lots of hams came by the ARRL Expo and got to meet and chat with numerous members of the headquarters staff. The got questions answered, pictures taken and even kits built. The keynote speaker was Riley Hollingsworth and there was standing room only. Everyone had a really great time, so if you missed this one, you missed a great one.
Field Day
The weekend after the move was Field Day. I left Perry at around 6:30am Saturday morning and picked up Asst. SM Jim Shideler, W5JCS in Stillwater and headed for our first stop, Bartlesville. The club has a great site out at Osage Hills State Park. The guys were working on antenna installations while we were there.
From Bartlesville we drove south to Tulsa to the Broken Arrow clubs site just off 71st and Mingo. They already had some folks on the air testing stations while others continued to erect antennas. They had RSVP’s from about 200 or so for dinner Saturday night!!
It was then on to Chandler Park on Tulsa’s west side to the TARC/TRO site. This was a really nice site with lots of places to erect towers and string wire. The only down side, the breeze they had at Broken Arrow, was blowing rather briskly on top of that hill.
With the heat starting to build, Jim and I headed down the turnpike and south at Chandler to Shawnee. They had a small tailgate fest to go along with Field Day. They were giving VE Exams and had one station up and running (Way to hang in there Beth).
Moving west, we made our way to Norman and the SCARS site in a park off of Jenkins on the south side of campus. They were hard at it on phone, CW and I believe they had a digital station running as well. They were running at least 3A with a GOTA.
With Bill Wilburn, N5NUK running “blocker” we made our way to the OCAPA site out at “Lake” (read channel with a stream at the bottom) Stanley Draper. This was a great site with nice pavilions overlooking where the lake would normally be. Which provided a great location for the antennas. While we were there the local police came by to roust them…….of course there is always one person that doesn’t get the memo……….so Tom Webb, WA9AFM had to produce the documents signed by 4 different agencies proving they were allowed to be there. I was glad the cuffs didn’t come out.
After the brush with the law, we traveled over the FAA club site on the SW side of OKC. They had a large tent from OKC emergency Management. This tent was really cool……..and I do mean COOL! It was AIR CONDITIONED and insulated!! When I went in, I told them this couldn’t be a Field Day site in the outdoors, “cause you aren’t sweating!” It was a nice installation where they were even running satellite.
Our last stop was the EARS site north of Edmond. They were set up in one of the area fire station and everyone was having a great time. The only bummer was that we missed the Bar-B-Q dinner by about an hour. But, there were some great left over desserts…….especially the marshmallow treats!
All in all we visited 8 sites of the 13 listed on the League site finder and traveled 475 miles. We had a great time, met a lot of great folks and saw lots of different ways of setting up Field day. I would like to thanks all of the clubs for their hospitality, cool water and efforts to put on a great Field Day.
Photos from our travels are at:
http://www.arrl.org/Groups/vie
Weather and Fires
June and July saw lots of heat and dry conditions in the section. There have been numerous grassfires with thousands of acres scorched. We even had severe storms that caused some loss of life. All these events saw some of our amateurs assisting in a variety of ways, from storm spotting to helping coordinate delivery of drinking water to firefighters.
ARES Oklahoma has been busy in these events. They have also been busy in the planning area. On July 16th, the ARES Oklahoma senior staff (SM, SEC, ASEC’s and ZEC’s) met in Oklahoma City to cover a lot of topics to get everyone on the same page as to where ARES Oklahoma is headed. We are in the process of re-writing the Section Emergency Plan. This re-write is to smooth out some of the language in the plan, NOT to make substantive changes. SEC, Mark Conklin, N7XYO is doing a great job coordinating the ARES effort. Also, ASEC for IT, Roland Stolfa, KC5UNL, is doing GREAT work with the ARESOK website.
If you would like to join ARES Oklahoma, just go to the website and sign up. We can use you. The website is at:
www.ARESOK.org
Ham Holiday 2011
Ham Holiday in Oklahoma City was a good gig. They tried a few new things and I feel like they succeeded. The first was a Ham Holiday banquet Friday evening. The food was good, with some really great apple pie. I got to present an A-1 Operator Award to Richard Schroeder, N5VYQ and give Dave Duskin, NE5S some static about 80 meter operation and his garage door opener…….
The program was given by Tim Duffy, K3LR on the World Radio Team Championship. The WRTC could be described as a 2 man nuclear powered field day. It is the contest to end all contests. You can learn more by watching a video on the upcoming WRTC in 2014, to be hosted in Boston, MA. The website is:
www.wrtc.info
The hamfest had most of the usual suspects in attendance. Plus we had the West Gulf Division Vice-Director John Stratton, N5AUS on hand to rib about being a lawyer. (some things you just can’t get enough of) It was good to see a lot of good friends and to make new ones. I want to express my appreciation to all the folks in CORA for a job VERY well done. I look forward to next year’s Ham Holiday.
A few images from Ham Holiday are at:
http://www.arrl.org/Groups/vie
Upcoming Hamfests
Texhoma Hamarama – West Gulf Division Convention – October 21-22 – Ardmore Convention Center, Ardmore, OK.
Enid Hamfest – November 4-5 – Hoover Building - Garfield County Fairgrounds – Enid, OK
I plan on being at these hamfests and look forward to meeting you.
One Last Thing
One of the great things about being you Section Manager is getting to meet all the great hams in our section. Many times a fellow ham will come up to me and thank me for taking on this position, but it is I that would like to thank all of you for what you do everyday to make amateur radio the great hobby it is. So, hats off to all of you. My sincere thanks.
Kevin O’Dell, N0IRW
First, I would like to congratulate the following list of stations that sent their logs to the League for Field Day credit. It’s always fun to see “how we did” compared to similar stations. Even if you only made 10 contacts, you get your station in QST!! So, here they are…..again Congrats and thanks for participating!
Station GOTA CLUB Class
AA5CK 1B
AF5Q 1C
K5CM NN5Q 2A
K5EOK KE5VOF Edmond ARS 3A
KD5RSS 1E
KE5BWG Pontotoc Co. ARA 3A
KK5JY 1E
KO5D Durant ARA 3A
ND5MS 4F
NM5I 1D
NN5Z 2A
W5GHZ 1B
W5MEL NE5S Oklahoma City Autopatch Assn. 3A
W5NOR WB5ULK South Canadian ARS 2A
W5PAA KW5FAA Aeronautical Center ARC 2A
WD5IYF K5WPN Chisholm Trail ARC 3A
WG5F 1B
WX5EOC 2F
Also, I received a URL to a special event station web site to commemorate 9/11. I wanted to pass it on so everyone in the section has the opportunity to try to contact them….they are the Northeast Wireless Radio Club in Queens County, New York.
http://www.nw2c.org/911.html
Well, the move to Perry is complete, Field Day is over and Ham Holiday 2011 is in the books. Not to mention, Wilma (the XYL), W5WRO and I are new grandparents. Wilma’s daughter gave birth to a baby boy on July 20, 7 lbs. 2 oz. and 19” long. I’m already planning to expose him to CW, RF and classic rock and roll ASAP.
Plano Hamfest – ARRL National Convention
The first weekend in June was the Plano Hamfest and ARRL National Convention. Wilma and I traveled to Plano Thursday morning to help with setup and get squared away. The West Gulf Division played host to the crew from Newington as well as many volunteers helping to man the ARRL Expo. Thursday evening we were treated to a dinner at Southfork Ranch. So the folks from back east got a good dose of southern hospitality.
The hamfest was a great success. Lots of hams came by the ARRL Expo and got to meet and chat with numerous members of the headquarters staff. The got questions answered, pictures taken and even kits built. The keynote speaker was Riley Hollingsworth and there was standing room only. Everyone had a really great time, so if you missed this one, you missed a great one.
Field Day
The weekend after the move was Field Day. I left Perry at around 6:30am Saturday morning and picked up Asst. SM Jim Shideler, W5JCS in Stillwater and headed for our first stop, Bartlesville. The club has a great site out at Osage Hills State Park. The guys were working on antenna installations while we were there.
From Bartlesville we drove south to Tulsa to the Broken Arrow clubs site just off 71st and Mingo. They already had some folks on the air testing stations while others continued to erect antennas. They had RSVP’s from about 200 or so for dinner Saturday night!!
It was then on to Chandler Park on Tulsa’s west side to the TARC/TRO site. This was a really nice site with lots of places to erect towers and string wire. The only down side, the breeze they had at Broken Arrow, was blowing rather briskly on top of that hill.
With the heat starting to build, Jim and I headed down the turnpike and south at Chandler to Shawnee. They had a small tailgate fest to go along with Field Day. They were giving VE Exams and had one station up and running (Way to hang in there Beth).
Moving west, we made our way to Norman and the SCARS site in a park off of Jenkins on the south side of campus. They were hard at it on phone, CW and I believe they had a digital station running as well. They were running at least 3A with a GOTA.
With Bill Wilburn, N5NUK running “blocker” we made our way to the OCAPA site out at “Lake” (read channel with a stream at the bottom) Stanley Draper. This was a great site with nice pavilions overlooking where the lake would normally be. Which provided a great location for the antennas. While we were there the local police came by to roust them…….of course there is always one person that doesn’t get the memo……….so Tom Webb, WA9AFM had to produce the documents signed by 4 different agencies proving they were allowed to be there. I was glad the cuffs didn’t come out.
After the brush with the law, we traveled over the FAA club site on the SW side of OKC. They had a large tent from OKC emergency Management. This tent was really cool……..and I do mean COOL! It was AIR CONDITIONED and insulated!! When I went in, I told them this couldn’t be a Field Day site in the outdoors, “cause you aren’t sweating!” It was a nice installation where they were even running satellite.
Our last stop was the EARS site north of Edmond. They were set up in one of the area fire station and everyone was having a great time. The only bummer was that we missed the Bar-B-Q dinner by about an hour. But, there were some great left over desserts…….especially the marshmallow treats!
All in all we visited 8 sites of the 13 listed on the League site finder and traveled 475 miles. We had a great time, met a lot of great folks and saw lots of different ways of setting up Field day. I would like to thanks all of the clubs for their hospitality, cool water and efforts to put on a great Field Day.
Photos from our travels are at:
http://www.arrl.org/Groups/vie
Weather and Fires
June and July saw lots of heat and dry conditions in the section. There have been numerous grassfires with thousands of acres scorched. We even had severe storms that caused some loss of life. All these events saw some of our amateurs assisting in a variety of ways, from storm spotting to helping coordinate delivery of drinking water to firefighters.
ARES Oklahoma has been busy in these events. They have also been busy in the planning area. On July 16th, the ARES Oklahoma senior staff (SM, SEC, ASEC’s and ZEC’s) met in Oklahoma City to cover a lot of topics to get everyone on the same page as to where ARES Oklahoma is headed. We are in the process of re-writing the Section Emergency Plan. This re-write is to smooth out some of the language in the plan, NOT to make substantive changes. SEC, Mark Conklin, N7XYO is doing a great job coordinating the ARES effort. Also, ASEC for IT, Roland Stolfa, KC5UNL, is doing GREAT work with the ARESOK website.
If you would like to join ARES Oklahoma, just go to the website and sign up. We can use you. The website is at:
www.ARESOK.org
Ham Holiday 2011
Ham Holiday in Oklahoma City was a good gig. They tried a few new things and I feel like they succeeded. The first was a Ham Holiday banquet Friday evening. The food was good, with some really great apple pie. I got to present an A-1 Operator Award to Richard Schroeder, N5VYQ and give Dave Duskin, NE5S some static about 80 meter operation and his garage door opener…….
The program was given by Tim Duffy, K3LR on the World Radio Team Championship. The WRTC could be described as a 2 man nuclear powered field day. It is the contest to end all contests. You can learn more by watching a video on the upcoming WRTC in 2014, to be hosted in Boston, MA. The website is:
www.wrtc.info
The hamfest had most of the usual suspects in attendance. Plus we had the West Gulf Division Vice-Director John Stratton, N5AUS on hand to rib about being a lawyer. (some things you just can’t get enough of) It was good to see a lot of good friends and to make new ones. I want to express my appreciation to all the folks in CORA for a job VERY well done. I look forward to next year’s Ham Holiday.
A few images from Ham Holiday are at:
http://www.arrl.org/Groups/vie
Upcoming Hamfests
Texhoma Hamarama – West Gulf Division Convention – October 21-22 – Ardmore Convention Center, Ardmore, OK.
Enid Hamfest – November 4-5 – Hoover Building - Garfield County Fairgrounds – Enid, OK
I plan on being at these hamfests and look forward to meeting you.
One Last Thing
One of the great things about being you Section Manager is getting to meet all the great hams in our section. Many times a fellow ham will come up to me and thank me for taking on this position, but it is I that would like to thank all of you for what you do everyday to make amateur radio the great hobby it is. So, hats off to all of you. My sincere thanks.
Kevin O’Dell, N0IRW
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Opportunities to Practice Radio Communications
There are several upcoming opportunities to practice Radio communications in Oklahoma:
- Dam Jam 2011, 20th Anniversary Event - September 10th. 500+ bikers in a 75 mile ride in Pryor, OK. Mobile operators (handhelds could be useful as well) are needed to help with sag, sweeps, and support. 6am-4pm. Fuel reimbursement, meal in the park, and volunteer shirts available for those who commit in advance. Contact Jim Beach damjamjim@gmail.com or Tom Stroud kd5oph@tulsahamradio.org.
- Bike MS 150 - September 17th and 18th. 800 bikes in a 150 mile ride from Tulsa to Oklahoma City with a stop overnight in Chandler, OK. Safety, sag and sweep operations. Fuel reimbursement; food and drinks along the route; and breakfast, lunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday. Most of the communications will be on repeater so mobile units will be the choice of the day. Bike racks would be a plus if you are not in pick-up truck. You can work both or just one day. Contact Tom Stroud, 918-695-3735 or kd5oph@tulsahamreadio.org.
- Williams Route 66 Marathon - October and November, approx. 5,000 in attendance). Williams Committee is renting a private repeater and private band radios. Training day will be scheduled. Contact Tom Stroud, 918-695-3735 or kd5oph@tulsahamreadio.org for more information.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Pink HAMsters Get-Together!
Pink HAMsters will have their monthly fellowship get-together on August 25, 6:00 pm. at Panera Bread (between 71st and 81st on Aspen, Broken Arrow).
Pink HAMsters is ham radio from a feminine perspective. You DO NOT have to be a ham operator to attend this event. This get-together is for women who are licensed ham radio operators or who are related to a ham operators. The purpose of this get-together is fellowship and fun and good food. The conversations are NOT all about ham radio. We talk about anything from home decor to travel to book publishing!
Questions? Email Cindy Downes cindy@me.com or Kim Turentine Kturent@yahoo.com.
We hope to see you there!
PS: Pink HAMsters Net, Mondays at 7:00pm, 146.91 Broken Arrow. Kim Turentine is Net Operator.
73 Cindy K5CED
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Boy Scout Fall Festival Needs Ham Operators
The Boy Scouts have their Fall Festival on September 17th at the Jack Graves Scout Reservation in Broken Arrow, OK.
We are looking for a team of 2-4 that would like to attend this event and represent ham radio to the scouts. Contact Tom Stroud KD5OPH, 918-695-3735 or email at kd5oph@tulsahamradio.org for more info and to sign up.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Simulated Emergency Test
Get ready! ARES leaders have you recruited enough leaders and volunteers to support your ARES-OK teams in your area? Now is a good time to find out and get ready for the 2011 Simulated Emergency Test (SET) -SATURDAY October 1, 2011.
For an overview see the guidelines below... more info will follow as we get close this years date.
73
Mark Conklin, N7XYO
Oklahoma Section Emergency Coordinator
Amateur Radio Emergency Service
918.232.8346
n7xyo@arrl.net
Follow me on Twitter @N7XYO
www.ARESOK.org
******************************
Simulated EmergencyTest Guidelines-
2011 Simulated Emergency Test
October 1-2
The ARRL Simulated Emergency Test is a nationwide exercise in emergency communications, administered by ARRL Field Organization Leaders including Emergency Coordinators, District Emergency Coordinators, Section Emergency Coordinators and Net Managers. Many other Section Leaders like the Section Manager and the Section Traffic Manager may have a hand in planning the exercises and/or reviewing the results. Amateur Radio Emergency Service ® (ARES®), National Traffic System (NTS), Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) and other public-service oriented groups can be involved. The SET weekend gives communicators the opportunity to focus on the emergency-communications capability within your community while interacting with NTS nets. Although the main SET weekend this year is October 1-2, local and section-wide exercises may be held throughout the fall season.
During September, the ARRL will be among dozens of organizations and agencies taking part in National Preparedness Month. "The Ready Campaign," produced by the Ad Council in partnership with the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is aimed at making citizen preparedness "a priority for every city, every neighborhood and every home" in the US. The ARRL encourages you to consider this year's Simulated Emergency Test and preparations for it as a demonstration of Amateur Radio's readiness and as an active participant in National Preparedness Month. http://www.ready.gov/,
http://www.ready.gov/america/n
How to Join the SET
To participate in this year’s emergency test, contact yourlocal ARES-OK County and District level emergency coordinators to find out the details. ARES-OK teams will conduct their exercises on SATURDAY OCTOBER 1, 2011. If you don’t know who your local contact is, please got to www.ARESOK.orglog in (new volunteers click apply) fand find your ARES-OK County and District level emergency coordinators for assistance.
Whether you’re a new licensee or an experienced radio amateur, the SET is a golden opportunity to learn or practice useful skills in traffic handling, net operation and emergency communications protocols and management.
Purpose of SET
1. To find out the strengths and weaknesses of ARES, NTS, and other groups in providing emergency communications.
2. To provide a public demonstration--to served agencies such as the American Red Cross, the emergency management agency and through the news media--of the value to the public that Amateur Radio provides, particularly in time of need.
3. To help radio amateurs gain experience in communications using standard procedures and a variety of modes under simulated-emergency conditions.
Format
The scoring format reflects broad objectives and encourages use of digital modes for handling high-volume traffic and point-to-point Welfare reports out of the affected simulated- disaster area. Participants will find SET an opportunity to strengthen the VHF-HF link at the local level, thereby ensuring that ARES and NTS are working in concert. The SET will give all levels of NTS the chance to handle exercise-related traffic. The guidelines also recognize tactical traffic on behalf of served agencies.
Test messages should carry the word "TEST" before the precedence; that is, "Test Priority" on phone and "TEST P" on cw. The text of such messages should also begin with the words "TEST MESSAGE."
ARES units and other groups are free to conduct their emergency exercises anytime between September and December if an alternative date is preferred. The activity period should not exceed 48 hours.
Links to SET reporting forms and the EC Annual Report may be found at http://www.arrl.org/public-ser
You may e-mail your SET summaries to ARRL Headquarters viasewald@arrl.org. If you mail them to ARRL via the postal service, the address is: ARRL Headquarters, 225 Main Street, Newington, CT06111-1494. February 1, 2012, is the receipt deadline.
Preparation is Important
Steps for the Emergency Coordinator
1. Sign up all available amateurs in the area under your jurisdiction and work them into your SET plans.
2. Call a meeting of all ARES members and prospective members to briefly outline (no details!) SET activities, and give general instructions. Do not divulge the exact time or nature of the test to them at this time. This should come as a surprise. Take this opportunity to register new ARES members and get up-to-date information on others. Hold an on-the-air meeting if it's not possible to meet in person.
3. Contact served agencies and explain the intent and overall purpose of the SET. Offer to send test messages to other branches of their agencies, and invite officials to your ARES meetings and SET operating sites.
4. Contact officials of any adjacent communities having no active amateurs and offer to provide representation in amateur networks for them as well.
5. Arrange publicity in consultation with an ARRL Public Information Officer in local newspapers and radio/TV stations by preparing an announcement and/or inviting the press to observe your group's SET operation.
6. Set up liaison with one or more NTS local/section nets (if you don't already have liaison) so you will have an outlet for all messages out of the local area.
7. Formulate your plans around a simulated disaster. Possible "plots" include: a flood, a serious fire, an ice storm, a missing person, a serious accident (automobile, bus, aircraft, for examples), a broken gas line, and so forth. Elaborate on the situation by developing a scenario, but please be realistic.
During the SET
1. Announce the emergency situation. Activate the emergency net. Dispatch mobiles to served agencies.
2. Have designated stations originate messages on behalf of served agencies. Test messages may be sent simulating requests for supplies. Simulated emergency messages (just like real emergency messages) should be signed by an authorized official.
3. Emphasize tactical communications for served agencies.
4. As warranted by traffic loads, have liaison stations on hand to receive traffic on the local net and relay to your section net. You should also be sure that there is a representative on each session of the section net to receive traffic going to the local area.
5. Operate at least one session (or substantial segment of a session) of the local net on emergency-only basis. Or, if a repeater is on emergency power, allow only emergency-powered stations to operate through the repeater for a certain time period.
After the SET
An important post-SET activity is a critique session to discuss the test results. All ARES (and RACES) members should be invited to the meeting to review good points and weaknesses apparent in the drill. Emphasize ways to improve procedures, techniques, and coordination with all groups involved. Report your group's effort using the appropriate forms and include any photos, clippings and other items of interest.
The Role of NTS
The main function of the National Traffic System in an emergency situation is to tie together all of the various local activities and to provide a means by which all traffic destined outside of a local area, section or region can be systematically relayed to the addressee.
Normal NTS routing should be followed. A valid exception is the handling of emergency traffic that should be routed as rapidly and efficiently as possible, bypassing various levels of nets when delivery can be expedited. Another exception is when one station is loaded down with traffic for one region or section. At the discretion of the Net Control Station (NCS), the station may be directed to bypass a normal channel and go directly to a lower (or higher) echelon net.
The interface between NTS and ARES lies in the liaison function between local nets and other NTS nets, particularly at the section level. Responsibility for representation of the local network on the section net lies with the local net manager who may or may not be the EC. Although we usually think of ARES members being the representatives in section nets, it is equally valid to expect NTS personnel to act as liaison to local nets.
At least one net session or substantial segment of a session should be conducted on emergency power. Plan a surprise session or two. Advise the NCS just before net time. If NCS is unable to operate on emergency power, then someone else must be net control. Only stations operating on emergency power may report in during this time.
Summary
One of the first steps on the way to a successful SET is to try to get as many people involved as possible, and especially new hams. In a real emergency, we find amateurs with all sorts of varied interests coming out of the woodwork. Let's get them involved in SET so they will know more about how emergency communications should be handled. Promote SET on nets and repeaters, and sign up new, enthusiastic radio amateurs. Many of those offering to help will be inexperienced in public-service activities. It's up to you to explain what's going on to them, and provide them with useful roles. They may like it so much that they become a permanent fixture in your ARES or NTS group. For a review of last year's nationwide Simulated Emergency Test, read the article in July, 2011, QST.
Thanks to your efforts, the public service tradition in Amateur Radio continues!
For an overview see the guidelines below... more info will follow as we get close this years date.
73
Mark Conklin, N7XYO
Oklahoma Section Emergency Coordinator
Amateur Radio Emergency Service
918.232.8346
n7xyo@arrl.net
Follow me on Twitter @N7XYO
www.ARESOK.org
******************************
Simulated EmergencyTest Guidelines-
2011 Simulated Emergency Test
October 1-2
The ARRL Simulated Emergency Test is a nationwide exercise in emergency communications, administered by ARRL Field Organization Leaders including Emergency Coordinators, District Emergency Coordinators, Section Emergency Coordinators and Net Managers. Many other Section Leaders like the Section Manager and the Section Traffic Manager may have a hand in planning the exercises and/or reviewing the results. Amateur Radio Emergency Service ® (ARES®), National Traffic System (NTS), Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) and other public-service oriented groups can be involved. The SET weekend gives communicators the opportunity to focus on the emergency-communications capability within your community while interacting with NTS nets. Although the main SET weekend this year is October 1-2, local and section-wide exercises may be held throughout the fall season.
During September, the ARRL will be among dozens of organizations and agencies taking part in National Preparedness Month. "The Ready Campaign," produced by the Ad Council in partnership with the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is aimed at making citizen preparedness "a priority for every city, every neighborhood and every home" in the US. The ARRL encourages you to consider this year's Simulated Emergency Test and preparations for it as a demonstration of Amateur Radio's readiness and as an active participant in National Preparedness Month. http://www.ready.gov/,
http://www.ready.gov/america/n
How to Join the SET
To participate in this year’s emergency test, contact yourlocal ARES-OK County and District level emergency coordinators to find out the details. ARES-OK teams will conduct their exercises on SATURDAY OCTOBER 1, 2011. If you don’t know who your local contact is, please got to www.ARESOK.orglog in (new volunteers click apply) fand find your ARES-OK County and District level emergency coordinators for assistance.
Whether you’re a new licensee or an experienced radio amateur, the SET is a golden opportunity to learn or practice useful skills in traffic handling, net operation and emergency communications protocols and management.
Purpose of SET
1. To find out the strengths and weaknesses of ARES, NTS, and other groups in providing emergency communications.
2. To provide a public demonstration--to served agencies such as the American Red Cross, the emergency management agency and through the news media--of the value to the public that Amateur Radio provides, particularly in time of need.
3. To help radio amateurs gain experience in communications using standard procedures and a variety of modes under simulated-emergency conditions.
Format
The scoring format reflects broad objectives and encourages use of digital modes for handling high-volume traffic and point-to-point Welfare reports out of the affected simulated- disaster area. Participants will find SET an opportunity to strengthen the VHF-HF link at the local level, thereby ensuring that ARES and NTS are working in concert. The SET will give all levels of NTS the chance to handle exercise-related traffic. The guidelines also recognize tactical traffic on behalf of served agencies.
Test messages should carry the word "TEST" before the precedence; that is, "Test Priority" on phone and "TEST P" on cw. The text of such messages should also begin with the words "TEST MESSAGE."
ARES units and other groups are free to conduct their emergency exercises anytime between September and December if an alternative date is preferred. The activity period should not exceed 48 hours.
Links to SET reporting forms and the EC Annual Report may be found at http://www.arrl.org/public-ser
You may e-mail your SET summaries to ARRL Headquarters viasewald@arrl.org. If you mail them to ARRL via the postal service, the address is: ARRL Headquarters, 225 Main Street, Newington, CT06111-1494. February 1, 2012, is the receipt deadline.
Preparation is Important
Steps for the Emergency Coordinator
1. Sign up all available amateurs in the area under your jurisdiction and work them into your SET plans.
2. Call a meeting of all ARES members and prospective members to briefly outline (no details!) SET activities, and give general instructions. Do not divulge the exact time or nature of the test to them at this time. This should come as a surprise. Take this opportunity to register new ARES members and get up-to-date information on others. Hold an on-the-air meeting if it's not possible to meet in person.
3. Contact served agencies and explain the intent and overall purpose of the SET. Offer to send test messages to other branches of their agencies, and invite officials to your ARES meetings and SET operating sites.
4. Contact officials of any adjacent communities having no active amateurs and offer to provide representation in amateur networks for them as well.
5. Arrange publicity in consultation with an ARRL Public Information Officer in local newspapers and radio/TV stations by preparing an announcement and/or inviting the press to observe your group's SET operation.
6. Set up liaison with one or more NTS local/section nets (if you don't already have liaison) so you will have an outlet for all messages out of the local area.
7. Formulate your plans around a simulated disaster. Possible "plots" include: a flood, a serious fire, an ice storm, a missing person, a serious accident (automobile, bus, aircraft, for examples), a broken gas line, and so forth. Elaborate on the situation by developing a scenario, but please be realistic.
During the SET
1. Announce the emergency situation. Activate the emergency net. Dispatch mobiles to served agencies.
2. Have designated stations originate messages on behalf of served agencies. Test messages may be sent simulating requests for supplies. Simulated emergency messages (just like real emergency messages) should be signed by an authorized official.
3. Emphasize tactical communications for served agencies.
4. As warranted by traffic loads, have liaison stations on hand to receive traffic on the local net and relay to your section net. You should also be sure that there is a representative on each session of the section net to receive traffic going to the local area.
5. Operate at least one session (or substantial segment of a session) of the local net on emergency-only basis. Or, if a repeater is on emergency power, allow only emergency-powered stations to operate through the repeater for a certain time period.
After the SET
An important post-SET activity is a critique session to discuss the test results. All ARES (and RACES) members should be invited to the meeting to review good points and weaknesses apparent in the drill. Emphasize ways to improve procedures, techniques, and coordination with all groups involved. Report your group's effort using the appropriate forms and include any photos, clippings and other items of interest.
The Role of NTS
The main function of the National Traffic System in an emergency situation is to tie together all of the various local activities and to provide a means by which all traffic destined outside of a local area, section or region can be systematically relayed to the addressee.
Normal NTS routing should be followed. A valid exception is the handling of emergency traffic that should be routed as rapidly and efficiently as possible, bypassing various levels of nets when delivery can be expedited. Another exception is when one station is loaded down with traffic for one region or section. At the discretion of the Net Control Station (NCS), the station may be directed to bypass a normal channel and go directly to a lower (or higher) echelon net.
The interface between NTS and ARES lies in the liaison function between local nets and other NTS nets, particularly at the section level. Responsibility for representation of the local network on the section net lies with the local net manager who may or may not be the EC. Although we usually think of ARES members being the representatives in section nets, it is equally valid to expect NTS personnel to act as liaison to local nets.
At least one net session or substantial segment of a session should be conducted on emergency power. Plan a surprise session or two. Advise the NCS just before net time. If NCS is unable to operate on emergency power, then someone else must be net control. Only stations operating on emergency power may report in during this time.
Summary
One of the first steps on the way to a successful SET is to try to get as many people involved as possible, and especially new hams. In a real emergency, we find amateurs with all sorts of varied interests coming out of the woodwork. Let's get them involved in SET so they will know more about how emergency communications should be handled. Promote SET on nets and repeaters, and sign up new, enthusiastic radio amateurs. Many of those offering to help will be inexperienced in public-service activities. It's up to you to explain what's going on to them, and provide them with useful roles. They may like it so much that they become a permanent fixture in your ARES or NTS group. For a review of last year's nationwide Simulated Emergency Test, read the article in July, 2011, QST.
Thanks to your efforts, the public service tradition in Amateur Radio continues!
National Preparedness Month tips
By now I hope you are aware of FEMA's "National Preparedness Month"
campaign and their website listing emergency groups from all over the
country. You can see it at
http://community.fema.gov/connect.ti/READYNPM/grouphome
One problem I spotted is that many ham folks are not sure what "group"
to list their ARES or similar organization under. Hundreds of ARES
groups sign up, but our impact get diluted when they are split into
different categories. So I have two suggestions:
First - list your group under the non-profit category on their website.
Yes, there "was" a communications category a couple days
ago, but it disappeared and may or may not be stable.
Second - when you list your group, be sure to put the words "Amateur
Radio" somewhere in your group name - even as a suffix.
In that way we can do a search for ham groups using
those words. For example, we'd probably never find the
"Podunk County ARC" but we'd see them as the "Podunk
County Amateur Radio Club"
Neither of these suggestions is a definite fix, but they should help.
Most of all - sign your group up! If you provide emergency services to
other, let's get the recognition.
Allen Pitts, W1AGP
Media & PR Manager
ARRL - the national association for Amateur Radio
225 Main St. Newington, CT 06111
www.ARRL.org
campaign and their website listing emergency groups from all over the
country. You can see it at
http://community.fema.gov/connect.ti/READYNPM/grouphome
One problem I spotted is that many ham folks are not sure what "group"
to list their ARES or similar organization under. Hundreds of ARES
groups sign up, but our impact get diluted when they are split into
different categories. So I have two suggestions:
First - list your group under the non-profit category on their website.
Yes, there "was" a communications category a couple days
ago, but it disappeared and may or may not be stable.
Second - when you list your group, be sure to put the words "Amateur
Radio" somewhere in your group name - even as a suffix.
In that way we can do a search for ham groups using
those words. For example, we'd probably never find the
"Podunk County ARC" but we'd see them as the "Podunk
County Amateur Radio Club"
Neither of these suggestions is a definite fix, but they should help.
Most of all - sign your group up! If you provide emergency services to
other, let's get the recognition.
Allen Pitts, W1AGP
Media & PR Manager
ARRL - the national association for Amateur Radio
225 Main St. Newington, CT 06111
www.ARRL.org
Thursday, August 18, 2011
EC-001 Field Instructors Needed
Field Instructors are volunteers who commit their time and expertise to offer classroom instruction of the ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Course. Volunteer instructors may now conduct classroom instruction covering the material in the new Introduction to Emergency Communication course.
Field Instructors must be registered with the ARRL Continuing Education Program and must meet certain requirements:
* Completion of EC-001 (old or new version)
* Completion of FEMA IS-100, 200, 700 and 800
* Must be 18 years of age with Technician or higher license
* ARRL member
* Recommendation of Section Manager
If you are interested in serving as an ARRL Field Instructor for EC-001 you may submit an application at:
http://www.arrl.org/
Mark Conklin, N7XYO
Oklahoma Section Emergency Coordinator
Amateur Radio Emergency Service
918.232.8346
n7xyo@arrl.net
Follow me on Twitter @N7XYO
Field Instructors must be registered with the ARRL Continuing Education Program and must meet certain requirements:
* Completion of EC-001 (old or new version)
* Completion of FEMA IS-100, 200, 700 and 800
* Must be 18 years of age with Technician or higher license
* ARRL member
* Recommendation of Section Manager
If you are interested in serving as an ARRL Field Instructor for EC-001 you may submit an application at:
http://www.arrl.org/
Mark Conklin, N7XYO
Oklahoma Section Emergency Coordinator
Amateur Radio Emergency Service
918.232.8346
n7xyo@arrl.net
Follow me on Twitter @N7XYO
Monday, August 15, 2011
Oklahoma City Area Hams Meet
The August Oklahoma City Auto-Patch Association meeting will be held on Tuesday, 16 August, 7:30 PM at the Citadel located 1 block west of SE 44th & Bryant.
VE Testing begins at 6:00 PM.
The agenda includes the final nominations and elections of the 2011-12 OCAPA
officers as well as discussion and coordination of the Tech class which will begin on 25 August.
Tim Duffy, K3LR, with have a presentation on the 'World Radio Team
Championships' which will be held in Boston in 2014.
Thanks to WA9AFM for this report.
VE Testing begins at 6:00 PM.
The agenda includes the final nominations and elections of the 2011-12 OCAPA
officers as well as discussion and coordination of the Tech class which will begin on 25 August.
Tim Duffy, K3LR, with have a presentation on the 'World Radio Team
Championships' which will be held in Boston in 2014.
Thanks to WA9AFM for this report.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
QST ALL amateur radio operators in Oklahoma
ARES Oklahoma is seeking nominations for some several District Emergency Coordinator (DEC) leadership positions.
The District Emergency Coordinator (DEC) supervises the efforts of local Emergency Coordinators in the defined district. (See Roles and Responsibilities of the DEC on www.ARESOK.org)
Do you know a fellow amateur operator who would be a good choice for a leader with ARES-OK OR would you like to be a candidate for theses appointments?
Please send your nominations to your regions Zone Emergency Coordinator (ZEC) by logging into www.ARESOK.org where you will find your ZECs contact information.
Or is you would like to be considered for the position you can directly apply for the position www.ARESOK.org.
I appreciate your help with the selection for these vital leadership positions.
Thank you,
Mark Conklin, N7XYO
Oklahoma Section Emergency Coordinator
Amateur Radio Emergency Service
918.232.8346
n7xyo@arrl.net
Follow me on Twitter @N7XYO
The District Emergency Coordinator (DEC) supervises the efforts of local Emergency Coordinators in the defined district. (See Roles and Responsibilities of the DEC on www.ARESOK.org)
Do you know a fellow amateur operator who would be a good choice for a leader with ARES-OK OR would you like to be a candidate for theses appointments?
Please send your nominations to your regions Zone Emergency Coordinator (ZEC) by logging into www.ARESOK.org where you will find your ZECs contact information.
Or is you would like to be considered for the position you can directly apply for the position www.ARESOK.org.
I appreciate your help with the selection for these vital leadership positions.
Thank you,
Mark Conklin, N7XYO
Oklahoma Section Emergency Coordinator
Amateur Radio Emergency Service
918.232.8346
n7xyo@arrl.net
Follow me on Twitter @N7XYO
Thursday, August 11, 2011
National Preparedness Month #NPM11
This just came in today - and there are only 3 weeks left before
September, (yikes!) so time to sign up is short. In the past years,
clubs and ARES groups have been among the very top activities listed on
this national government website - and it got noticed! It doesn't
require you to do much more than what your groups is probably doing
already, so there's no reason not to sign in. Besides that, you can get
good materials for newsletters and promotional media for free from them.
Once you sign up, look around their website - there are places you can
post pictures and stories on their national website too.
It's a no-brainer for PIOs and national exposure.
-Allen w1agp
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Dear FEMA National Preparedness Month Partner,
We at the Ready Campaign appreciate your commitment over the years to
preparing our nation in the event of a disaster. We noticed that you
have not yet signed up to be a 2011 NPM Coalition Member this year. We
need your commitment to join us again. Coalition Members have to renew
their commitment each year by registering on the NPM website, which
takes just 2 minutes!
This year is going to be our biggest National Preparedness Month ever,
and we know that you will want to be a part of it. We listened to your
comments from last year and have made a lot of improvements to our site
based on that feedback. You'll be connected to new partners in
preparedness in your region.
Here's the new website: http://community.fema.gov
This year, once you've registered, you will have access to:
1. National and Regional discussion forums so you can engage with fellow
Coalition Members as well as FEMA representatives.
2. Event Calendars to post and promote your preparedness events at both
the National and Regional level.
3. Success Stories so you can share your experiences and read about what
other groups have done for inspiration.
4. All of the Coalition Member resources we've made available, including
this year's toolkit, banners, and customizable materials.
Thank you for the support and work you've already done this year. If you
have any questions, email us at npm@fema.gov <mailto:npm@fema.gov>
September, (yikes!) so time to sign up is short. In the past years,
clubs and ARES groups have been among the very top activities listed on
this national government website - and it got noticed! It doesn't
require you to do much more than what your groups is probably doing
already, so there's no reason not to sign in. Besides that, you can get
good materials for newsletters and promotional media for free from them.
Once you sign up, look around their website - there are places you can
post pictures and stories on their national website too.
It's a no-brainer for PIOs and national exposure.
-Allen w1agp
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Dear FEMA National Preparedness Month Partner,
We at the Ready Campaign appreciate your commitment over the years to
preparing our nation in the event of a disaster. We noticed that you
have not yet signed up to be a 2011 NPM Coalition Member this year. We
need your commitment to join us again. Coalition Members have to renew
their commitment each year by registering on the NPM website, which
takes just 2 minutes!
This year is going to be our biggest National Preparedness Month ever,
and we know that you will want to be a part of it. We listened to your
comments from last year and have made a lot of improvements to our site
based on that feedback. You'll be connected to new partners in
preparedness in your region.
Here's the new website: http://community.fema.gov
This year, once you've registered, you will have access to:
1. National and Regional discussion forums so you can engage with fellow
Coalition Members as well as FEMA representatives.
2. Event Calendars to post and promote your preparedness events at both
the National and Regional level.
3. Success Stories so you can share your experiences and read about what
other groups have done for inspiration.
4. All of the Coalition Member resources we've made available, including
this year's toolkit, banners, and customizable materials.
Thank you for the support and work you've already done this year. If you
have any questions, email us at npm@fema.gov <mailto:npm@fema.gov>
New Amateur Radio Class
The Lawton Ft. Sill Amateur Radio Club announces its fall class schedule for the Technician class amateur radio license. This is the entry level, no code, class often used by those who want to get into the craft for the first time.
The class will begin on Sept. 10 in room 313 at the Great Plains Technology Center. The classes are conducted between 9:00 a.m. and noon on Saturday mornings. The class will run for 6 Saturdays and ending on October 15.
Classes are taught by club members many of whom are long time enthusiasts with many years of experience.
There is no charge for the class, but a text is required. Students are asked to bring $30.00 in correct change for the text.
Students are asked to park on the west side of the building 300 for easy access to the classroom..
If you need additional information, call 580-353-0932.
Thanks to WB5YZD for this information.
The class will begin on Sept. 10 in room 313 at the Great Plains Technology Center. The classes are conducted between 9:00 a.m. and noon on Saturday mornings. The class will run for 6 Saturdays and ending on October 15.
Classes are taught by club members many of whom are long time enthusiasts with many years of experience.
There is no charge for the class, but a text is required. Students are asked to bring $30.00 in correct change for the text.
Students are asked to park on the west side of the building 300 for easy access to the classroom..
If you need additional information, call 580-353-0932.
Thanks to WB5YZD for this information.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Oklahoma Section News
Hello Oklahoma!!
Well, the move to Perry is complete, Field Day is over and Ham Holiday 2011 is in the books. Not to mention, Wilma (the XYL), W5WRO and I are new grandparents. Wilma’s daughter gave birth to a baby boy on July 20, 7 lbs. 2 oz. and 19” long. I’m already planning to expose him to CW, RF and classic rock and roll ASAP.
Plano Hamfest – ARRL National Convention
The first weekend in June was the Plano Hamfest and ARRL National Convention. Wilma and I traveled to Plano Thursday morning to help with setup and get squared away. The West Gulf Division played host to the crew from Newington as well as many volunteers helping to man the ARRL Expo. Thursday evening we were treated to a dinner at Southfork Ranch. So the folks from back east got a good dose of southern hospitality.
The hamfest was a great success. Lots of hams came by the ARRL Expo and got to meet and chat with numerous members of the headquarters staff. The got questions answered, pictures taken and even kits built. The keynote speaker was Riley Hollingsworth and there was standing room only. Everyone had a really great time, so if you missed this one, you missed a great one.
Field Day
The weekend after the move was Field Day. I left Perry at around 6:30am Saturday morning and picked up Asst. SM Jim Shideler, W5JCS in Stillwater and headed for our first stop, Bartlesville. The club has a great site out at Osage Hills State Park. The guys were working on antenna installations while we were there.
From Bartlesville we drove south to Tulsa to the Broken Arrow clubs site just off 71st and Mingo. They already had some folks on the air testing stations while others continued to erect antennas. They had RSVP’s from about 200 or so for dinner Saturday night!!
It was then on to Chandler Park on Tulsa’s west side to the TARC/TRO site. This was a really nice site with lots of places to erect towers and string wire. The only down side, the breeze they had at Broken Arrow, was blowing rather briskly on top of that hill.
With the heat starting to build, Jim and I headed down the turnpike and south at Chandler to Shawnee. They had a small tailgate fest to go along with Field Day. They were giving VE Exams and had one station up and running (Way to hang in there Beth).
Moving west, we made our way to Norman and the SCARS site in a park off of Jenkins on the south side of campus. They were hard at it on phone, CW and I believe they had a digital station running as well. They were running at least 3A with a GOTA.
With Bill Wilburn, N5NUK running “blocker” we made our way to the OCAPA site out at “Lake” (read channel with a stream at the bottom) Stanley Draper. This was a great site with nice pavilions overlooking where the lake would normally be. Which provided a great location for the antennas. While we were there the local police came by to roust them…….of course there is always one person that doesn’t get the memo……….so Tom Webb, WA9AFM had to produce the documents signed by 4 different agencies proving they were allowed to be there. I was glad the cuffs didn’t come out.
After the brush with the law, we traveled over the FAA club site on the SW side of OKC. They had a large tent from OKC emergency Management. This tent was really cool……..and I do mean COOL! It was AIR CONDITIONED and insulated!! When I went in, I told them this couldn’t be a Field Day site in the outdoors, “cause you aren’t sweating!” It was a nice installation where they were even running satellite.
Our last stop was the EARS site north of Edmond. They were set up in one of the area fire station and everyone was having a great time. The only bummer was that we missed the Bar-B-Q dinner by about an hour. But, there were some great left over desserts…….especially the marshmallow treats!
All in all we visited 8 sites of the 13 listed on the League site finder and traveled 475 miles. We had a great time, met a lot of great folks and saw lots of different ways of setting up Field day. I would like to thanks all of the clubs for their hospitality, cool water and efforts to put on a great Field Day.
Photos from our travels are at:
http://www.arrl.org/Groups/vie
Weather and Fires
June and July saw lots of heat and dry conditions in the section. There have been numerous grassfires with thousands of acres scorched. We even had severe storms that caused some loss of life. All these events saw some of our amateurs assisting in a variety of ways, from storm spotting to helping coordinate delivery of drinking water to firefighters.
ARES Oklahoma has been busy in these events. They have also been busy in the planning area. On July 16th, the ARES Oklahoma senior staff (SM, SEC, ASEC’s and ZEC’s) met in Oklahoma City to cover a lot of topics to get everyone on the same page as to where ARES Oklahoma is headed. We are in the process of re-writing the Section Emergency Plan. This re-write is to smooth out some of the language in the plan, NOT to make substantive changes. SEC, Mark Conklin, N7XYO is doing a great job coordinating the ARES effort. Also, ASEC for IT, Roland Stolfa, KC5UNL, is doing GREAT work with the ARESOK website.
If you would like to join ARES Oklahoma, just go to the website and sign up. We can use you. The website is at:
www.ARESOK.org
Ham Holiday 2011
Ham Holiday in Oklahoma City was a good gig. They tried a few new things and I feel like they succeeded. The first was a Ham Holiday banquet Friday evening. The food was good, with some really great apple pie. I got to present an A-1 Operator Award to Richard Schroeder, N5VYQ and give Dave Duskin, NE5S some static about 80 meter operation and his garage door opener…….
The program was given by Tim Duffy, K3LR on the World Radio Team Championship. The WRTC could be described as a 2 man nuclear powered field day. It is the contest to end all contests. You can learn more by watching a video on the upcoming WRTC in 2014, to be hosted in Boston, MA. The website is:
www.wrtc.info
The hamfest had most of the usual suspects in attendance. Plus we had the West Gulf Division Vice-Director John Stratton, N5AUS on hand to rib about being a lawyer. (some things you just can’t get enough of) It was good to see a lot of good friends and to make new ones. I want to express my appreciation to all the folks in CORA for a job VERY well done. I look forward to next year’s Ham Holiday.
A few images from Ham Holiday are at:
http://www.arrl.org/Groups/vie
Upcoming Hamfests
Texhoma Hamarama – West Gulf Division Convention – October 21-22 – Ardmore Convention Center, Ardmore, OK.
Enid Hamfest – November 4-5 – Hoover Building - Garfield County Fairgrounds – Enid, OK
I plan on being at these hamfests and look forward to meeting you.
One Last Thing
One of the great things about being you Section Manager is getting to meet all the great hams in our section. Many times a fellow ham will come up to me and thank me for taking on this position, but it is I that would like to thank all of you for what you do everyday to make amateur radio the great hobby it is. So, hats off to all of you. My sincere thanks.
Kevin O’Dell, N0IRW
Oklahoma Section Manager
Well, the move to Perry is complete, Field Day is over and Ham Holiday 2011 is in the books. Not to mention, Wilma (the XYL), W5WRO and I are new grandparents. Wilma’s daughter gave birth to a baby boy on July 20, 7 lbs. 2 oz. and 19” long. I’m already planning to expose him to CW, RF and classic rock and roll ASAP.
Plano Hamfest – ARRL National Convention
The first weekend in June was the Plano Hamfest and ARRL National Convention. Wilma and I traveled to Plano Thursday morning to help with setup and get squared away. The West Gulf Division played host to the crew from Newington as well as many volunteers helping to man the ARRL Expo. Thursday evening we were treated to a dinner at Southfork Ranch. So the folks from back east got a good dose of southern hospitality.
The hamfest was a great success. Lots of hams came by the ARRL Expo and got to meet and chat with numerous members of the headquarters staff. The got questions answered, pictures taken and even kits built. The keynote speaker was Riley Hollingsworth and there was standing room only. Everyone had a really great time, so if you missed this one, you missed a great one.
Field Day
The weekend after the move was Field Day. I left Perry at around 6:30am Saturday morning and picked up Asst. SM Jim Shideler, W5JCS in Stillwater and headed for our first stop, Bartlesville. The club has a great site out at Osage Hills State Park. The guys were working on antenna installations while we were there.
From Bartlesville we drove south to Tulsa to the Broken Arrow clubs site just off 71st and Mingo. They already had some folks on the air testing stations while others continued to erect antennas. They had RSVP’s from about 200 or so for dinner Saturday night!!
It was then on to Chandler Park on Tulsa’s west side to the TARC/TRO site. This was a really nice site with lots of places to erect towers and string wire. The only down side, the breeze they had at Broken Arrow, was blowing rather briskly on top of that hill.
With the heat starting to build, Jim and I headed down the turnpike and south at Chandler to Shawnee. They had a small tailgate fest to go along with Field Day. They were giving VE Exams and had one station up and running (Way to hang in there Beth).
Moving west, we made our way to Norman and the SCARS site in a park off of Jenkins on the south side of campus. They were hard at it on phone, CW and I believe they had a digital station running as well. They were running at least 3A with a GOTA.
With Bill Wilburn, N5NUK running “blocker” we made our way to the OCAPA site out at “Lake” (read channel with a stream at the bottom) Stanley Draper. This was a great site with nice pavilions overlooking where the lake would normally be. Which provided a great location for the antennas. While we were there the local police came by to roust them…….of course there is always one person that doesn’t get the memo……….so Tom Webb, WA9AFM had to produce the documents signed by 4 different agencies proving they were allowed to be there. I was glad the cuffs didn’t come out.
After the brush with the law, we traveled over the FAA club site on the SW side of OKC. They had a large tent from OKC emergency Management. This tent was really cool……..and I do mean COOL! It was AIR CONDITIONED and insulated!! When I went in, I told them this couldn’t be a Field Day site in the outdoors, “cause you aren’t sweating!” It was a nice installation where they were even running satellite.
Our last stop was the EARS site north of Edmond. They were set up in one of the area fire station and everyone was having a great time. The only bummer was that we missed the Bar-B-Q dinner by about an hour. But, there were some great left over desserts…….especially the marshmallow treats!
All in all we visited 8 sites of the 13 listed on the League site finder and traveled 475 miles. We had a great time, met a lot of great folks and saw lots of different ways of setting up Field day. I would like to thanks all of the clubs for their hospitality, cool water and efforts to put on a great Field Day.
Photos from our travels are at:
http://www.arrl.org/Groups/vie
Weather and Fires
June and July saw lots of heat and dry conditions in the section. There have been numerous grassfires with thousands of acres scorched. We even had severe storms that caused some loss of life. All these events saw some of our amateurs assisting in a variety of ways, from storm spotting to helping coordinate delivery of drinking water to firefighters.
ARES Oklahoma has been busy in these events. They have also been busy in the planning area. On July 16th, the ARES Oklahoma senior staff (SM, SEC, ASEC’s and ZEC’s) met in Oklahoma City to cover a lot of topics to get everyone on the same page as to where ARES Oklahoma is headed. We are in the process of re-writing the Section Emergency Plan. This re-write is to smooth out some of the language in the plan, NOT to make substantive changes. SEC, Mark Conklin, N7XYO is doing a great job coordinating the ARES effort. Also, ASEC for IT, Roland Stolfa, KC5UNL, is doing GREAT work with the ARESOK website.
If you would like to join ARES Oklahoma, just go to the website and sign up. We can use you. The website is at:
www.ARESOK.org
Ham Holiday 2011
Ham Holiday in Oklahoma City was a good gig. They tried a few new things and I feel like they succeeded. The first was a Ham Holiday banquet Friday evening. The food was good, with some really great apple pie. I got to present an A-1 Operator Award to Richard Schroeder, N5VYQ and give Dave Duskin, NE5S some static about 80 meter operation and his garage door opener…….
The program was given by Tim Duffy, K3LR on the World Radio Team Championship. The WRTC could be described as a 2 man nuclear powered field day. It is the contest to end all contests. You can learn more by watching a video on the upcoming WRTC in 2014, to be hosted in Boston, MA. The website is:
www.wrtc.info
The hamfest had most of the usual suspects in attendance. Plus we had the West Gulf Division Vice-Director John Stratton, N5AUS on hand to rib about being a lawyer. (some things you just can’t get enough of) It was good to see a lot of good friends and to make new ones. I want to express my appreciation to all the folks in CORA for a job VERY well done. I look forward to next year’s Ham Holiday.
A few images from Ham Holiday are at:
http://www.arrl.org/Groups/vie
Upcoming Hamfests
Texhoma Hamarama – West Gulf Division Convention – October 21-22 – Ardmore Convention Center, Ardmore, OK.
Enid Hamfest – November 4-5 – Hoover Building - Garfield County Fairgrounds – Enid, OK
I plan on being at these hamfests and look forward to meeting you.
One Last Thing
One of the great things about being you Section Manager is getting to meet all the great hams in our section. Many times a fellow ham will come up to me and thank me for taking on this position, but it is I that would like to thank all of you for what you do everyday to make amateur radio the great hobby it is. So, hats off to all of you. My sincere thanks.
Kevin O’Dell, N0IRW
Oklahoma Section Manager