NEAR-VERTICAL INCIDENCE SKY-WAVE

Thanks to DEC Brian Gnad KB5TSI for sharing this interesting article on MOBILE NVIS antenna systems.

http://www.signal.army.mil/ocos/ac/articles/fiedler/dfnjarng.pdf

73

Mark Conklin, N7XYO
Oklahoma Section Emergency Coordinator
Amateur Radio Emergency Service

See also the US Army Field Manual on the topic.  Editor

Are you going to Claremore?

ARES-OK will be holding a meeting at the GREEN COUNTRY HAMFEST this coming weekend.
 
The ARES-OK fourm is at 1000 CST on Saturday 3/10, 
followed at 1100 CST by the ARRL Fourm with Guest speaker QST/QEX Technical Correspondence & Editor Larry Wolfgang - WR1B from ARRL Headquarters in Newington, CT.
 
Also at 1300 CST DEC Cecil Higgins - AC0HA from the Missouri Section speaking about ARES operations after last May's Joplin Tornado disaster.
 
Find all the fourms at www.GreenCountryHamfest.com
 
See YOU at Hamfest!

Mark Conklin, N7XYO
Oklahoma Section Emergency Coordinator
Amateur Radio Emergency Service
n7xyo@arrl.net
Follow me on Twitter @N7XYO

NE Oklahoma ARES Meeting

On Saturday the 28th of January 2012 Amateur Radio Emergency Services
members will be meeting at the Hardesty Regional Library at; 8316 E.
93rd St. Tulsa, OK. 74133 from 09:00AM to 12:00 Noon.

The state, zone and district cadre will be at this meeting to discuss
recent leadership changes and to address upcoming events and planning.

We are asking that all ARES volunteers in zones 5 & 6 who can attend
this meeting please do so.

Further information and an agenda will be published as the meeting
date approaches.

Thank you for your attention

Brian Lee Gnad - KB5TSI

How to Join ARES Oklahoma

The following are the steps to become an ARES Oklahoma Member

1. To become a Volunteer with ARES-Oklahoma you simply register at www.ARESOK.org (see #3 below). You do not need to be a member of any group, club or the ARRL.
2. To be an Leader within the ARES-Oklahoma, you apply at www.ARESOK.org. ARRL membership is required for all appointed leaders at the time of appointment to the leadership role.
Note: you can join the ARRL on-line at www.ARRL.org and/or you can typically join at many local hamfests.
3. To register with ARES-Oklahoma:
* Go to www.ARESOK.org
* On the left side of the page click "* APPLY *"
* On the map that is displayed, click on your county.
* Scroll down under the map and from the pull-down (next to Position Applied For) select VOLUNTEER or leadership role
* Fill in the blanks, and click "apply."
This adds your name to the ARES-Oklahoma register. For Leaders, once appointed (AEC and above), you will now have access to all the tools on the website that you'll need, such as reports, volunteer data, resource information, and more. Registering on-line associates your name and call sign with ARES-Oklahoma.

Keep in touch with ARES-Oklahoma - go to groups.Yahoo.com/group/AresOklahoma and click "Join this Group!" on the right hand side of the page and sign up to receive all the latest ARES-Oklahoma news.

Thanks to Mark Conklin, N7XYO for this information.

Oklahoma ARES wants YOU

ARES-Ok is seeking nominations or volunteers for several District Emergency Coordinators (DEC) positions, an important part of the ARES-OK leadership team.

There are 23 Districts in Oklahoma. Currently there are only 7 DECs serving, we need 16 more DECs immediately.

To see where help is needed you can log into www.ARESOK.org and under the Main Menu and Role Based Activities choose “Section Coverage Report” to see which districts are vacant.

The DEC is the link between neighboring county EC’s and the Regional or Zone area and is a BIG help to recruiting leaders and volunteers throughout the District for ARES-OK.

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 these appointments?

Please send your nominations to me at e-mail:  n7xyo@arrl.net
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

Southwest Oklahoma Repeaters

A number of repeaters have been restored to operation, thanks to the efforts of a number of Southwest Oklahoma amateur radio operators,:

146.79 is a wide area coverage split site repeater.
444.300 is part of the Lawton Independent Repeater Alliance system
147.345 is located near Granite, OK

These repeaters join  145.390,  146.715, 147.285, 442.050, and 444.650 in supplying amateur radio communications in addition to Echolink and IRLP from the area.

Steve Grayson, KE5BPL, Mark King, KY7D, and Dale Town, N5VX completed the trek to Navajo Mountain north of Headrick, OK to complete the work.  KE5BPL and N5VX are Amateur Radio  Emergency Services officials in the area.

Initial tests produced good results from a handheld in Altus to WX5LR in Sayre.

In addition to the standalone wide coverage repeaters, Southwest Oklahoma is blessed to have four linked systems.  Two are on VHF and two are on UHF.

Good Morning Hams!

I would like to thank everyone in the section that helped and participated in the SET this past weekend. Everyone involved, both volunteer and management alike, did an excellent job. You have shown that ARES is alive and well in Oklahoma. We still have a lot of work to do before we are able to cover the state like we need to, but we're on the right track.

Again, thanks to everyone for their assistance in making this the best section SET in years!

73,

Kevin O'Dell, N0IRW
Oklahoma Section Manager

Help Wanted SW Oklahoma #ARRL #hamradio

I am sad to report that Mike McEwen has resigned as the EC for Comanche Co. due to a new job and not enough time to commit to ARES. 

I would like to thank Mike for your commitment and willingness to help ARES-OK.  Should your situation change, and you find you have time on your hands, we can always use help.

I also need help.  I need EC’s in the following counties;  Caddo, Comanche, Cotton, Tillman, and Washita.   Please visit with any operators, or clubs.  We need their help and input in finding volunteers and leadership in all Zone 2.

I also need help in locating DEC’s for District 1 (Beckham & Washita) and District 2 (Caddo & Grady).

Volunteers just need to go to website and sign up.  www.aresok.org

Leadership positions can be obtain by contacting me for details.  Anyone interested or appointed must be a member of the American Radio Relay League.

Please remember to recruit.  We need all the help we can get.  The SET is coming up on Oct 1, and all EC/DEC are required to attend/participate.   Please contact me if I can provide any assistance.

Thanks again for help and support of ARES – Oklahoma.   73

Steve Grayson,   KE5BPL

Zone 2 Emergency Coordinator

Amateur Radio Emergency Service-Oklahoma

(580) 649-3308 Cell

(580) 648-2405 Home

ke5bpl@gmail.com

www.aresok.org

Northwest Oklahoma

by Jay Kruckenberg - K5GUD


We will have a work day at the EOC on Thursday, September 8th
beginning at 4pm. This is before the TSARG meeting, which will be held
the same day in the EOC training room starting at 7:30pm. We will
continue to work on getting radios and power installed in the EmComm
unit. If we can get this done in time we will take this unit out on
the balloon launch that the Kansas/Oklahoma bunch is having on October
15th, starting at 8am. We will also work on getting the EOC
straightened up and organized.

On October 29th the NWS in Norman is having it's annual Weather
Festival, starting at 9am. Rick Smith has invited us down for a quick
get together and tour of the complex. This would be an awesome time to
see and meet some of the NWS personal we work with.

November 5th is Enid's hamfest at the Garfield County fair grounds. We
will have an ARES get together with Mark Conklin and the Enid ARES
group. We hope to develop a working relationship with them as well as
partake in a future training exercise with them.

Monday, September 21st is our next ARES training date. We might start
the Intro to Emergency Communications course, if I can get it worked
up that soon. If not, we might have a Q&A over ICS-100. We need to get
our ICS-100, 200 and 700 training out of the way. This can be done
online in your spare time, or what little of it you have. I would
prefer you work through the course on your own and then let's go over
areas you are having problems with at our meetings. This would help
everyone get done sooner.

As was previously discussed, now that the cooler weather is, here we
will have a standing ARES work day every Thursday beginning around
4pm. There are lots of projects to work on so there is something for
everyone. We all don't have to work on the same project at the same
time. We can split up into groups and tackle many at once.

Melissa Wilkerson has been appointed as the ARES PIO for our group.
She is taking the ARRL PIO course now and hopes to get her ARRL
Certification when she completes the course. Many more appointments
will be coming in the near future.

I have applied for and got accepted to be an Emergency Communications
Instructor for the ARRL. This will allow us to offer the new "Intro to
Emergency Communication" course locally and get our certificates.

Matt hopes to start having some training exercises, both hands on and
tabletop, this fall. Be looking for these to be announced in the near
future.

Matt also reported that the state EOC office will be installing a
D-Star system in the near future. He has also been working hard on
making everyone in the state Homeland Security and OEM departments see
the value of Amateur Radio and its operators as part of the whole
plan.

I would also like to offer a Technician Class Ham Cram Course before
Thanksgiving. Spread the word around and let's see if we can get some
interest in one. Also let me know what date you think would work for
this course.

Volunteer Opportunity

DAM J.A.M. #20 is Saturday, September 10, in Pryor, OK.  We're still in need of at least half dozen more hams to provide stationary and rolling coverage out on the routes. If there's any way you could come out to help, we'd feed you, give you a shirt, cover the cost of fuel used, and sincerely thank you.

We're gathering in Whitaker Park, Pryor around 6:00 a.m.

If you can help for all or part of the day, please contact: Jim Beach, KE5URF, at damjamjim@gmail.com , or call 918-639-0362. 


Posted By:

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 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/npm10/index.html




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-service-field-services-forms. After logging on the page, scroll down and look in the middle of the page for links titled “Form A: EC Simulated Emergency Test Report”,  “Form B: NM Simulated Emergency Test Report”, and Form C: EC Annual Report.”

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

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/application-for-emcomm-mentor-or-field-instructor

Mark Conklin, N7XYO
Oklahoma Section Emergency Coordinator
Amateur Radio Emergency Service
918.232.8346
n7xyo@arrl.net
Follow me on Twitter @N7XYO

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

NEWS from ARES-Oklahoma

OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA – ARES-Oklahoma senior leaders from five of the six
zones (regions) gathered to meet and plan with the Mark Conklin, N7XYO Oklahoma
Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC) and Kevin O’Dell, N0IRW ARRL Oklahoma
Section Manager (SM). The meeting was held Saturday, July 16, 2011, in Oklahoma
City, Oklahoma.


This was an all-day planning meeting covering a wide range of topics including revisions
to the ARES-OK State Emergency Communication Plan. One key concept change
regarding the state plan is, instead of a separate county, district, zone, and section level
plans, the state (section) plan will cover most of the policies and practices of ARES-OK
and a resource appendix for the county, district and zones will be attached to the state
plan. The resource appendix will include contact information for local leaders, local
nets and frequencies, local served agency contacts, and other local resources. Resource
appendixes will be updated and maintained on line via the www.ARESOK.org website,
and can easily be printed off and added to a member’s copy of the plan.


“This was a great opportunity for ARES-OK leadership to discuss and share thoughts and
ideas”, said Mark Conklin, N7XYO Oklahoma SEC. “This was the first time some of our
leaders were able to meet each other face to face, plus some discussions just seem to flow
better in person as apposed to e-mail, phone or radio.”


Also discussed: monthly reporting and the importance of every EC, DEC, and ZEC
reporting to the SEC. The IT manager for ARES-OK Roland Stolfa KC5UNL has worked
very hard to make it easy for leaders to report on-line using www.ARESOK.org. ECs
are required to submit there monthly reports on or before the first day of every month.
Each month the DEC report is due on the third, the ZEC on the fifth and the SEC then
compiles and submits his report to the SM and ARRL HQ by the tenth of each month.
The valuable information gathered from monthly reports is data used to demonstrate to
regulators the service and value Amateur Radio provides to the public. Report results
are also useful information for such projects as grants and discussions with legislative
leaders.


Kevin O’Dell, K0IRW ARRL Oklahoma SM noted, “It was great to see our ARES
leadership working together as a team and planning to grow the ARES program within
Oklahoma.”


Other topics of note were the need to develop a plan for digital message handling within
Oklahoma that is compatible with the efforts in other sections of the West Gulf Division,
a review of the ARES-OK Structure (Chain of Command), ARES image, the new ARES
deployment vest, creating ARES Mutual Assistance Team (ARESMAT), cultivating
partnerships with served agencies - refreshing Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs),
volunteer development and training.


ARES-Oklahoma plans to conduct a senior leadership meeting at least twice a year, and
each of the six zones are planning for a meeting together once a quarter.

ARES-OK Senior Leadership at Oklahoma City for planning meeting.

Back row left to right: Duane Henderson KC5NID ASM Zone1, Kevin O’Dell K0IRW SM, Mark Conklin N7XYO SEC, Charles Goodson KC5UEG ASEC, Floyd Grant NV5N ZEC4, Kenny Orr KC5ZDQ ZEC3.

Front row left to right: Larry Goodwin K5LHG Zone1, Stephen Grayson KE5BPL ZEC2, Roland Stolfa KC5UNL ASEC-IT Manager, Ben Joplin WB5VST ZEC5.

N7XYO explains OES

What is an OES (Official Emergency Station)... and how does is fit with ARES-OK?
 
With in the ARES-OK state EmComm plan (under revision and should be released sometime this fall) OES will be appointed at the District and the County level. 
Other applications for this role will be developed as ARES-OK grows and develops. 
 
The primary responsibilities and focus of the OES will be as a liaison* between local ARES-OK nets and NTS nets.    
 
The updated OES role description from the ARRL is listed below: 
 
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
 
*****************************************************
 
Official Emergency Station
Amateur operators may be appointed as an Official Emergency Station (OES) by their Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC) or Section Manager (SM) at the recommendation of theEC, or DEC (if no EC) holding jurisdiction. The OES appointee must be an ARRL member and set high standards of emergency preparedness and operating. The OES appointee makes a deeper commitment to the ARES program in terms of functionality than does the rank-and-file ARES registrant.

The requirements and qualifications for the position include the following: Full ARRL membership; experience as an ARES registrant; regular participation in the local ARES organization including drills and tests; participation in emergency nets and actual emergency situations; regular reporting of activities.

The OES appointee is appointed to carry out specific functions and assignments designated by the appropriate EC or DEC. The OES appointee and the presiding EC or DEC, at the time of the OES appointment, will mutually develop a detailed, operational function/assignment and commitment for the new appointee. Together, they will develop a responsibility plan for the individual OES appointee that makes the best use of the individual's skills and abilities. During drills and actual emergency situations, the OES appointee will be expected to implement his/her function with professionalism and minimal supervision.

Functions assigned may include, but are not limited to, the following four major areas of responsibility:

OPERATIONS--Responsible for specific, pre-determined operational assignments during drills or actual emergency situations. Examples include: Net Control Station or Net Liaison for a specific ARES net; Manage operation of a specified ARES VHF or HF digital BBS or MBO, or point-to-point link; Operate station at a specified emergency management office, Red Cross shelter or other served agency operations point.

ADMINISTRATION--Responsible for specific, pre-determined administrative tasks as assigned in the initial appointment commitment by the presiding ARES official. Examples include: Recruitment of ARES members; liaison with Public Information Officer to coordinate public information for the media; ARES registration data base management; victim/refugee data base management; equipment inventory; training; reporting; and post-event analysis.

*LIAISON--Responsible for specific, pre-determined liaison responsibilities as assigned by the presiding EC or DEC. Examples include: Maintaining contact with assigned served agencies; Maintaining liaison with specified NTS nets; Maintaining liaison with ARES officials in adjacent jurisdictions; Liaison with mutual assistance or "jump" teams.

LOGISTICS--Responsible for specific, pre-determined logistical functions as assigned. Examples include: Transportation; Supplies management and procurement (food, fuel, water, etc.); Equipment maintenance and procurement--radios, computers, generators, batteries, antennas.

MANAGEMENT ASSISTANT --Responsible for serving as an assistant manager to the EC, DEC or SEC based on specific functional assignments or geographic areas of jurisdiction.

CONSULTING--Responsible for consulting to ARES officials in specific area of expertise.
OES appointees may be assigned to pre-disaster, post-disaster, and recovery functions. These functions must be specified in the OES's appointment commitment plan.
The OES appointee is expected to participate in planning meetings, and post-event evaluations. Following each drill or actual event, the EC/DEC and the OES appointee should review and update the OES assignment as required. The OES appointee must keep a detailed log of events during drills and actual events in his/her sphere of responsibility to facilitate this review.

Continuation of the appointment is at the discretion of the appointing official, based upon the OES appointee's fulfillment of the tasks he/she has agreed to perform.
Official Emergency Stations are encouraged to earn certification in Level 1of the ARRL Emergency Communications Course.

Recruitment of new hams and ARRL members is an integral part of the job of every ARRL appointee. Appointees should take advantage of every opportunity to recruit a new ham or member to foster growth of Field Organization programs, and our abilities to serve the public

WB5ONA describes his station

Every Sunday the ARES-OK HF net is held at 2130Hrs UTC and depending
on band conditions the net is held on either frequency of 7.260 MHz or
3.900 MHz.

Each week during the net several stations come booming in are always
loud and clear. One of the cleanest and clearest such station belongs
to Nelson WB5ONA of Stillwater, OK.

One of the best ways to learn "how to" in amateur radio is ask another
amateur how he or she is doing it. What did they do to build
something, or connect their equipment.

So I asked him… How is your station set up? What radio are you using?
Do you use an amp? If so which? What antenna are you using?
Below is the e-mail Nelson WB5ONA sent back to me just full of great
info. His secret, a good radio, no amp, basic tuner, and home brew
NVIS type antenna.

I hope you enjoy and find the information from Nelson WB5ONA as useful
as I did. My thanks, Nelson, for giving me permission to share his
e-mail with all of you.

73 Mark Conklin N7XYO

>From Nelson WB5ONA:

I use an ICOM 7000 usually running 100 watts. I use the stock
hand-held mike but with the AB5N upgrade. The upgrade makes a marked
improvement in audio and output. I highly recommend the upgrade.
(www.7000mic.com)

I do not use an amplifier.

My antenna is an inverted "V" with two 63-ft legs of woven copper. The
feed line is Radio Shack TV lead-in (not window line). At present, the
lead is around 100 feet, more than enough to reach my equipment. The
extra length is randomly tossed into a flower bed. Coiling introduces
SWR problems. Once the antenna is supported as I hope at a later date,
the lead may be trimmed.

I use an MFJ-969 tuner. This tuner has a built-in 4:1 balun and
balanced-line posts with one post shorted as described in the
operating manual. Using this or similar tuners with the described
antenna enables 80- to 6-meter operation. A 1:1 SWR is possible on
each band, however, not throughout each band.

Contrary to common mind-set that feed lines must be coaxial, twin lead
does work very well and, I believe, delivers more RF to the antenna
than would an equal length of coax.

The center of my antenna is up about 35 ft and is supported above the
house eave with 15 ft of 2-inch diameter schedule 40 PVC pipe. PVC
eliminates any twin lead/metal interactions. On a tower, twin-lead
must be stood off with non-conducting material from any metal by at
least 3 times the lead width.

The PVC pipe I use is topped with a tee. The twin-lead is taped to the
outside of the pipe and enters a slot cut in the side of the tee.
Eye-hole lugs are soldered to the antenna legs and twin leads and
attached together via small bolts extending through the tee wall near
each end of the tee. The connections are inside the ends of the tee.
So, far, this connection technique eliminated breakages I was plagued
with when connecting in other ways.

The free antenna ends are about 20 feet above the ground and are
supported using 2, 3/4 x 2 inch strips of PlexiGlass as insulators
with 1/8th inch holes drilled at each narrow end of each strip. The
antenna ends are looped through an insulator hole, wrapped and
soldered to the leg end. Trimmer (weed eater) cord is used to support
the ends of the antenna. Green trimmer cord blends into sky and tree
colors and is a longer lasting alternative to nylon. I've used trimmer
cord for years and have never had one break or in need of replacement.
The trimmer cord was left long enough to toss the loose end over a
branch for hoisting the antenna legs. To get the cord over the branch,
I attach a vise-grip pliers to the end of the cord and hope for a
lucky toss. The support cord is tied within ground reach. The legs are
not drawn tight to prevent bending the center PVC support. The
resulting inverted "V" is more like a slightly swooping W. The
"V" angle between the legs is kept between 90 and 120 degrees.
A good ground, as with any antenna system is a definite must.

I do get some stray RF at times in computer speakers and on some TVs.
Careful tuning and a good ground on all equipment reduces or
eliminates this problem. The RFI problems also vary by operating band.

This is a great multi-band antenna. It's very portable and handy for
special event and field day operations with appropriate center and
support. It is also great as a fixed antenna as I usually have good
reports from stateside and DX stations. I'm often surprised and
pleased when I manage to come out on top in a pileup.

73,

Nelson Ehrlich, WB5ONA
Stillwater, ok
****************************************************************************************************

Posted by:
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

N7XYO encourages NVIS

Will you be setting up an NVIS HF antenna (Near
Vertical Incident Scattering Antenna)?

For more info on this simple and very effective regional antenna system:
http://www.vcars.org/tech/NVIS.html

NVIS is a great antenna system for statewide and regional HF
communications. And it's cheap to build your own.

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

Joplin Missouri Volunteer Pictures

Members of the Oklahoma Amateur Radio Emergency Service recently served in Joplin, MO at the request of the Salvation Army.

Brian Lee Gnad, KB5TSI, filed this photo after his return.  He is the ARES Tulsa District Emergency Coordinator.


More of the photos are on Facebook.

Oklahoma Online #hamradio Resources

Do you know about these #Oklahoma resources for amateur radio operators?

You found this blog so there's no need to mention it.

Are you aware of:

• ARRL-OK mail reflector?
• OK-Traders mail reflector to list items for sale or trade?
• Oklahoma ARES mail reflector to learn of activations and other information related to the Amateur Radio Emergency Service in Oklahoma.
• The Oklahoma ARES web page 
• Twitter and Facebook pages
• The ARRL Daily "paper" 

These are just a few of the ways Oklahoma hams are staying connected.