From kb5rvv@qsl.net  Sat Aug  9 05:16:23 2003
From: kb5rvv@qsl.net (Chuck Boyle KB5RVV)
Date: Fri, 8 Aug 2003 23:16:23 -0500
Subject: [Ares-races] HTX-420 question
Message-ID: <MCBBIHCMOFCPBDAMPIEOEEHCCCAA.kb5rvv@qsl.net>

Has anyone had an HTX-420? (Radio Shack dual band mini-handheld)

They're on clearance sale and I'm thinking about grabbing one if nobodys had
a bad experience.

Chuck KB5RVV



From BillLennox@aol.com  Tue Aug 12 01:34:03 2003
From: BillLennox@aol.com (BillLennox@aol.com)
Date: Mon, 11 Aug 2003 20:34:03 EDT
Subject: [Ares-races] Red Cross honors Amateur (Ham) Radio's tornado response
Message-ID: <1ee.ed0e4fd.2c698ffb@aol.com>

Source:  http://www.arrl.org/

Red Cross honors ARRL for Amateur Radio's tornado work (Aug 8, 2003) -- 

       The ARRL (The American Radio Relay League, the U.S. national 
association for amateur (ham) radio) has received a certificate of appreciation fromt 
he American Red Cross for the "valuable service" League members provided in 
support of Red Cross efforts after a devastating series of tornados struck 
Missouri, Kansas, Tennessee and Arkansas on May 4, 2003. 
      
        The certificate specifically acknowledges Amateur Radio operation in 
Missouri. "Your time and compassion resulted in more than 735 individuals and 
families being sustained in a time of crisis," wrote ARC National Coordinator 
of Disaster Volunteers Wendy Kaplanin an accompanying letter also signed by 
ARC executive vice president for disaster services, Terry Sicilia. Amateur Radio 
and the American Red Cross have a long history of cooperation during 
disasters. The first agreement between ARRL and the ARC dates back to 1940.  
       
       The current Memorandum of Understanding between the ARRL and the ARC 
can be accessed at <A HREF="http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/mou/redcro.html">http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/mou/redcro.html</A>

       Other Memorandums of Understanding between the ARRL and various other 
agencies are at <A HREF="http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/mou">http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/mou</A>


Bill Lennox
US Air Force (Retired)
Full Time College Student (Emergency Management)
KD7EFP
Assistant Emergency Coordinator - Plans (ARES), Washington County, Oregon
Assistant Radio Officer - Plans (RACES), Washington County, Oregon






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From BillLennox@aol.com  Thu Aug 14 07:49:06 2003
From: BillLennox@aol.com (BillLennox@aol.com)
Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2003 02:49:06 EDT
Subject: [Ares-races] Montana Ham Radio Operators Stand Down
Message-ID: <155.22ba1cf0.2c6c8ae2@aol.com>

From:   www.arrl.org

Montana Hams Stand Down, Remain on Alert as Montana Wildfires Continue

        NEWINGTON, CT, Aug 11, 2003--ARRL Montana Section 
EmergencyCoordinator Jim Fuller, N7VMR, reports that Flathead County Amateur Radio Emergency 
Service (ARES) members have been released from duty for the <A HREF="http://akteam.ak.blm.gov/">Robert Fire</A>.The blaze, 
which began July 23 in Flathead National Forest, covers more than 24,400 
acres and is now 58 percent contained. Five small new fires were reported this 
week in Montana.  

       Ross and a crew of five ARES members had been supporting the Officeof 
Emergency Service (OES) and the Flathead County Disaster Care Unit.  In 
addition to maintaining communication between the OES and Red Cross shelters, they'd 
handled weather and smoke reports, assisted in the demobilization of the 
county command center at West Glacier and relayed official information from the 
OES.  

       Meanwhile, Fuller says, the Hobble Fire burned around the site of the 
N7VMR Greycliff repeater (147.28 MHz). "The site is intact and running on 
generator power," Fuller said. He noted that Ric Helvey, KB7KB, would be assessing 
the damage for Northwestern Power Company.  Fuller said that while the 147.28 
machine and the Montana RepeaterLink is operational from Billings to 
Cardwell, the Helena W7MRI 145.45 repeater is off the air, due possibly to lightning 
or fire near the site. Fuller said that so far, no ARES assistance has been 
needed for the Hobble Fire, but that could change if the fire moves on the Reed 
Point area.  
       
       At this point, 50 residences have been evacuated and one shelter has 
been opened for the Hobble Fire, which covers some 10,000 acres and is totally 
uncontained. Structure protection is in place for 70 residences.  Five 
outbuilding were confirmed lost, according to information from the <A HREF="http://www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/nfn.html">National 
Interagency Fire Center (NIFC</A>). "The fires in the Bitterroot area may generate a 
request for assistance,also," Fuller said. The Big Creek Fire in the Bitterroot 
National Forest--some 1400 acres and nearly fully contained--is burning four miles 
northwest of Victor, while the Gold 1 fire--a new 300-acre blaze and zero 
percent contained--is nine miles northeast of Corvallis. The Beaver Lake Fire 
some 19 miles southwest of Missoula in the Clearwater National Forest is at 900 
acres and zero percent contained. The fire has closed the Lolo Motorway.  

       "A red flag warning for gusty winds and low humidity is in effect for 
portions of Idaho and Montana," the NIFC says. "Fire weather watches for gusty 
wind, low humidity and isolated dry lightning are in place for southwestern 
Montana. So-called "dry lightning" occurs when precipitation from thunderstorms 
evaporates before it hits the ground. Cooler, moist weather over the August 
2-3 weekend had ameliorated the fire situation. 




Bill Lennox
US Air Force (Retired)
Full Time College Student (Emergency Management)
KD7EFP
Assistant Emergency Coordinator - Plans (ARES), Washington County, Oregon
Assistant Radio Officer - Plans (RACES), Washington County, Oregon
























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From BillLennox@aol.com  Sat Aug 16 20:59:54 2003
From: BillLennox@aol.com (BillLennox@aol.com)
Date: Sat, 16 Aug 2003 15:59:54 EDT
Subject: [Ares-races] Ham Radio response - Northeast US Blackout
Message-ID: <102.33d25e4d.2c6fe73a@aol.com>

From:  www.arrl.org

Hams a Bright Spot During Power Blackout

NEWINGTON, CT, Aug 15, 2003--

       When a blip on the electricity distribution grid August 14 took out 
power to at least a half dozen states in the eastern US, many Amateur Radio 
operators were ready and able to provide whatever assistance they could. Hardest 
hit were metropolitan areas like New York City, Detroit and Cleveland. In New 
York, residents and commuters found themselves stranded in 
electricity-dependent elevators and subway or rail cars while visitors ended up stuck at airports, 
which were forced to shut down. With the cellular telephone system overloaded 
or out altogether, the incident turned into a test of Amateur Radio's 
capabilities to operate without commercial power.

       "It was a good drill," said New York City-Long Island Section 
Emergency Coordinator Tom Carrubba, KA2D. But, he adds, it was a cautionary tale too. 
"The lesson is that everybody gets a little complacent," he said. "Have 
emergency power backup and make sure it's working!" Some repeaters in the 
blacked-out Greater New York City area--including the primary 147.000 "TAC 2" 
machine--were down, but several others remained on the air with emergency power.

       By and large, Carrubba said, the system worked according to plan, and 
ARES members did what they were trained to do.  "It's going to show the worth 
of Amateur Radio," he said of the blackout response. "There were people on the 
air immediately."

       Diane Ortiz, K2DO, the Public Information Coordinator for NYC-Long 
Island was one of them. When power went down in her Suffolk County community, she 
started up an informal net on the Long Island Mobile Amateur Radio Club's 
146.85 repeater. Over the next 20 hours or so, the net passed approximately 500 
pieces of what Ortiz described as largely "health-and-welfare traffic." A lot 
of it was on behalf of individuals stuck in the city and needing to contact 
family members.

       "People are getting on and helping," she said. In addition to handling 
messages, amateurs also relayed useful information, such as which stores or 
filling stations were open and operating. Many radio and TV stations went dark 
as a result of the power failure, and hams were able to help fill the 
information void, Ortiz said.

       In the Big Apple itself, ARES New York City-Long Island District 
Emergency Coordinator Charles Hargrove, N2NOV, remained at the city's Red Cross 
Headquarters in Manhattan, where power was restored around 5 AM.  "There are some 
power fluctuations going on, and that is the main concern right now--that 
power may go off again," Hargrove told ARRL.

       ARES support of Red Cross operations, which began yesterday (Thursday, 
14 August), continues. ARES teams are providing communication for the Red 
Cross Emergency Response Vehicles (ERVs) set up at main transportation centers in 
Manhattan--Grand Central Station, Penn Station and at the Port Authority 
Terminal. ARES members also accompanied ERVs called into action to follow New York 
Fire Department personnel on more than two dozen fire calls.  "After a long 
night of operations, some ARES members went home to get some rest around 6 AM," 
Hargrove said.

       RACES organizations activated in most Greater New York City area 
counties after a state of emergency was declared. Some ARES teams--including a few 
across the Hudson River in New Jersey--activated or remained on standby to 
help if called upon. In New Jersey, a net set up on a back-up repeater 
established communication with the Red Cross lead chapter's N2ARC in Princeton--staffed 
by members of Mercer County ARES/RACES--and other New Jersey ARC chapters.

       The state of emergency included five counties in northern New Jersey, 
said SEC Steve Ostrove, K2SO. He spent about four hours at the EOC in 
Elizabeth after the blackout began. "The Elizabeth Police were impressed with the 
information I was able to provide," he said. The net stood down at about 10 PM 
after telephone communication among the Red Cross chapters had been reestablished 
and power began to be restored.

       In upstate New York, Fred Stevens, K2FRD, says the situation reminded 
him of the 1964 power blackout in the eastern US. "This is an emergency 
communicator's wildest fantasy: a major power outage in which we can demonstrate our 
preparedness," he said.  In his county, Chenango, ARES has been activated and 
the local EOC is staffed by Amateur Radio operators and the Chenango Amateur 
Radio Emergency Service net is up and running with stations on battery power 
and standing by. "We are ready for whatever might happen," Stevens said.

       Comments posted on the HamsEF reflector by Ken Davis, KB2KFV, who's 
president of the Rensselaer, New York, County ARES/RACES Club reflected that 
attitude.  "It seems that the amateurs were better prepared than the government 
sector," he said. "Amateurs in this area were up and on the air before there 
was any response from local government." Davis said Rensselaer County EC and 
Chief RACES Officer Jim Noble, K2ZP, activated ARES and mustered a net on the 
Troy Radio Club RACES repeater, requesting stations to standby and monitor the 
frequency for updates.

Michigan and Ohio
       
       Michigan Section Manager Dale Williams, WA8EFK, reports scattered ARES 
activations in his state. Williams, who lives in Dundee south of Detroit, was 
without power this morning and relying on his emergency generator. "It could 
be another 48 hours before power is restored," he said. Some ARES teams in 
Michigan were providing assistance to emergency operations centers and to the Red 
Cross, because the relief agency's telephone system relies on commercial 
power. Nets have been brought up on both HF and VHF frequencies.

       In Ohio, Section Emergency Coordinator Larry Rain, WD8IHP, reports 
that all ARES organizations in northern Ohio were activated after the power grid 
went down. Still going strong are ARES teams in Cleveland and Akron--both 
still without power. "ARES is handling communication support for Ohio Emergency 
Management in the affected cities and communities," Rain said. Power has been 
restored in Toledo, however.

       Rain reports a power surge that occurred when the electricity came 
back on disrupted the Richland County Hospital's telephone system. "Amateur Radio 
was there to provide back-up communication until 4:30 this morning," he said. 
Ohio VHF and UHF nets and the Ohio SSB net on HF have been handling 
blackout-related traffic.

       Nancy Hall, KC4IYD--who lives 20 miles west of Cleveland--said she's 
glad of two things: That she had taken the ARRL Emergency Communications Level 
I class, and that she and her husband have an emergency generator. "We used it 
to run the fridge for about two hours and then used it to run the 2-meter rig 
and HF rig to listen to the ARES nets," she said.  Hall said she just 
received a follow-up survey on the emergency communications class that asked if she 
had used any of the information she learned.  "I can now say, 'yes,'" said 
Hall, who noted that she's now signed up for the Level II class."  I will again 
highly recommend them to anyone who wants to learn more about emergency 
communication.  "She and her husband also made use of their BayGen windup radio to 
listen to local broadcasts. "We also own a hand-crank flashlight," Hall added.  
She said the family put aside drinking water early in the blackout--which 
turned out to be a good thing, because their community's emergency generator was 
only good for about two hours to run the water supply's pumps.  "I have to say 
that being a ham and knowing about emergency preparedness did make life easier 
for me and my family," Hall said.

New England

       New England states were far less affected by the blackout since most 
operate on an altogether different power grid than the one that failed. New 
England area ARES/RACES operators were in standby mode after the blackout rippled 
through the system to the South and West. Only Connecticut and sections of 
Western Massachusetts reported significant outages, and ARES nets activated in 
both states.

       ARRL Eastern Massachusetts PIC Jim Duarte, N1IV, reports the 
ARES/RACES response in the Bay State was "quick and organized, showing that our recent 
drills and training sessions have proved beneficial.  "Western Massachusetts 
SM Bill Voedisch, W1UD, reports the Leominster EOC was activated on a standby 
basis. Although he is equipped with a diesel-powered generator to supply his 
house and ham shack, his part of Massachusetts suffered no power losses.

       Parts of Berkshire County in extreme western Massachusetts suffered 
from the blackout, although power was restored fairly promptly there. Bill 
Sexton, N1IN/AAR1FP, an Army MARS member, said his emergency power capability 
permitted him to run his station and maintain e-mail contact.
       
       "We had the Northeast SHARES (National Communications System HF Shared 
Resources Program) up and running cross-country on a Condition Two readiness 
alert." Sexton said. He reports that when he called in on the SHARES channel, 
a MARS station in Nebraska responded to say he was ready to handle any relays.

       "The experience proved once gain the great strength of ham radio in an 
emergency," Sexton said. "It is self-starting, and it is everywhere."

--Steve Ewald, WV1X, contributed information for this story 


Bill Lennox
US Air Force (Retired)
Full Time College Student (Emergency Management)
KD7EFP
Assistant Emergency Coordinator - Plans (ARES), Washington County, Oregon
Assistant Radio Officer - Plans (RACES), Washington County, Oregon






































































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From BillLennox@aol.com  Sat Aug 16 21:00:00 2003
From: BillLennox@aol.com (BillLennox@aol.com)
Date: Sat, 16 Aug 2003 16:00:00 EDT
Subject: [Ares-races] Wireless systems failed during Blackout
Message-ID: <67.16e0e9f0.2c6fe740@aol.com>

From:  CNN/Money
   =20
Wireless gets blacked out too
       =20
Trying to use your cell phone during the blackout was nearly impossible. Wha=
t=20
went wrong?

August 16, 2003:  8:58 AM EDT
By Paul R. La Monica, CNN/Money Senior Writer
       =20
   =20
     NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - The blackout of 2003 proved one thing to many=20
cell phone users: the death of the traditional landline may be greatly=20
exaggerated.  Many wireless customers in the New York metropolitan area, par=
ts of the=20
Midwest and Canada were unable to use their cell phones during the blackout,=
=20
which made a frustrating situation even more annoying.     =20
   =20
       But landlines, including pay phones, (When was the last time you saw=20
lines for one of those?) pretty much worked like a charm. So what went wrong=
? =20

       In most cases, the biggest problem was a huge surge in volume=20
(everybody all trying to make calls at the same time) that flooded the wirel=
ess=20
spectrum, leading to many busy signals

       "Spectrum is a scarce resource and wireless companies build out=20
theirnetworks based on average expected usage levels," said Greg Gorbatenko,=
=20
ananalyst with Loop Capital Markets, an independent research firm focusing o=
n telecom=20
and cable. "A spike in demand can blow up the network and most cannot handle=
=20
an emergency." =20

       To that end, a spokesman for Sprint said that its wireless division=20
handled three times the average daily volume in New York City on Thursday an=
d=20
Verizon Wireless said that call volume was four times normal in all the area=
s=20
affectedby the blackout. =20

       "Think of it as five thousand people trying to get through your front=
=20
door at once. It's going to be slow," said Mark Siegel, a spokesman for AT&
TWireless, which was still experiencing some cell phone service problems Fri=
day=20
morning. =20

       But many had hoped that after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001=
,=20
wireless carriers would be better prepared for the next time there was an=20
event that led to a substantial surge in calls. =20

       However, the wireless telecom sector has many problems. Most carriers=
=20
are faced with large debt loads. And because of intense competition (there a=
re=20
six major carriers nationwide) they are resorting to price wars to attract=20
new subscribers. All that means that it has been difficult for the carriers=20=
to=20
upgrade their networks to handle more calls and will probably remain sofor t=
he=20
foreseeable future. =20

       "It will be years before wireless carriers are at a level where they=20
can handle the type of volume that landlines can," said Allan Tumolillo, chi=
ef=20
operating officer of Probe Group, a telecom research firm. =20

Electricity matters
      =20
       Still volume wasn't the only problem. For example, while walking home=
=20
Thursday, I completely lost my cell phone signal once I got into downtown=20
Manhattan and headed over the Manhattan Bridge into Brooklyn. The service wa=
s not=20
restored until my power went back on Friday morning and even then it was=20
spotty at best. Meanwhile, my landline at home worked fine the wholetime. =20

       Why was that the case?  Dan Wilinsky, a spokesman for Sprint said tha=
t=20
while wireless carriers have ample power backup to protect their switches,=20
that is not the case for all of the cell sites, which house the antennas tha=
t=20
transmit the calls across a network. So as power slowly comes back to=20
blacked-out areas, so should cell phone service. =20

       Cingular said that as of Friday about 25 percent of its cell sites in=
=20
Cleveland and New York City were still not operational and that more than 75=
=20
percent were out of commission in Detroit due to power outages. =20

       Still, it's kind of alarming that cutting-edge technology such as=20
wireless communications can be undermined by a glitch in a nineteenth-centur=
y=20
innovation. =20

       "Wireless is too dependent on the external power supply. And since=20
wireless phones are becoming the main phone line for many people, the indust=
ry=20
has to make sure that customers have the same kind of reliability as with=20
landlines," said Jeff Kagan, an independent telecom analyst. =20

       At the very least the blackout should put pressure on the major=20
wireless carriers to bulk up coverage in already high-traffic networks and t=
ake more=20
steps to insure that wireless antennas can keep running even in the event of=
=20
a power outage. =20

       And given the massive problems that cell phone users experienced on=20
Thursday and Friday, this might convince some that having no landline at all=
 is=20
a bad idea. =20

       "Wireless is not a failsafe. It's a telecommunications accessory,"=20
said Gorbatenko.=A0          =20
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////=
//
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////=
//
////////////////////////////////////////////////////


Bill Lennox
US Air Force (Retired)
Full Time College Student (Emergency Management)
KD7EFP
Assistant Emergency Coordinator - Plans (ARES), Washington County, Oregon
Assistant Radio Officer - Plans (RACES), Washington County, Oregon














































































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From w3qx@qsl.net  Tue Aug 19 05:21:32 2003
From: w3qx@qsl.net (w3qx@qsl.net)
Date: Tue, 19 Aug 2003 00:21:32 -0400
Subject: [Ares-races] Cellular carriers criticized (WSJ)
In-Reply-To: <67.16e0e9f0.2c6fe740@aol.com>
References: <67.16e0e9f0.2c6fe740@aol.com>
Message-ID: <p05111b00bb675396e471@[63.102.104.3]>

-----fwd

From: EDUCAUSE@EDUCAUSE.EDU
Subject: Edupage, August 18, 2003

CELLULAR CARRIERS CRITICIZED FOR PERFORMANCE IN EMERGENCIES
After intermittent cellular service during last week's power outage,
many consumers and industry watchers are highly critical of the idea
that cell phones offer consumers added security in times of
emergencies. Some wireless carriers have urged consumers to "cut the
cord" on landline phones and rely entirely on a cellular phone. Some
experts said that cell phone infrastructures are not built to be
redundant, the way landline phone networks are. Claims about added
safety from having a cell phone, they argue, are unfounded. Wireless
carriers stood by their claims that cellular phones are extremely
reliable and indeed offer consumers a measure of security they cannot
have if they depend on a landline phone. The power failure was
responsible for gaps in service, they said, not the networks
themselves.
Wall Street Journal, 18 August 2003 (sub. req'd)
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB106106896616183400,00.html

-----end-fwd

not endorsement; WSJ requires registration.

On 8/16/03 at 4:00 PM -0400, BillLennox@aol.com wrote:
>  From:  CNN/Money
>     
>  Wireless gets blacked out too
>         
>  Trying to use your cell phone during the blackout was nearly impossible. What
>  went wrong?
>
>  August 16, 2003:  8:58 AM EDT
>  By Paul R. La Monica, CNN/Money Senior Writer
>         
>     
>       NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - The blackout of 2003 proved one thing to many
>  cell phone users: the death of the traditional landline may be greatly
>  exaggerated.  Many wireless customers in the New York metropolitan 
> area, parts [.../]

























































From Wa6lbu@aol.com  Tue Aug 19 14:52:45 2003
From: Wa6lbu@aol.com (Wa6lbu@aol.com)
Date: Tue, 19 Aug 2003 09:52:45 EDT
Subject: [Ares-races] Cellular carriers criticized (WSJ)
Message-ID: <8f.30dd7f17.2c7385ad@aol.com>

This is a test of the emergency cell phone useage plan.   All Cell phone 
users are instructed to remove their battery and see how well their cell phones 
work.

Bottom line! Cell sites run on electricty. Those that do not have back up 
power are not going to be able to handle the additional load and the emergecy 
calls.  If the system was designed for the once in a 20 year crisis,  you would 
not be able to afford your cell phone.

Clay, WA6LBU


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From rci@mv.mv.com  Tue Aug 19 15:50:22 2003
From: rci@mv.mv.com (Jim Robinton)
Date: Tue, 19 Aug 2003 10:50:22 -0400
Subject: [Ares-races] Cellular carriers criticized (WSJ)
Message-ID: <20030819145023.4281.qmail@copper.mv.net>

Clay and othes,

    You have a point here and if I may play devils advocate for just
a moment I would like to respond:

1)  Plain old telephone systems also runs on electricity.
    As a public utility the land line telphone system
    was probably required to work, considering that almost
    all consumer emergency traffic ends up terminating that way.

2)  Cell users manage their own battery power, and know about
    that weekness, spare batteries and other phones are often
    available, failures of the cell sites are not as well known
    to consumers.

3)  Batteries can often be charged from vehicles in emergencies.

4)  Here in the northeast snow, ice, and falling tree limbs
    make power outages far more common than 20 years, it is
    an "every year" occurance (just not so wide spread).

    The failure that was seen was supposed to be localized.

5)  The two systems are connected together.  They should have
    similar reliablity.  They (IMHO) should also be able to back each
    other up (ie if your cell/land line does not work, then the
    other should not be dependent on exactly the same things).

6)  Comsumers are now being charged for "911" and legislation is
    being drafted for more emergency capabilities (localizing
    wireless callers).

7)  I would like to extend my concerns to the digital networks
    (telphones over IP for example) these are often only as
    reliable as the "cable", and even worse the routers.  
    Again the general public doesn't understand or expect phones
    to work on an "acceptable business practices" model.

Respectfully submitted
/Jim /N1CRZ


> -----Original Message-----
> From: ares-races-admin@mailman.qth.net
> [mailto:ares-races-admin@mailman.qth.net]On Behalf Of Wa6lbu@aol.com
> Sent: Tuesday, August 19, 2003 9:53 AM
> To: ares-races@mailman.qth.net
> Subject: Re: [Ares-races] Cellular carriers criticized (WSJ)
> 
> 
> This is a test of the emergency cell phone useage plan.   All Cell phone 
> users are instructed to remove their battery and see how well 
> their cell phones 
> work.
> 
> Bottom line! Cell sites run on electricty. Those that do not have back up 
> power are not going to be able to handle the additional load and 
> the emergecy 
> calls.  If the system was designed for the once in a 20 year 
> crisis,  you would 
> not be able to afford your cell phone.
> 
> Clay, WA6LBU
> 


From BillLennox@aol.com  Fri Aug 29 00:17:18 2003
From: BillLennox@aol.com (BillLennox@aol.com)
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2003 19:17:18 EDT
Subject: [Ares-races] Re: [Iaem-list] North East Blackout Information
Message-ID: <141.1814c466.2c7fe77e@aol.com>

A "Medically Fragile" respirator dependant ham radio operator tells how he 
managed during the blackout. 

Source:   <A HREF="http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2003/08/27/2/?nc=1">http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2003/08/27/2/?nc=1</A>

A Taste of Baghdad in the Summer

By Robert Mauro, KZ2G
August 27, 2003 

An inconvenience for most, the Blackout of 2003 raised a serious set of 
concerns for people requiring electricity to breathe. 

       It was Thursday, August 14, 2003. I was watching CNN and using my 
respirator to breathe. Suddenly, the electric power went off. The next thing I 
heard was the alarm on my respirator, which I need to stay alive. One of the 
hottest days in the year and no electricity!  It was 4:12 PM and just the 
beginning of a long ordeal for me and 50 million other Americans, 10 million with 
disabilities: we were about to experience a taste of Baghdad in summer.

       As a result of childhood polio, I require a respirator to breathe. I 
do not like power failures, especially in hot weather. I had thought all summer 
about those folks in Baghdad with no electricity and suffering 120-degree 
temperatures. Now we'd get an inkling of what they were going through. I use a 
motorized wheelchair to get around and for years I've been saving my chair's old 
batteries. I use them to run my respirator during power failures and to run 
my Ten-Tec Omni 6 Plus at 5 W during Field Day. We only have one Field Day a 
year, but we have several blackouts a year, usually lasting several hours.

       As during previous blackouts, I called Long Island Power Authority's 
emergency life support number for information on what caused the power failure 
and how long it might last. I was shocked and unnerved when LIPA said the 
whole Eastern United States was out. I knew this would to be a long outage. Would 
my four old wheelchair batteries last long enough to power my respirator?

       I called a local hospital's emergency room. They had emergency power 
and the nurse I spoke to said to come right over if I needed to plug in. But 
like most folks, I preferred to stay home. I turned on my portable radio, hoping 
to hear that the power would be on shortly. New York City Mayor Michael 
Bloomberg calmed me down by saying electric would be back in hours, not days. 
Meanwhile, the temperature rose rapidly in my room.

       As the sun went down, my ventilator was still running on my first 
backup battery. Would it last through the night? The answer was "no." It died 
precisely at 11:59 PM.  I quickly hooked up my second backup battery; the first 
one had lasted nearly eight hours. Then at 12:02 AM, the lights flickered. Then 
died. Then, at around 2 AM, they flickered on...and off again.

       Friday morning I called LIPA for an update. My second backup battery 
was already at eight hours.The LIPA spokesperson said the electric should be on 
by that afternoon, maybe.  The weatherman was predicting another 90-degree 
day and I don't do well in heat and humidity.

       Hoping to keep cool, I stayed in bed. Finally at about 12:20 PM, the 
lights came on. Would they stay on?  I left my air conditioner off, but turned 
on my TV. Governor George Pataki said people should only use their air 
conditioners for health reasons. I quickly turned mine on and breathed a sigh of 
relief. I now had power and air conditioning. My taste of Baghdad in summer was 
over!

Bob Mauro, KZ2G, has been a ham since 1965, when he was first licensed as 
WN2UHY, and soon thereafter, as WB2UHY. From his <A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/ram9872002">Web site</A>:"The seeds of amateur 
radio were planted in me back in the Fifties. As a kid, I watched Captain 
Midnight on TV. I always wanted to make a communicator like he did out of a piece 
of wire, a spoon and some tape." In 1960, at age 13, he bought a National NC-60 
communication receiver to tune in on the world. After about of childhood 
polio and two spinal fusions in 1961, he got involved with CB radio and later 
Amateur Radio. In the early 1970s, he helped start the Hofstra University 
disability advocacy group, People United in Support of the Handicapped. Mauro is an 
author and painter living in Levittown, New York. He can be reached at <A HREF="mailto:mkz2g@optonline.net">
kz2g@optonline.net</A>.


In a message dated 8/28/2003 6:52:15 AM Pacific Daylight Time, 
Ned.Wright@linnema.com writes:

> Subj: [Iaem-list] North East Blackout Information 
>  Date: 8/28/2003 6:52:15 AM Pacific Daylight Time
>  From: <A HREF="mailto:Ned.Wright@linnema.com">Ned.Wright@linnema.com</A>
>  To: <A HREF="mailto:Iaem-list@iaem.com">Iaem-list@iaem.com</A>
>  Sent from the Internet 
> 
> PLEASE NOTE: This is a PUBLIC discussion list; information shared on this 
> list is NOT secure ..........................................
> Do any of the Emergency Management or other Emergency Services
> organizations have any numbers of the people who are "Medically Fragile"
> or who need electric powered medical devices (oxygen, nebulizers,
> medication delivery) that were severely impacted during the Northeast
> Blackout and what actions were taken, if any, by the community to meet
> their emergency needs?
> 
> My community is working toward developing a process similar to those
> used in Florida to meet the unique emergency shelter needs of the
> special needs population.
> 
> Once we have a plan completed, I will share this with IAEM community.
> 
> Thanks for everyone's input.   
> 
> Ned Wright
> Director
> Linn County Emergency Management
> 50 2nd Ave Bridge
> Cedar Rapids, IA  52401
> (319) 363-2671
> email to:  ned.wright@linnema.com
> 
> .. You received this message because you subscribed yourself to the 
> IAEM-List, sponsored by the International Association of Emergency Managers. To post 
> a message, send it to iaem-list@iaem.com.  To unsubscribe, go to  
> http://iaem.com/mailman/listinfo/iaem-list_iaem.com
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Iaem-list mailing list
> Iaem-list@iaem.com
> http://iaem.com/mailman/listinfo/iaem-list_iaem.com
> 



////////////////////////////////////////////////// Last Item 
/////////////////////////////////////////////////

Bill Lennox
US Air Force (Retired)
Full Time College Student (Emergency Management)
KD7EFP
Assistant Emergency Coordinator - Plans (ARES), Washington County, Oregon
Assistant Radio Officer - Plans (RACES), Washington County, Oregon


























































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From BillLennox@aol.com  Fri Aug 29 00:17:24 2003
From: BillLennox@aol.com (BillLennox@aol.com)
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2003 19:17:24 EDT
Subject: [Ares-races] Montana Hams in "Heads-Up" Mode in Wildfires Response
Message-ID: <1cc.fed0ff0.2c7fe784@aol.com>

Montana Hams in "Heads-Up" Mode in Wildfires Response

NEWINGTON, CT, Aug 28, 2003--
       
       The long, blazing hot summer continues in Montana and other western 
states. As fires scorched an estimated 400,000 acres or more in Montana, Amateur 
Radio Emergency Service / Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service teams in 
Montana have assisted as needed, primarily to supplement communication for 
authorities and relief organizations. Right now, things are relatively quiet for the 
ARES/RACES teams.

       "At this time all units in the state are reporting in a stand-by 
mode," said Montana Section Emergency Coordinator Jim Fuller, N7VMR. "We have been 
getting some cooler weather and minor moisture in various parts of the state. 
This is helping slow the fire activity.

       "The most recent amateur support activity was in Lincoln, located in 
Lewis and Clark County some 60 miles northwest of the state capital of Helena. 
The Snow-Talon Fire, part of the so-called Lincoln Fire Complex, caused the 
evacuation of dozens of residents. Lewis and Clark County ARES Emergency 
Coordinator Bob Solomon, K7HLN, and ARES members Shawn Horne, KD7OQU, and Wes Rowe, 
K7WES, were among amateurs who volunteered to assist the American Red Cross and 
fire officials in responding to the emergency. Working from the Capital City 
Amateur Radio Club (<A HREF="http://www.w7tck.org/">W7TCK</A>) mobile communication unit, the amateurs linked the 
Red Cross evacuation center in Lincoln with Helena. The mobile unit is 
equipped with a 4 kW generator.

       "Lincoln is an extremely difficult area for any kind of radio 
propagation," Solomon said. "We had a lot of trouble keeping links going and utilized 
VHF and UHF repeaters as well as simplex." He said his team was able to 
contact several areas in Helena using 2-meter simplex, "much to our surprise." The 
team also maintained contact with Powell County ARES.

       The Lincoln Complex fires in Helena National Forest cover nearly 
35,000 acres and were considered 35 percent contained as of August 27, according to 
the <A HREF="http://www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/nfn.html">NationalFire Information Center</A>.

       Solomon reports the group stood down August 24, but that Horne stayed 
on to assist law enforcement personnel with their communications back to 
Rescue Base in Lincoln. Amateur Radio's efforts already have attracted attention 
from the <A HREF="http://www.helenair.com/helena">Helena Independent Record</A>, with two front-page stories in the past thee 
months. One recent <A HREF="http://www.helenair.com/articles/2003/08/26/helena_top/a01082603_02.txt">story</A> featured the activities of Jim Haslip, W7CK, of East 
Helena. The 70-year-old retired science teacher has been an aerial fire 
spotter for four decades. He now works for the Montana Department of Natural 
Resources and Conservation. The <A HREF="http://www.helenair.com/articles/2003/08/25/helena_top/a01082503_03.txt">other</A> highlighted the ARES team's emergency 
activities.

       Solomon said hams from the Lincoln area have been actively involved in 
fire fighting activities as fire service communicators and in other roles. 
Others have been forced to leave.

       "Many of the hams in the Lincoln area have had to evacuate their 
homes," Solomon said. "Some of them have been permitted back in on a 
be-prepared-to-go-again basis." Others still out of their homes include Tish and Tommy 
Cockerham, KC7WBM and KD7IPT, who operate a guest ranch on Alice Creek northwest of 
Lincoln.

       "They had to evacuate in the middle of the night, which is distressing 
enough," Solomon said. "The real challenge for them was the 25 horses and 100 
sled dogs that had to be evacuated, as well." The Cockerhams are 
understandably eager to return home, he added.

       Solomon said his team in Lewis and Clark County was maintaining a 
"heads-up" stance for possible evacuation. "We are also replacing supplies, making 
minor repairs and adjustments and preparing for the next request for 
assistance," he said. 

       Earlier this month, the Red Cross requested ARES members in Missoula 
County to provide radio operators at a shelter for evacuees and at the Red 
Cross office "just in case," said Missoula County EC Mike McCrackin, K7DER.  
Missoula County authorities ordered mandatory evacuations August 16 from areas west 
of town due to the Black Mountain Fire. McCrackin said authorities and the 
Red Cross worried that fires surrounding Missoula might cause power outages. Six 
ARES members from Missoula County also were deployed as radio operators for 
the Wildland Fire Service. Hams were supporting Red Cross operations in 
Flathead County as well. 

       Yellowstone County ARES was activated August 20 to provide support for 
the Hobble Fire, now considered contained. Fuller reported that seven 
amateurs supplied communication needed to supplement or replace normal systems. The 
Hobble Fire consumed some 40,000 acres.

       On August 27, the NFIC said 21 fires continued to burn in Montana.
////////////////////////////////////////////////// Last Item 
/////////////////////////////////////////////////

Bill Lennox
US Air Force (Retired)
Full Time College Student (Emergency Management)
KD7EFP
Assistant Emergency Coordinator - Plans (ARES), Washington County, Oregon
Assistant Radio Officer - Plans (RACES), Washington County, Oregon




































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From BillLennox@aol.com  Sat Aug 30 09:09:28 2003
From: BillLennox@aol.com (BillLennox@aol.com)
Date: Sat, 30 Aug 2003 04:09:28 EDT
Subject: [Ares-races] Re: [Iaem-list] North East Blackout Information
Message-ID: <75.1819c41b.2c81b5b8@aol.com>

Ed and all,

       This was posted on the ARRL (American Radio Relay League) web site.  
The ARRL is the U.S. national association of amateur radio (ham) operators.  
You can go to <A HREF="www.arrl.org">www.arrl.org</A> and look for the story "A Taste of Baghdad in the 
Summer."  The author, Robert Mauro, KZ2G, is well known in the ham community and 
has had articles published previously in ham magazines.

       


Bill Lennox
US Air Force (Retired)
Full Time College Student (Emergency Management)
KD7EFP
Assistant Emergency Coordinator - Plans (ARES), Washington County, Oregon
Assistant Radio Officer - Plans (RACES), Washington County, Oregon

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
/////////////////////

In a message dated 8/29/2003 9:45:36 AM Pacific Daylight Time, 
EdK@Health.State.OK.US writes:

> Subj: RE: [Iaem-list] North East Blackout Information 
>  Date: 8/29/2003 9:45:36 AM Pacific Daylight Time
>  From: <A HREF="mailto:EdK@Health.State.OK.US">EdK@Health.State.OK.US</A>
>  To: <A HREF="mailto:BillLennox@aol.com">BillLennox@aol.com</A>, <A HREF="mailto:iaem-list@iaem.com">
</A>

 CC:<A HREF="mailto:ares-races@mailman.qth.net"> ares-races@mailman.qth.ne</A>t,<A HREF="mailto:members@www.washcoares.org"> members@www.washcoares.or</A>g
 Sent from the Internet 



Can we "bonified" this before I forward it to State Health Care
professionals? Not being disrespectful to anyone out there, I would just
like to make sure it's not one of those "hoaxes" that float around? Ares can
you make sure this gent exist and the story is true?

It is critical that our State Health folks receive this information so we
can "target" those individuals but at the same time very embarrassing on my
end if it turns out to be some "wanna be" who published things like this.

Ed

-----Original Message-----
From: BillLennox@aol.com [mailto:BillLennox@aol.com]
Sent: Thursday, August 28, 2003 6:17 PM
To: iaem-list@iaem.com
Cc: ares-races@mailman.qth.net; members@www.washcoares.org
Subject: Re: [Iaem-list] North East Blackout Information


PLEASE NOTE: This is a PUBLIC discussion list; information shared on this
list is NOT secure ..........................................
A "Medically Fragile" respirator dependant ham radio operator tells how he 
managed during the blackout. 

Source:   <A
HREF="http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2003/08/27/2/?nc=1">http://www.arrl.
org/news/features/2003/08/27/2/?nc=1

A Taste of Baghdad in the Summer

By Robert Mauro, KZ2G
August 27, 2003 

An inconvenience for most, the Blackout of 2003 raised a serious set of 
concerns for people requiring electricity to breathe. 

    It was Thursday, August 14, 2003. I was watching CNN and using my 
respirator to breathe. Suddenly, the electric power went off. The next thing
I 
heard was the alarm on my respirator, which I need to stay alive. One of the

hottest days in the year and no electricity!  It was 4:12 PM and just the 
beginning of a long ordeal for me and 50 million other Americans, 10 million
with 
disabilities: we were about to experience a taste of Baghdad in summer.

    As a result of childhood polio, I require a respirator to breathe. I 
do not like power failures, especially in hot weather. I had thought all
summer 
about those folks in Baghdad with no electricity and suffering 120-degree 
temperatures. Now we'd get an inkling of what they were going through. I use
a 
motorized wheelchair to get around and for years I've been saving my chair's
old 
batteries. I use them to run my respirator during power failures and to run 
my Ten-Tec Omni 6 Plus at 5 W during Field Day. We only have one Field Day a

year, but we have several blackouts a year, usually lasting several hours.

    As during previous blackouts, I called Long Island Power Authority's 
emergency life support number for information on what caused the power
failure 
and how long it might last. I was shocked and unnerved when LIPA said the 
whole Eastern United States was out. I knew this would to be a long outage.
Would 
my four old wheelchair batteries last long enough to power my respirator?

    I called a local hospital's emergency room. They had emergency power 
and the nurse I spoke to said to come right over if I needed to plug in. But

like most folks, I preferred to stay home. I turned on my portable radio,
hoping 
to hear that the power would be on shortly. New York City Mayor Michael 
Bloomberg calmed me down by saying electric would be back in hours, not
days. 
Meanwhile, the temperature rose rapidly in my room.

    As the sun went down, my ventilator was still running on my first 
backup battery. Would it last through the night? The answer was "no." It
died 
precisely at 11:59 PM.  I quickly hooked up my second backup battery; the
first 
one had lasted nearly eight hours. Then at 12:02 AM, the lights flickered.
Then 
died. Then, at around 2 AM, they flickered on...and off again.

    Friday morning I called LIPA for an update. My second backup battery 
was already at eight hours.The LIPA spokesperson said the electric should be
on 
by that afternoon, maybe.  The weatherman was predicting another 90-degree 
day and I don't do well in heat and humidity.

    Hoping to keep cool, I stayed in bed. Finally at about 12:20 PM, the 
lights came on. Would they stay on?  I left my air conditioner off, but
turned 
on my TV. Governor George Pataki said people should only use their air 
conditioners for health reasons. I quickly turned mine on and breathed a
sigh of 
relief. I now had power and air conditioning. My taste of Baghdad in summer
was 
over!

Bob Mauro, KZ2G, has been a ham since 1965, when he was first licensed as 
WN2UHY, and soon thereafter, as WB2UHY. From his <A
HREF="http://www.geocities.com/ram9872002">Web site:"The seeds of
amateur 
radio were planted in me back in the Fifties. As a kid, I watched Captain 
Midnight on TV. I always wanted to make a communicator like he did out of a
piece 
of wire, a spoon and some tape." In 1960, at age 13, he bought a National
NC-60 
communication receiver to tune in on the world. After about of childhood 
polio and two spinal fusions in 1961, he got involved with CB radio and
later 
Amateur Radio. In the early 1970s, he helped start the Hofstra University 
disability advocacy group, People United in Support of the Handicapped.
Mauro is an 
author and painter living in Levittown, New York. He can be reached at <A
HREF="mailto:mkz2g@optonline.net">
kz2g@optonline.net.


In a message dated 8/28/2003 6:52:15 AM Pacific Daylight Time, 
Ned.Wright@linnema.com writes:

>Subj: [Iaem-list] North East Blackout Information 
> Date: 8/28/2003 6:52:15 AM Pacific Daylight Time
> From:<A HREF="mailto:Ned.Wright@linnema.com"> Ned.Wright@linnema.co</A>m
> To:<A HREF="mailto:Iaem-list@iaem.com"> Iaem-list@iaem.co</A>m
> Sent from the Internet 
>
>PLEASE NOTE: This is a PUBLIC discussion list; information shared on this 
>list is NOT secure ..........................................
>Do any of the Emergency Management or other Emergency Services
>organizations have any numbers of the people who are "Medically Fragile"
>or who need electric powered medical devices (oxygen, nebulizers,
>medication delivery) that were severely impacted during the Northeast
>Blackout and what actions were taken, if any, by the community to meet
>their emergency needs?
>
>My community is working toward developing a process similar to those
>used in Florida to meet the unique emergency shelter needs of the
>special needs population.
>
>Once we have a plan completed, I will share this with IAEM community.
>
>Thanks for everyone's input.   
>
>Ned Wright
>Director
>Linn County Emergency Management
>50 2nd Ave Bridge
>Cedar Rapids, IA  52401
>(319) 363-2671
>email to:  ned.wright@linnema.com
>
>.. You received this message because you subscribed yourself to the 
>IAEM-List, sponsored by the International Association of Emergency
Managers. To post 
>a message, send it to iaem-list@iaem.com.  To unsubscribe, go to  
>http://iaem.com/mailman/listinfo/iaem-list_iaem.com
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>Iaem-list mailing list
>Iaem-list@iaem.com
>http://iaem.com/mailman/listinfo/iaem-list_iaem.com
>



////////////////////////////////////////////////// Last Item 
/////////////////////////////////////////////////

Bill Lennox
US Air Force (Retired)
Full Time College Student (Emergency Management)
KD7EFP
Assistant Emergency Coordinator - Plans (ARES), Washington County, Oregon
Assistant Radio Officer - Plans (RACES), Washington County, Oregon
























////////////////////////////////////////////////// Last Item 
/////////////////////////////////////////////////

Bill Lennox
US Air Force (Retired)
Full Time College Student (Emergency Management)
KD7EFP
Assistant Emergency Coordinator - Plans (ARES), Washington County, Oregon
Assistant Radio Officer - Plans (RACES), Washington County, Oregon













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