From n7xyo at yahoo.com  Mon Apr  2 14:31:02 2012
From: n7xyo at yahoo.com (Mark Conklin)
Date: Mon, 2 Apr 2012 11:31:02 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [ARRL-OK] =?utf-8?q?Google_Declares_=E2=80=9CMorse_Code_Is_Perfec?=
 =?utf-8?q?t=E2=80=9D_with_New_Gmail_Tap_Mail_Program?=
Message-ID: <1333391462.31406.YahooMailNeo@web160102.mail.bf1.yahoo.com>

ARRL News 4/1/2012

?
On April 1, Google announced that it has unveiled a new way to use its popular Gmail e-mail system. Called Gmail Tap, it uses dots and dashes to form letters, a system of communicating that should be very familiar to radio amateurs. ?Morse code is perfect,? said 
?
Gmail Tap Engineer Mitch Fedenko. ?It?s just a dot and a dash. What?s simpler than that??
According to Google, Gmail Tap will let you tap without looking at your screen, replace the 26-key keyboard with two keys and double productivity by typing two e-mails at once.
?
VIDEO ANNOUNCEMENT: by? David Brook, Google Vice President for Communication Services
https://mail.google.com/mail/help/promos/tap/index.html
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
Editor?s note, part deux: The ARRL reminds everyone to keep in mind the date of Gmail Tap?s release. 

From k2gkk at juno.com  Tue Apr  3 10:50:43 2012
From: k2gkk at juno.com (D C (Mac) Macdonald)
Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2012 14:50:43 GMT
Subject: [ARRL-OK] Google Declares “Morse Code Is Perfect” with New Gma
	il Tap Mail Program
Message-ID: <20120403.095043.31636.1@webmail07.vgs.untd.com>

Pretty ingenious April Fool's Day joke, for sure! 
 
* * * * * * * * * * * 
* 73 - Mac, K2GKK/5 * 
* k2gkk at hotmail.com * 
* (Since 30 Nov 53) * 
* Oklahoma City, OK * 
* USAF, Ret (61-81) * 
* * * * * * * * * * * 
 
 
* "An unarmed man can but flee *
* from evil. Evil can NEVER be *
* overcome by flight FROM it." *

---------- Original Message ----------
Date: Mon, 2 Apr 2012 11:31:02 -0700 (PDT)
From: Mark Conklin <n7xyo at yahoo.com>
To: ARES OK Yahoogroup <aresoklahoma at yahoogroups.com>,
	ARRL- OKList <Arrl-ok at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: [ARRL-OK] Google_Declares_"Morse_Code_Is_Perfect_with_New_Gmail_Tap_Mail_Program"
Reply-To: Mark Conklin <n7xyo at yahoo.com>,
	ARRL Oklahoma Section List <arrl-ok at mailman.qth.net> 

ARRL News 4/1/2012

On April 1, Google announced that it has unveiled a new way to 
use its popular Gmail e-mail system. Called Gmail Tap, it uses 
dots and dashes to form letters, a system of communicating that 
should be very familiar to radio amateurs. "Morse code is perfect," 
said Gmail Tap Engineer Mitch Fedenko. "It's just a dot and a 
dash. What's simpler than that?" 
 
According to Google, Gmail Tap will let you tap without looking 
at your screen, replace the 26-key keyboard with two keys and 
double productivity by typing two e-mails at once. 
 
VIDEO ANNOUNCEMENT: by David Brook, Google Vice President for 
Communication Services
 
https://mail.google.com/mail/help/promos/tap/index.html
 
?
Editor's note, part deux: The ARRL reminds everyone to keep in mind the date of Gmail Tap's release. 
______________________________________________________ 


____________________________________________________________
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1 ridiculously huge coupon a day. Get 50-90% off your city&#39;s best!
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From n7xyo at yahoo.com  Tue Apr  3 15:12:53 2012
From: n7xyo at yahoo.com (Mark Conklin)
Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2012 12:12:53 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [ARRL-OK] ACTION NEEDED RE: FCC Public Notice - DA 12-523
Message-ID: <1333480373.7763.YahooMailNeo@web160103.mail.bf1.yahoo.com>

See message below from ARRL Regulatory Information Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND.
?
PLEASE SHARE WITH LOCAL CLUB/GROUP E-MAIL LISTS.

73
?
Mark Conklin, N7XYO
Oklahoma Section Emergency Coordinator
Amateur Radio Emergency Service
918.232.8346
n7xyo at arrl.net
Follow me on Twitter @N7XYO

www.ARESOK.org

-----Original Message-----
From: Henderson, Dan N1ND 
Sent: Tuesday, April 03, 2012 

___________________________________________________________________________________________


Do you live in a CC&R- restricted community or participate in EmCom activities?? Have deed restrictions / HOA covenants prevented you from erecting amateur radio antennas? Have these restrictions prevented you from full participation in emergency communications activities during disasters? 

If your answer is "Yes", ARRL needs to hear about your experience. 

As you are probably aware, Congress has directed the FCC to conduct a study of the uses and capabilities of Amateur Radio Service communications in emergencies and disaster relief.? The FCC was directed to identify " impediments to enhanced Amateur Radio Service communications, such as the effects of unreasonable or unnecessary private land use restrictions on residential antenna installations". Finally, the study is to make "recommendations regarding the removal of such impediments."

The FCC has issued a Public Notice - DA 12-523- soliciting input from the public as part of their study.? The ARRL is gathering comments from the Amateur Radio community to present as part of its comments on the public notice.

The ARRL is looking specifically for input in two specific areas:
*??? Recent Amateur Radio involvement in actual emergency communications and disaster relief;
*??? Specific details about how CC&Rs and other private land use restrictions have impaired licensed Amateurs to participate fully in these disaster relief communications.

If your ability to participate in ARES, RACES, SKYWARN, CERT, or other emergency and disaster relief communications has been limited because the inability to have adequate antennas due to CC&Rs, you are asked to provide that information to the ARRL.

First, we recommend that you prepare a narrative of your exact situation, in as much detail as practical. Some areas for you to consider in writing your story might be:
*??? Were there alternative properties without CC&Rs in the area you wished to reside?
*??? What exactly does your CC&R allow / prohibit (please include a copy of the specific wording)
*??? Have you applied for a waiver of the CC&R with the Home Owner's Association / Architectural Review Committee but were denied?? If so, what was the reason?

To assist you in sharing your information with the ARRL, please visit the special ARRL website built to allow you to readily provide the pertinent information at www.arrl.org/ccr-study-information
? 
This page will present you with an overview of what we are asking and have links to the two forms for you to complete.? Please be as factual as you can with the information you provide and please provide only information about events and activities in which you were directly involved.

If you wish to write out the details of your situation in advance, please do so.? The, they can be either uploaded from the website or they can be sent as an email attachment to an email sent to CCRinfo at arrl.org

Keep in mind that the FCC study does not apply to ordinances and zoning laws implemented by the government - such as towns, cities or counties.? PRB-1 covers those situations.

TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!? Congress directed that the FCC provide the report back within 180-days and that clock is already counting.? The FCC is only accepting comments for a 45-day period, which will end May 17,2012.? In order for the ARRL to collate your information in a common report, we ask that you send in your information no later than WEDNESDAY APRIL 25.? If you need more information, please contact reginfo at arrl.org? The time to act is NOW!

From n7xyo at yahoo.com  Tue Apr  3 21:38:37 2012
From: n7xyo at yahoo.com (Mark Conklin)
Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2012 18:38:37 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [ARRL-OK] DALLAS Tornadoes sweep area,
	destroying homes and cutting power
In-Reply-To: <1333503400.27470.YahooMailNeo@web160101.mail.bf1.yahoo.com>
References: <1333503400.27470.YahooMailNeo@web160101.mail.bf1.yahoo.com>
Message-ID: <1333503517.61018.YahooMailNeo@web160104.mail.bf1.yahoo.com>

4/3/2012
Dallasnews.com


DALLAS, TX - Wave after wave of storms battered North Texas on Tuesday afternoon,
smashing homes and apartment complexes, toppling trees, tossing vehicles and
forcing thousands of students to seek shelter inside their schools.

The National Weather Servicereported at least a dozen tornadoes
in the Dallas-Fort Wortharea. ? including two in Dallas and as many as four in
Hunt County.

Amazingly, given the ferocity of the
storms, officials reported no deaths and surprisingly few injuries, though
there will certainly be many millions of dollars worth of property damage.

Forney, 20 miles east of Dallas, was among the hardest-hit areas.
Seven people were reported injured, and three were taken to hospitals. 


Another of the hardest-hit areas was south Arlingtonand adjacent
Kennedale. Four minor injuries were treated in the emergency room at Arlington
Memorial Hospital, and one man checked in to Methodist Hospital in Mansfield
for help with his oxygen supply after losing electricity. 


A spokeswoman for Parkland Hospitalsaid no weather related
patients had been reported.
Airlines canceled more than 400 departures from Dallas-Fort Worth
International Airport, and another 40 incoming flights were diverted during the
height of the storm.

D/FW International Airport spokesman David Maga?a said that
airlines reported more than more than 110 aircraft sustained varying degrees of
hail damage during the storm.

Lancaster is hard-hit
Some of the worst damage occurred in the southern Dallas County
towns of Lancaster and DeSoto.

Arlandra Garrett, a resident at the PortofinoApartment complex
in Lancaster, recalled the moment the storm hit: ?Everybody started screaming,?
she said. ?Then the apartment started shaking, and then we heard a lot of
noise. The lights went off.

?It was over real quick,? she said. ?It was over faster than four
blinks.?

Her apartment building appeared unscathed, but two other
buildings in the complex suffered serious damage. The complex was littered with
roofing debris and tree limbs. Windows were blown out and one building roof was
completely ripped off. Winds had jostled cars around the parking lot and blown
out the windows of one SUV.
Police cleared residents out of the heavily-damaged buildings.
Jazmine Daniel, 24, was at home in her apartment with three young kids when the
storm hit. ?I saw the funnel cloud drop. When it hit, it was taking the windows
out of the Walgreen?s. It sounded like a bomb went off.?

As she talked, police led her and her children away from the
damaged building. Asked what she would do next, she said: ?We don?t know yet,
that?s what we?re trying to figure out.?

Linda and Brenda Nealy walked around their neighborhood assessing
the damage. The twin sisters have houses on Potomac Drive near the Cedar HillChristian Academy, which lost much of its roof. Roof shingles and boards were
scattered across the Nealy sisters' lawns

?This is our community,? Brenda said. ?I never thought I'd be in
a situation like this.?

They braved the heavy rain to check on neighbors whose houses
were turned inside out.

?We are trying to offer help,? Linda said. ?Our electricity isn't
working but at least we can help people? get organized and pick up the pieces
of their houses that are left, they said.

Damage in Forney
East of Dallas-Fort Worth, a tornado also caused major damage in
Forney.

The city reported extensive damage to Crosby Elementary and in
the Diamond Creek subdivision, but officials hadn?t totaled the number of homes
damaged because they were still canvassing neighborhoods. Non-residents were
ordered out of the area.

In Diamond Creek, storm debris littered yards and sidewalks.
Chunks of insulation lay along with children?s toys. Bags from overturned trash
cans were strewn across sidewalks.

Officials said the staff and students of Crosby Elementary were
moved to Criswell Elementary after the storm passed. Everyone was reported
safe.

On Pin Oak Drive in Desoto, a few houses had roofs blown off.
Devarrius? Foote was hiding in his bathroom when he
heard the tornado. ?It was a big whooshing sound,? he said. As soon as it went
by, he said that he went outside and saw it between two houses across the
street.

?I wasn't scared. I was more amazed,? he said.

A neighbor, Tlexia? Thomas, had a roof
blown off, windows blown out, and living room furniture overturned.
?I came home crying, said Thomas. ?You can see the sky upstairs
in my house,? she said.

Heavy property damage also was reported in a neighborhood just
north of Bonnie View Road and Interstate 20. Seven homes were totally
demolished, and 47 homes damaged, including 40 that were considered
uninhabitable, city officials reported.

Nearby, 50 tractor trailer trucks were damaged at a trucking
company, Dallas County officials said.
Two shelters were set up for residents in the area who needed a
temporary place to stay: Tommie AllenRecreation Center, at 7071 Bonnie View;
and Kiest Park Recreation Center, at 3080 South Hampton.
Dallas Fire Chief George Tomasovic said gas has been cut off to
the damaged homes and an additional 100 homes in the neighborhood were without
power.

So far, there have been no reports of injuries in the area,
Tomasovic said. ?That's just amazing,? he said.

From n7xyo at yahoo.com  Tue Apr  3 21:36:40 2012
From: n7xyo at yahoo.com (Mark Conklin)
Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2012 18:36:40 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [ARRL-OK] DALLAS Tornadoes sweep area,
	destroying homes and cutting power
Message-ID: <1333503400.27470.YahooMailNeo@web160101.mail.bf1.yahoo.com>

4/3/2012
Dallasnews.com


DALLAS, TX - Wave after wave of storms battered North Texas on Tuesday afternoon,
smashing homes and apartment complexes, toppling trees, tossing vehicles and
forcing thousands of students to seek shelter inside their schools.

The National Weather Servicereported at least a dozen tornadoes
in the Dallas-Fort Wortharea. ? including two in Dallas and as many as four in
Hunt County.

Amazingly, given the ferocity of the
storms, officials reported no deaths and surprisingly few injuries, though
there will certainly be many millions of dollars worth of property damage.

Forney, 20 miles east of Dallas, was among the hardest-hit areas.
Seven people were reported injured, and three were taken to hospitals. 


Another of the hardest-hit areas was south Arlingtonand adjacent
Kennedale. Four minor injuries were treated in the emergency room at Arlington
Memorial Hospital, and one man checked in to Methodist Hospital in Mansfield
for help with his oxygen supply after losing electricity. 


A spokeswoman for Parkland Hospitalsaid no weather related
patients had been reported.
Airlines canceled more than 400 departures from Dallas-Fort Worth
International Airport, and another 40 incoming flights were diverted during the
height of the storm.

D/FW International Airport spokesman David Maga?a said that
airlines reported more than more than 110 aircraft sustained varying degrees of
hail damage during the storm.

Lancaster is hard-hit
Some of the worst damage occurred in the southern Dallas County
towns of Lancaster and DeSoto.

Arlandra Garrett, a resident at the PortofinoApartment complex
in Lancaster, recalled the moment the storm hit: ?Everybody started screaming,?
she said. ?Then the apartment started shaking, and then we heard a lot of
noise. The lights went off.

?It was over real quick,? she said. ?It was over faster than four
blinks.?

Her apartment building appeared unscathed, but two other
buildings in the complex suffered serious damage. The complex was littered with
roofing debris and tree limbs. Windows were blown out and one building roof was
completely ripped off. Winds had jostled cars around the parking lot and blown
out the windows of one SUV.
Police cleared residents out of the heavily-damaged buildings.
Jazmine Daniel, 24, was at home in her apartment with three young kids when the
storm hit. ?I saw the funnel cloud drop. When it hit, it was taking the windows
out of the Walgreen?s. It sounded like a bomb went off.?

As she talked, police led her and her children away from the
damaged building. Asked what she would do next, she said: ?We don?t know yet,
that?s what we?re trying to figure out.?

Linda and Brenda Nealy walked around their neighborhood assessing
the damage. The twin sisters have houses on Potomac Drive near the Cedar HillChristian Academy, which lost much of its roof. Roof shingles and boards were
scattered across the Nealy sisters' lawns

?This is our community,? Brenda said. ?I never thought I'd be in
a situation like this.?

They braved the heavy rain to check on neighbors whose houses
were turned inside out.

?We are trying to offer help,? Linda said. ?Our electricity isn't
working but at least we can help people? get organized and pick up the pieces
of their houses that are left, they said.

Damage in Forney
East of Dallas-Fort Worth, a tornado also caused major damage in
Forney.

The city reported extensive damage to Crosby Elementary and in
the Diamond Creek subdivision, but officials hadn?t totaled the number of homes
damaged because they were still canvassing neighborhoods. Non-residents were
ordered out of the area.

In Diamond Creek, storm debris littered yards and sidewalks.
Chunks of insulation lay along with children?s toys. Bags from overturned trash
cans were strewn across sidewalks.

Officials said the staff and students of Crosby Elementary were
moved to Criswell Elementary after the storm passed. Everyone was reported
safe.

On Pin Oak Drive in Desoto, a few houses had roofs blown off.
Devarrius? Foote was hiding in his bathroom when he
heard the tornado. ?It was a big whooshing sound,? he said. As soon as it went
by, he said that he went outside and saw it between two houses across the
street.

?I wasn't scared. I was more amazed,? he said.

A neighbor, Tlexia? Thomas, had a roof
blown off, windows blown out, and living room furniture overturned.
?I came home crying, said Thomas. ?You can see the sky upstairs
in my house,? she said.

Heavy property damage also was reported in a neighborhood just
north of Bonnie View Road and Interstate 20. Seven homes were totally
demolished, and 47 homes damaged, including 40 that were considered
uninhabitable, city officials reported.

Nearby, 50 tractor trailer trucks were damaged at a trucking
company, Dallas County officials said.
Two shelters were set up for residents in the area who needed a
temporary place to stay: Tommie AllenRecreation Center, at 7071 Bonnie View;
and Kiest Park Recreation Center, at 3080 South Hampton.
Dallas Fire Chief George Tomasovic said gas has been cut off to
the damaged homes and an additional 100 homes in the neighborhood were without
power.

So far, there have been no reports of injuries in the area,
Tomasovic said. ?That's just amazing,? he said.

From n0irw at suddenlink.net  Wed Apr  4 10:54:40 2012
From: n0irw at suddenlink.net (Kevin O'Dell, N0IRW)
Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2012 09:54:40 -0500
Subject: [ARRL-OK] Mike Key, N5KEY (SK)
Message-ID: <55A79C49-4C62-4CCF-822C-FEE9AF8802B7@suddenlink.net>

It is with deep sadness that I report to you Michael W. Key, N5KEY became a silent key April 3, 2012 at his QTH in Overbrook, Oklahoma.  He passed away quietly surrounded by family and friends after a long illness.  Mike was retired from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol Lake Patrol and Communications Divisions. 

Mike, 56 and an Extra Class licensee, had been involved in amateur radio since his teens.  Because of his law enforcement background, Mike was driven toward emergency communications.  He had served the Oklahoma Section as VE, EC, DEC, ASEC and SEC.  He was devoted to making ARES Oklahoma a source of pride for the section.  All who knew Mike enjoyed his easy going demeanor, quick wit and his ability to assess a situation and come up with a workable communications solution. 

Mike will be greatly missed by the Oklahoma Amateur Radio family.  There will be no memorial service.


Kevin O'Dell, N0IRW
Oklahoma Section Manager

From n7xyo at yahoo.com  Thu Apr 12 11:46:43 2012
From: n7xyo at yahoo.com (Mark Conklin)
Date: Thu, 12 Apr 2012 08:46:43 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [ARRL-OK] North Texas Hams Respond When Tornados Strike
Message-ID: <1334245603.47887.YahooMailNeo@web160106.mail.bf1.yahoo.com>

North Texas Hams Respond When Tornados Strike 
TAGS: amateur, amateur radio, amateur radio club, arrl, emergency coordinator, emergency management, emergency operations centers, hams, national weather service, net control, North Texas, radio amateurs, reports, state operations center, storm, tornado, weather, weather spotters 

04/12/2012? ARRL.org
?
On April 3, 2012, perfect conditions conducive to tornado activity converged on North Texas. A slow moving front, combined with abnormally warm temperatures and moist air coming in from the south, produced large hail, numerous funnel clouds, and tornados. As the weather worsened, hams in North Texas activated ARES? and RACES nets. Spotters reported their observations to their local Emergency Operations Center, which acted on that information in a timely manner to inform the public of the approaching storms, giving them time to get to safety. A total of 21 confirmed tornados -- including one EF3 and two EF2 twisters -- swept through the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex during the seven hour storm.
?
According to ARRL North Texas Section Public Information Coordinator Jim Pope, N5JCP, the region suffered extensive damage, but thanks to the assistance of radio amateurs and trained weather spotters who tracked the storm?s path and passed the information on to local officials who in turn passed the information to the public, there were no fatalities and very few injuries.
?
?In Rowlett -- a city of about 56,000 people in the northwest corner of Dallas County -- hams at the Rowlett Fire and Police dispatch unit received information on an approaching tornado from weather spotters,? Pope told the ARRL. ?Because of this advance warning, Rowlett officials activated the sirens, warning its citizens of the imminent storm nine minutes before the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for the area.?
?
Pope told the ARRL that radio amateurs from across the region provided communications support to the National Weather Service and their local Emergency Operations Centers. In Fort Worth, local ARES? members activated a net 45 minutes before the National Weather Service requested assistance. ?We notified our spotters and went into RACES mode per our SOP with the City of Fort Worth,? said ARRL North Texas District Emergency Coordinator (District 4) Gerry Dalton, W5MAY. ?We stayed in RACES mode until approx 4:30 PM. Garry Cooper K5TXC, served as primary net control on 146.940 MHz, coordinating spotter reports to the National Weather service in Fort Worth. The City of Arlington requested an operator come to their Emergency Operations Center about 1:15 PM when the first reports of a touch down had been reported in Burleson. Linda McMillian, W5LMC, reported to the Arlington EOC and started monitoring the 146.940 RACES frequency, along with the 147.140
 Arlington Amateur Radio Club repeater where spotters were sent to give damage reports or request city services. The 147.140 net stayed in ARES mode until approx 5:00 that evening.
?
According to Dalton, most of the senior members of the various cities and counties that were impacted by the storm were at the Texas Department of Emergency Management Homeland Security Conference in San Antonio. ?The State Operations Center normally would have been activated in Austin, but since so many members of the TDEM staff and County Emergency Management were at the conference, the State of Texas stood up the State Operations Center on the floor of the convention,? he told the ARRL. ?Vendors used their demonstration equipment to bring up WebEOC, which provides situational awareness for the State Emergency Management officials. Tables were setup up and the Incident Command Staff worked from those tables for the next four hours. Live television feeds were available from the Dallas-Fort Worth area so that officials were able to watch much of the destruction in real time.?
?
In Mesquite -- a city of about 139,000 people located on the western side of Dallas County and overlapping into Kaufman County -- local officials relied on reports from Dallas SKYWARN radio amateurs to make decisions regarding local disaster plans. ?Reports from hams in Forney -- the site of the EF3 tornado -- as well as municipal communications between cities resulted in street and cleaning logistics vehicles and personnel being sent from Mesquite to Forney,? Pope explained. ?Mesquite also sent about seven police officers to Forney to assist during the first few hours of response.?
?
In Carrolton -- a city of about 119,000 people located on the northeast side of Dallas County and overlapping into Collin and Denton Counties -- a high school principal requested weather information from ARRL Carrollton Emergency Coordinator Mike Hennifer, KD5ZCF. ?We sent him an operator, Hennifer told the ARRL. ?He was then able to get information directly from the net that was current and up-to-date from the Emergency Operations Center and from the field.?
?
Officials in Hunt County -- separated by Rockwall County to the west from Dallas County -- initially told members of the Sabine Valley Amateur Radio Association and ARES? that it was not in need of assistance, but that they should continue to monitor the weather. But around 2 PM, the National Weather Service activated the groups and to contact net control on the 147.16 repeater. The ARES? weather net was started just a few minutes later from the City of Commerce?s Emergency Operations Center. ?ARES net control broadcasted updates from the National Weather Service as they were received,? Pope told the ARRL. ?They also received reports of golf ball size hail. One storm spotter outside of Commerce reported seeing wall cloud and wind gust up to 48 miles per hour. During the storm, hams at the Commerce EOC reported that they could see ?visible rotation? from a tornado. All ARES? communications were done via FM phone on the 147.16 repeater in
 Greenville, Texas (the county seat), with some traffic also being handled on the 147.02 repeater in Commerce and the 146.78 repeater in Greenville.?
?
According to Pope, Hunt County suffered very little damage, even though an EF2 tornado came through the county. ?We have 5 residences that were totally destroyed and nine others with damage, he said, ?but no deaths or injuries. A colt, horse and donkey were killed by flying debris. Hunt County was on the tail end of the tornado touch down, which mainly occurred in Rockwall County.?
?
The Office of Emergency Management in Dallas requested RACES and SKYWARN net activation around 1 PM the day of the storm. City of Dallas RACES Radio Officer Pat Hykkonnen, N5NPL, initiated a net on the 146.880 Dallas Amateur Radio Club repeater and a SKYWARN net for Dallas County was active by 1:15. ?The net handled traffic to the Fort Worth/Dallas National Weather Service office, the City of Dallas Emergency Operations Center, as well as Emergency Operations Centers in Irving, Garland, Richardson, Sachse and numerous others in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex,? he told the ARRL. ?Amateur Radio operators provided reports to the served agencies regarding severe weather events, including large, damaging hail, funnels and very destructive tornadoes.? 
?
?This storm received national media attention,? Pope said, ?but what did not receive attention was the dedication and commitment of radio amateurs. In every case, Amateur Radio was present and utilized by various Emergency Operations Centers. When asked to provide communication support for a school or business, hams stepped up to the plate and were there. Kudos and thanks go out to the North Texas hams for their dedication and professionalism during this severe weather event.?

From n7xyo at yahoo.com  Fri Apr 13 11:39:05 2012
From: n7xyo at yahoo.com (Mark Conklin)
Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2012 08:39:05 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [ARRL-OK] 4/13-4/15 SVR WX THREAT
Message-ID: <1334331545.33884.YahooMailNeo@web160101.mail.bf1.yahoo.com>

ARES-Oklahoma leaders/volunteers and SKYWARN spotters should all take a moment to day to check your gear (Go Bag) and make sure your family is ready for severe weather.
?
ARES-OK: today is a good day to reach out to your served agencies and touch base (this normaly the function of the RRT-Leader).
?
For this afternoon into Sunday; for much of Oklahoma the weather forecasters are calling for tornados, hail up to baseball size and wind gust up to 70 MPH.
?
Stay Weather Aware with your weather radio handy?and/or keep?up-to-date at:
?
Tulsa NWS: ?http://www.srh.noaa.gov/tsa/
?
Norman NWS: ?http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/
?
Do you know your local SKYWARN frequencies?? 
?
FAMILY EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PLAN http://www.tulsaredcross.org/redcross/Emergency_Preparedness_Plan.asp

Any ARES-OK activations sould be reported to your ZEC and SEC. 
?
73
?
Mark Conklin, N7XYO
Oklahoma Section Emergency Coordinator
Amateur Radio Emergency Service
918.232.8346
n7xyo at arrl.net
Follow me on Twitter @N7XYO

www.ARESOK.org

From n7xyo at yahoo.com  Sat Apr 14 09:26:20 2012
From: n7xyo at yahoo.com (Mark Conklin)
Date: Sat, 14 Apr 2012 06:26:20 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [ARRL-OK] TORNADO OUTBREAK EXPECTED LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT
Message-ID: <1334409980.9962.YahooMailNeo@web160104.mail.bf1.yahoo.com>

...TORNADO OUTBREAK EXPECTED LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT FROM
?? CENTRAL/ERN NEB SWD ACROSS KS TO CENTRAL OK...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR
?? LONG-TRACK/DAMAGING TORNADOES...

READ MORE AT:? http://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/outlook/day1otlk.html
?Stay Weather Aware with your weather radio handy?and/or keep?up-to-date at:

Tulsa NWS: ?http://www.srh.noaa.gov/tsa/

Norman NWS: ?http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/

Do you know your local SKYWARN spotter frequencies?? 

FAMILY EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PLAN http://www.tulsaredcross.org/redcross/Emergency_Preparedness_Plan.asp

Any ARES-OK activations sould be reported to your ZEC and SEC. ?
Mark Conklin, N7XYO
Oklahoma Section Emergency Coordinator
Amateur Radio Emergency Service
918.232.8346
n7xyo at arrl.net
Follow me on Twitter @N7XYO

www.ARESOK.org

From n7xyo at yahoo.com  Sun Apr 15 16:48:21 2012
From: n7xyo at yahoo.com (Mark Conklin)
Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2012 13:48:21 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [ARRL-OK] Woodward Tornado Preliminary Reports
Message-ID: <1334522901.38225.YahooMailNeo@web160101.mail.bf1.yahoo.com>

Thank you for following ICS practices and ARES-OK policy bu NOT deploying in to a disaster unless requested to deploy.

73 Mark Conklin N7XYO


FYI:


From KFOR.com?? 4/15/2012

Woodward Tornado Preliminary Reports:

- 5 confirmed dead, 2 of them children
- 3 in the city proper
- 2 in rural parts
- 20 injuries

- Most of the town is without power

Authorities have secured the Hideaway mobile home park hit by the 
tornado for search and rescue. Many streets are closed or blocked in the area.

The Red Cross is asking those who want to help not 
to bring donations to the site in Woodward at this time. They say they 
are not set up to take donations.

The tornado warning was issued at 12:16 a.m. and the tornado went through Woodward at 12:19 a.m.

Posted by:

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

www.ARESOK.org

From n7xyo at yahoo.com  Sun Apr 15 17:07:08 2012
From: n7xyo at yahoo.com (Mark Conklin)
Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2012 14:07:08 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [ARRL-OK] Governor Fallin Declares State of Emergency Due to
	Tornadoes
Message-ID: <1334524028.56489.YahooMailNeo@web160105.mail.bf1.yahoo.com>

Press Release 
Sunday, April 15, 2012 
Governor Fallin Declares State of Emergency Due to Tornadoes 
OKLAHOMA CITY ? Governor Mary Fallin today declared a State of 
Emergency for 12 Oklahoma counties due to tornadoes, severe storms, 
straight line winds and flooding that began Friday.
The counties included in the declaration are: Alfalfa, Caddo, Canadian, Cleveland, Ellis, Harper, Jackson, Kiowa, Logan, Oklahoma, Woods and 
Woodward.

The declaration can be amended to add additional counties if conditions warrant.
Since Friday, these Oklahoma counties have experienced tornadoes, 
straight line winds, damaging hail and flooding. Damage assessments 
continue in the hardest hit areas, including the city of Woodward where a large tornado has resulted in extensive damage to homes and businesses 
as well as numerous fatalities.

Under the Executive Order, state agencies can make emergency purchases 
and acquisitions needed to expedite the delivery of resources to local 
jurisdictions. The declaration also marks a first step toward seeking 
federal assistance should it be necessary.

?My thoughts and prayers go out to those families who have lost loved 
ones or seen their homes destroyed,? Fallin said. ?The state of Oklahoma is currently doing everything it can to provide relief to the 
communities in the path of last night?s storms and tornadoes. We will 
continue to work to provide every bit of assistance that we can in the 
coming days."

From n7xyo at yahoo.com  Tue Apr 17 15:55:12 2012
From: n7xyo at yahoo.com (Mark Conklin)
Date: Tue, 17 Apr 2012 12:55:12 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [ARRL-OK] Great Plains Tornado Storm System April 14-15, 2012
Message-ID: <1334692512.60360.YahooMailNeo@web160101.mail.bf1.yahoo.com>

This animation of GOES data runs through the period of April 14-15, 2012. The imagery reveals the strong flow of warm, moist air from the Gulf into an advancing cold front. There were more than 135 reports of tornadoes and 124 different warnings during this period.

Click link to play video:
?
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=140839891
?
Credit: NASA/NOAA GOES Project

From n0irw at suddenlink.net  Thu Apr 19 00:04:19 2012
From: n0irw at suddenlink.net (Kevin O'Dell, N0IRW)
Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2012 23:04:19 -0500
Subject: [ARRL-OK] Section News
Message-ID: <6F17E337-E0AB-4737-9273-F364BA82A7EF@suddenlink.net>

Oklahoma Section News ? April /May 2012

 

Hello everyone.  First let me apologize for my tardiness with any news updates.  The first 3 months of the year and even into this month have been hectic to say the least.  With Wilma retiring and us starting to take care of our now 8 month old grandson back in January, sharing sinus infections, the long process of getting my only son married off, attending another family wedding in FARRRRR west Texas, it?s bee a long 3 months.

 

Then on April 3rd, we lost a very good friend both to myself and to ham radio.  Michael W. Key, N5KEY passed away that evening quietly and with his family and friends around him.  I have known Mike since high school, in fact we met at a field day.  Mike was a ham?s ham.  He firmly believed that ?real radios glow in the dark?.  Mike supported his local clubs and the section.  Mike was a VE, EC, DEC, ASEC and SEC.  He believed in the ARES program 110%.  He will be missed.

 

On to other things??..

 

In March I had the pleasure of attending the Severe Weather Workshop in Norman to assist Ken Bailey, K1FUG from HQ with the ARRL Booth.  We met and got to chat with lots of folks, a lot of which we got to steer toward getting their ticket.

 

That Saturday, ASEC Charles Goodson, KC5UEG and I attended the Elk City Hamfest.  As usual, the guys and gals in western Oklahoma did a great job.  If you have never been to their fest, you need to make the trip.  Great people, brisk sales (I sold almost everything I took) and GREAT food!  And if you travel I-40 you get to see a couple of impressive wind turbine farms?.(now these would make great repeater sites).

 

Sadly I had to miss Green Country Hamfest as that was the weekend my son Christopher, N5CMO, got married.  I got a great daughter-in-law out of the deal.  But even though it was my only son, and given the fact that I had to wear a tux??.quess what I would have really chosen to do??.and it doesn?t include formal wear.  I do want to thank Eddie Manley, K5EMS, Mark Conklin, N7XYO, Kansas Section Manager Ron D. Cowan, KB0DTI and Larry Wolfgang, WR1B for taking care of the duties with the League booth and running the ARRL forum.  I got great reports from everyone I have talked to about how good this year?s fest was.

 

The Viking Radio Club in Lawton has been busy, as usual.  This is really a neat bunch of kids with a real passion for amateur radio.  Here is their latest news?..

 

With a wet spring break behind us (and plenty of green grass cutting in front of us), Mr. Harper has re-started Saturday classes to help students that want or need extra help understanding the materials to secure a license.  The next test session will be before the end of April.  Classes are held in his classroom, number 250, from about 10 until 12.

 

Mr. Harper and the Viking Radio Club have been invited to participate in Lawton?s annual sharing of our cultural differences, during the International Festival.  W5KS will be asked to provide their support trailer to set up an educational theme ? the role amateur radio continues to offer young minds.

 

The Missouri QSO Party is in full swing this weekend and students that stick around will get a chance jump in and have some fun, maybe on 40 meters for a while.  Will also jump over to 20 meters for more fun.  Look for K5USA or KF5CRF around 14.295 +- operating from their school station, from about noon until 4pm central time.

 

A handful of students have become a bit overwhelm as a result of thier first session (good news, no one cried this time).  Yes, there is a lot to learn about amateur radio, and the learning does not stop after the first license.  Many students have struggled with the material much longer than your child, but they continued with the program and today enjoy amateur radio privileges.  Your child can achieve success in the program too.

 

During last nights weekly net, I heard one of Mr. Harper?s students, Tyler KF5PBN getting on the net for the first time with that brand new callsign.  In the background was Bill, W5SZ, Tyler?s grandfather, together they are going to put up an HF station and be on the air frequently.    Both were invited to come to Saturday breakfast ? do teenage boys get up that early on Saturdays?  Bill, the PL is 173.8 or bring that HT and we?ll program the PL for you.  Congratulations to both of you.

The Viking Radio Club holds a daily net on 14.290 MHz from about 8:30a until 9:20a Central Time.  They are already getting regular school contacts that stop in and visit, while they operating from their school station, KF5CRF.  If you can, join in when time allows.  There are several new students in the program, please be patient if you hear a bit of a pause.

 

Thanks Paul for the update.  I?m hoping to get out there in the fall.

 

Filed Day 2012

 

It?s not to late to be thinking and planning Field Day.  Make sure you put your groups Field Day site on the League?s database.  I use this database to decide where I can visit on Field Day Saturday.  I don?t know how we did it, but Jim and I missed the meal everywhere we went by about an hour??.I gotta plan better.  Here?s the link to the database sign up??

 

http://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator

 

Events in the section coming up??.

 

June 23-24                        Field Day

July 27-28                        Ham Holiday OKC, ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN will be                                                 the guest of the OKC crew.

 

I want to thank everyone in the section that has helped with the severe weather we have had so far this year.  Whether spotter or helping in the clean up, your efforts are really appreciated.  A special thank you to the Tri-State Amateur Radio Group (TSARG) in northwestern Oklahoma for assisting Emergency Management with the coordination and intake if donated supplies in the aftermath of the Woodward storm.  Good job guys.

 

Last Minute News!

 

We just received the word that not only will Governor Mary Fallin make a Proclamation to make the week of June 17th Amateur Radio Week in Oklahoma, but she will personally present the proclamation to members of the section cabinet in late May.  We will get photos!

 

Until next time??.

 

73

 

Kevin O?Dell, N0IRW

Oklahoma Section Manager

